On C List of Movie Reviews
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Colors (1988)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
9/05, 1/20
9/05:
Although ambitious, Colors comes up colorless.
Many themes are clichéd; in other words, there's nothing new to discover. Worse, Dennis Hopper loses focus by
trying to juggle many different perspectives that don't converge to a single point.
Sean Penn and Robert Duvall aren't wasted, but their roles should be increasingly magnified for impact. At the
same time, the film can benefit from showing more of L.A.'s gang-infested streets. By the way, Courtney Gains
plays a gangbanger which is a big "gee whiz" moment considering he was in
Children of the Corn four years earlier.
All in all, Colors has a lot of untapped potential, but it needs a re-evaluation from me.
1/20:
Showcasing the police officers' work on the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles, Colors is about
approaches when it comes to handling gangbangers.
Sean Penn's character is all about busting balls and seeing things in black and white while Robert Duvall's
wants to talk things out and keeping the relations as cool as possible. I realize, over time, the latter
approach makes more sense because what the former was doing will cost him, hence the loss of community trust.
My opinion of Colors had been low in the past, but I find it hard to deny its greatness: raw and edgy
that's true to real life. It's a credit to Dennis Hopper's direction. Even more interesting is the fact that
he chose this project.
As for the acting, everybody is outstanding. In a role that almost went to Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn gives one
of the best performances of his career, showing a great understanding of his character. When he saw what his
ex-girlfriend truly was, it's a moment of realization that looks aren't everything and that it's better to get
know her a bit more first.
Robert Duvall is, of course, a pro. Trinidad Silva is also memorable as Frog, but he sadly died in 1988 when a
drunk driver hit his vehicle. The secondary thespians, which include future breakout stars Don Cheadle, Damon
Wayans, Glenn Plummer, and Mario Lopez and real-life gang members who were threatened with jail time if they
refused to participate, add more realism to the show.
Impossible to miss is Ice-T's catchy music with a repetitive eponymous hook. There's no question that he
should've been Oscar-nominated for Best Original Song. If you stay to the end of the film, it's an all-time
great: the mix of his music and the photography of Los Angeles streets.
All in all, Dennis Hopper took a risk to show the street gangs of Los Angeles to the world for the
first time, which was a radical idea back then, and it paid off.