Colors (1988)

 Colors (1988)

Twenty-one years after Dennis Hopper wowed most people with Easy Rider (except for me, apparently), the actor returns behind the camera with Colors. Before films like Boyz-N-The-Hood or tv series like The Shield gave us gritty representations of gang life, Hopper’s film gave the audience an unflinching, realistic take into the mechanics of gang life. In the past, gang films were mostly romanticized (looking at you, West Side Story) or seen from the outside as outright evil. Hopper tries to humanize these gangs by giving us accurate representation. Nothing is black-and-white as it seems. This part of the film interested me the most. Other than that, the film is about a rookie and a veteran cop learning how to work together. That is straightforward and nothing new had to be say despite Robert Duvall and Sean Penn playing their respective roles well.

Before the film moved to its final setting in Los Angeles dealing with gang life, it was originally set in Chicago focusing on the drug trade. Since many, many movies have drugs as their sole focus, Hopper ordered the setting to be changed. Michael Schiffer was hired to write the screenplay. His screenplay had ambition and was meticulously researched when it came to the actual gangs. I wish he could have changed the dynamics of rookie versus veteran cop, but at least it was entertaining. I am glad he inserted the joke about the bulls as it came from another little-seen Duvall movie, The Great Santini. Still, I did learn many things about the inner workings of how gangs work. True fact is actual gang members were hired to act as security during production. Two lost their lives. What I learned is that people join gangs because for the first time, they are worth something. They are family and respected by other people. It is just sad that violence is used to enforce their authority and is a big factor of the drug trade. In addition to realism, it is also relevant. Look at the scenes where Sean Penn’s character is attempting to date Maria Conchita Alonso’s character. If you understand recent history, you would have an idea why it is a doomed romance.

Bob Hodges (Robert Duvall) is a tough, experienced police officer working in the LAPD’s gang unit. He is the type of person who believes in order to do things properly, one has to be willing to bend the rules from time to time. Danny McGavin (Sean Penn) is a young cop assigned to the unit and is paired with Hodges. He does not lack for confidence and is all about making the arrests. These two men with their different philosophies have to work together in the gang-infested streets where these gangs show their colors to mark their affiliation.

The performances are excellent. Robert Duvall and Sean Penn were some of the best actors on the planet during this time. I believed in their characters and their ways of thinking. I think they had great chemistry together although their storyline together is very predictable throughout. Also, Don Cheadle as one of the gang leaders. Not much screentime, but it was good to see him in a role before he became truly famous.

Overall, I thought Colors was a good film. I thought Hopper’s hard-hitting, realistic approach in tackling gang life worked. He did a good job humanizing these groups despite their violent tactics. Despite the wonderful performances, the buddy cop story is predictable from start to finish. Also, the film’s theme song might be the only good song from Ice-T, so there is another positive! This is one of the first films to take this gritty approach and it is an underseen film. I found it a more relatable film than Easy Rider and might be one of the few to think so. But that is me!

My Grade: B