Colors (1988)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Colors is a movie that shines brightly with quality actors Sean Penn and Robert Duvall headlining the movie and Dennis Hopper sitting in the director's chair for the first time since Easy Rider (1969). The film could have easily been dismissed as a routine action movie but the end result is a gritty crime drama that highlights a major problem across the USA.Colors focuses on the Los Angeles Police Department's CRASH Division (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) combating the gang wars that could explode across Los Angeles at any moment. Amongst the CRASH officers are the 19 year veteran Officer Bob Hodges (Robert Duvall, The Godfather) who treats all the gang members hard but fair yet approaches every problem with a sense of diplomacy. Hodges is partnered with Officer Danny McGavin (Sean Penn, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) a young police officer who is highly capable but has a very short fuse and proves to be his own worst enemy with his aggressive approach to police work, much to the chagrin to Hodges. Hodges and McGavin must work together to prevent an all out war on the streets of Los Angels between the Bloods and the Crips.Sean Penn made his mark with Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and since then has gone from strength to strength with movies such as Bad Boys (1983), The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) and At Close Range (1986) which was met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Improbably cast as an LAPD officer, Sean Penn turns in an excellent performance as Danny McGavin which sees him continue to come of age. Ironically, Sean Penn found himself on the wrong side of the law during the filming of Colors when he was jailed for punching an extra who photographed him and Robert Duvall without his permission.The ever reliable Robert Duvall who never puts a foot wrong no matter what role he plays or what movie he appears in. Duvall does a fine job as veteran officer Bob Hodges who strives to keep the peace on the streets of Los Angeles as well as keeping his young hotheaded partner in line.María Conchita Alonso (The Running Man), Don Cheadle (Traffic), Damon Wayans (The Last Boy Scout), and Glenn Plummer (Speed) also appear in small but effective roles in Colors and support Sean Penn and Robert Duvall very well.The late Dennis Hopper was a surprise choice as director given that in his stellar career (Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, Speed) he has only directed a handful of movies with Easy Rider (1969) being his only successful movie as a director. Here in Colors he has done a quality job bringing the movie to the big screen.Colors was a surprisingly very good movie that is sorely underrated. Thankfully critics did not dismiss this as rubbish and gave the movie credit where it was due. It was also boosted by the star power of Sean Penn and Robert Duvall under the direction of Dennis Hopper. It is gritty and uncompromising, but Colors shines.8/10.

Two great performances from Robert Duvall and Sean Penn, and some great direction by Dennis Hopper gives "Colors" an engrossing quality that's still alive and well, 25 years later. Duvall is the experienced cop, still working the streets and counting the days to retirement. Penn, his rookie partner with a mean streak that borders on sadistic. Forced to work together, the two LAPD uniforms butt heads as they struggle to keep L.A.'s streets safe from the ever-worsening gang warfare."Colors" shares similarities with "To Live and Die in L.A." Though far less taut than Friedkin's signature cop film, Hopper's filming on the streets of inner-city L.A. brings loads of authenticity to the proceedings. And like Friedkin, Hopper puts the audience in the front seat during a great car chase, while the busts are in-your-face and manage to excite, even after so many intervening years. The result is a gritty cop movie that seeks to address the gang problems from both sides. Showcasing several familiar faces in their pre-fame days (Leon, Don Cheadle and Damon Wayans), and boasting a surprisingly effective Herbie Hancock score, Hopper's understated cop drama is a solid effort.7/10

Colors (1988) *** (out of 4) A veteran L.A. police officer (Robert Duvall) gets teamed up with a new, hot-tempered officer (Sean Penn) just as a war between rival gangs breaks out in the streets. The two officers are constantly butting heads over the proper way to handle the situations of the street and things don't get any better once the gangs start fighting back. COLORS was a very popular movie in the day but it's not really a great film. I think there are many very good and many great things in the film but I think a major re-write on the screenplay could have really helped things because no matter how many times I watch the film I can't help but think they're trying to do way too much and end up missing a lot of stuff that should have been simple. On one hand you're looking at a cop-buddy picture and then you have a film trying to show people the law of the streets. I'm sure many were seeing these type of gangs for the first time and director Hopper certainly tries to make one understand why they're in these gangs and why they're willing to lay down their blood for their cause. What doesn't work overly well are a couple side plots dealing with Penn and his relationship with a Mexican woman (Maria Conchita Alonso) with connections to the street. Another thing that doesn't work overly well are all sorts of other subplots dealing with lower entry gang members that never really add up to much. I think there are some moments where the film goes away from the two leads for too long, which certainly makes the film drag in spots. What does work however are the performances by those two leads with both actors doing a great job and even better is the chemistry they have together. The old school Duvall and the new school Penn were the perfect selection for partners here because their acting styles are just so different that they end up mixing together so well. No actor can sell a veteran as great as Duvall and Penn was certainly starting to come into his own around this point in his career and that hot-tempered manor of his was nailed perfectly. The supporting players add some nice performances including Ron Delaney, Larry Sylvester, Don Cheadle and Marlon Wayans in a small role. I've read some reviews that say COLORS is nothing more than a blaxploitation flick for white people but I think this is a tad bit unfair. I think Hopper did a very good job at showing this gang life without glamorizing it and I also think the film does a good job at making the members humans and not just some sort of targets. Hopper certainly seemed to know the material quite well and his direction gets the job done but I think less could have been more.

COLORS is a film by Dennis Hopper . Originally scripted by Richard Di le Lello changes were demanded by the director who brought in screenwriter Michael Schiffer who changed the location and emphasised gang life in the ghetto . In many ways it's a precursor to the " anti-gangster " films of the early 1990s like BOYZ IN DA HOOD and MENACE TO SOCIETY . Unfortunatetly by trying to make a realist film this works against the movie One of the fundamental aspects of realist cinema is casting unknowns . Hopper prided himself on casting real LA gang members in walk on parts , but this is negated by having two very well known actors in the lead roles as beat cops both of whom are written as the old clichéd " hard bitten cop who knows how the streets work " and " young cop who doesn't but he still wants to make a name for himself " . Duvall does of course do the best with the material he's given but Penn is distracting . Watching the film more than 20 years after it was released might actually improve your opinion of Penn since he's a double Oscar winning actor who's considered amongst the best actors of his generation . Not so in 1988 when his only real claims to fame was that he would often assault anyone who annoyed him and was married to Madonna There is another another aspect that stops the film from being realist cinema and that is the soundtrack . Usually a realist film has no incidental score but here we get an often intrusive in your face music soundtrack . It's interesting how so many films from the 1980s give the impression that the most important aspect to a movie was the music which dates COLORS along with making it difficult to describe it as being either realist or a star vehicle commercial film