Directed by Dennis Hopper, Colors is a superior 1988 action movie set among the street gangs of LA that teams up Robert Duvall as Hodges, the elder cop, with young hothead partner Danny McGavin (Sean Penn). Investigating a murderous feud between the Bloods and the Crips, Duvall attempts to impress upon the impetuous Penn the value of a more cautious, easy-going approach in dealing with gang members, rather than trying to charge in among them. The film as a whole was one of the first to take a serious, unromantic and unstereotypical look at gang culture, at how... youngsters are sucked into it, how few options are actually open to these macho hoodlums and how little they have in the way of family, community and stability other than the gangs. The partnership between Penn and Duvall by contrast, though well played, is pretty much the standard old cop/young cop set-up, right down to Duvalls frequent, ominous remarks about how close he is to retirement. While the action is sometimes disjointed and the relationships between the gangs at times confused, it at least helps to dispel the usual Hollywood good vs. evil dynamic. Instead, theres a more ambient sense of violence, desperation, retribution and recrimination. Penns doomed relationship with a homegirl indicates that while the LAPD may capture a few felons, theyve little chance of capturing the hearts and minds of the criminalised poor. Later films such as John Singletons Boyz 'n the Hood (1991) would go further in exploring how life looks from the gangsta perspective.On the DVD: The films is presented in an anamorphic 16:9 widescreen version, with the usual chapter and language selections. The only other feature is the original, detailed but run-of-the-mill trailer. --David Stubbs [show more]
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Dennis Hopper directs this classic 1980s crime drama starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall. Veteran cop nearing retirement Bob Hodges (Duvall) and rookie know-it-all Danny McGavin (Penn) are reluctantly teamed together on the L.A.P.D.'s C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) unit when they investigate a brutal gang murder. They soon find themselves involved in a dangerous turf war and are forced to put their differences aside in an attempt to keep each other alive. The supporting cast includes Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks and Glenn Plummer.
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