1988
R
Orion Pictures
2 h

1988
R
Orion Pictures
2 h

Summary Set in the East L.A. barrio, Colors stars Sean Penn and Robert Duvall as very different cops, both in age and temperment, hand picked for the city's anti-gang campaign. As partners, they daily drive their unmarked car through the warring Los Angeles neighborhoods. Their simple code of endurance: Keep peace in the streets at any price! [M...

Directed By: Dennis Hopper

Written By: Michael Schiffer, Richard Di Lello

1988
R
Orion Pictures
2 h

1988
R
Orion Pictures
2 h

Colors

Name: Colors
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Released: 1988-04-15
Duration: 2 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks, Grand L. Bush

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 26 User Ratings

7.4

My Score

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Where to Watch

Directed By: Dennis Hopper

Written By: Michael Schiffer, Richard Di Lello

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews

67% Positive
10 Reviews

27% Mixed
4 Reviews

7% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews

67% Positive
10 Reviews

27% Mixed
4 Reviews

7% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Variety

A solidly crafted depiction of some current big-city horrors and succeeds largely because of the Robert Duvall-Sean Penn teaming as frontline cops.

FULL REVIEW

The New Republic

But conventional though the patterns are, the dialogue, in black and Latino lingo, is topically hot and is heated further by contemporary street naturalism, which in fact is less "natural" than consciously theatrical; so the familiarity of the story is disguised by the crackle of the production. [16 May 1988]

By Stanley Kauffmann FULL REVIEW

Christian Science Monitor

There's hardly an original shot in the picture, and the screenplay ignores all opportunities to explore the patterns of poverty and racism that contribute to mob behavior. [22 Apr 1988]

By David Sterritt FULL REVIEW

San Francisco Chronicle

The only scene that takes a stab at saying something about the root causes of the violence is the weakest. At a poorly attended community meeting called by the police to urge residents to speak up when they witness a crime, one black Vietnam veteran angrily mentions the lack of jobs. [15 Apr 1988]

FULL REVIEW

USA Today

At 120 minutes, Colors is one of the longest cop dramas in movie history, and all the clichés are packed into the second hour. It fades in the stretch - and so may too many moviegoers. [15 Apr 1988]

By Mike Clark FULL REVIEW

Time

Along with other cast members, Penn takes ages registering his stares and scowls, until the movie is finally not about gangs but about actors' attitudes. Dressed up in '80s street slang, this is a '60s exercise in Method excess. [18 Apr 1988]

By Richard Corliss FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

Without complexity to its characters, with little balance and without a hint of the personal, family or community issues involved, Colors becomes a movie that never has to ask "Why?"--a vivid, noisy shell of a film filled with eager young actors rattling along on the surface of a lethally important subject. [15 Apr 1988]

By Sheila Benson FULL REVIEW

See All 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 26 User Ratings

7.4

69% Positive
18 Ratings

19% Mixed
5 Ratings

12% Negative
3 Ratings

User Reviews

View All

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 26 User Ratings

7.4

69% Positive
18 Ratings

19% Mixed
5 Ratings

12% Negative
3 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Orion Pictures

Release Date Apr 15, 1988

Duration 2 h

Rating R

Genres

Tagline 70,000 gang members. One million guns. Two cops.

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Awards

BMI Film & TV Awards

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

MTV Video Music Awards (VMA)

• 1 Nomination

Colors

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Sean Penn

Danny McGavin

Robert Duvall

Bob Hodges

Maria Conchita Alonso

Louisa Gomez

Randy Brooks

Ron Delaney

Grand L. Bush

Larry Sylvester

Don Cheadle

Rocket

Gerardo Mejía

Bird

Glenn Plummer

High Top

Rudy Ramos

Melindez

Sy Richardson

Bailey

Trinidad Silva

Frog

Charles Walker

Reed

Damon Wayans

T-Bone

Fred Asparagus

Cook

Sherman Augustus

Officer Porter

Bruce Beatty

Spanky

Paula Bellamy

Woman in Recreation Center

Brandon Bluhm

Tommie Hodges

Mark Booker

Young Crip #1

Ron Boyd

Cop at Sharon's

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Awards

Awards

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