Colors (film)

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Colors
Colors movie poster
Directed by	Dennis Hopper
Produced by	Robert H. Solo Paul Lewis
Written by	Richard Di Lello Michael Schiffer
Starring	Sean Penn Robert Duvall María Conchita Alonso Grand L. Bush
Music by	Herbie Hancock
Cinematography	Haskell Wexler
Distributed by	Orion Pictures Corporation
Release date(s)	April 15, 1988 August 4 August 17 August 26 September 9 September 29 November 24
Running time	120 min.
Country	United States
Language	English/Spanish
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Colors is a 1988 crime film starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall and directed by Dennis Hopper. The story takes place in South Central Los Angeles in 1987, and is about an experienced LAPD cop, Bob Hodges (Duvall) and his rookie partner, Danny McGavin (Penn) who try to keep the gang violence between the Bloods and the Crips under control.

1 Plot introduction
2 Original soundtrack
- 2.1 Track listing
3 Trivia
4 Cast
5 External links

[edit] Plot introduction

Danny McGavin is an officer who has just transferred to LAPD's C.R.A.S.H. unit from patrol. Teamed with 19-year veteran Bob Hodges, he is a hotheaded adrenaline junkie, much to Hodges' chagrin. McGavin allows no challenge to authority, however slight, to go unpunished.

The older cop is laid back on the surface, preaching "rapport" to gang members to encourage them to offer help when it is truly needed, and recognizes that every action cops take is scrutinized by the people they are trying to help. The lessons are lost on McGavin, and his actions bring him quick notoriety that rubs off on Hodges.

Amidst this, a murder of a Blood gang member leads to a series of escalations between two other street gangs, a relentless intertwining of seemingly random incidents that culminates in a gang war. Meanwhile, after attempts of reason, friendship and finally intimidation fail to bring any change in McGavin, Hodges finally gives up and requests a partner transfer. Hodges is later killed by a gunshot wound, and McGavin gets a rookie black partner some time later.

McGavin finally learns that being a hardened enforcer has repercussions in the lives of everyone he contacts, and most of all himself, and that force without diplomacy only leads to ruin.

[edit] Original soundtrack

A soundtrack for the film, Colors - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was released in 1988 on Warner Bros. Records.

[edit] Track listing

"Colors" - Ice T
"Six Gun" - Decadent Dub Team
"Let The Rhythm Run" - Salt-N-Pepa
"Raw" - Big Daddy Kane
"Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness Mix)" - Eric B. & Rakim
"Butcher Shop" - Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo
"Mad Mad World" - 7A3
"Go On Girl" - Roxanne Shante
"A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" - MC Shan
"Everywhere I Go (Colors)" - Rick James

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The film's release in the spring of 1988 coincided with the rash of gang violence in the south west United States that was just starting to become a national media story at the time. Some reported incidents of violence took place at theaters where Colors was playing (similar rumors were circulated about The Warriors, another street gang film), prompting big name theaters to drop the film.

The film's theme song of the same title was performed by Ice T.

In April 1987, during the film's production, Sean Penn was arrested for punching a photographer who was taking pictures of him without permission. He served a month in jail for this assault.

The producers hired real gang members. Some were shot during the film's production.

A mural of Jesus Christ on a wall in one scene can also be seen in a scene from Falling Down, a 1993 film in which Duvall appears as an experienced police officer.

James Caan and Robert De Niro were considered for the role of Hodges, but Robert Duvall eventually got the role. Both Caan and De Niro have worked with Duvall in The Godfather Trilogy.

Sean Penn's brother Chris Penn would later play another C.R.A.S.H. officer this time in the hit game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. His character Eddie Pulaski would be the exact opposite of his character in Colors.

T. Rodgers, seen in the film as Dr. Feelgood, is a real-life founder of the Bloods.

Chris Penn was originally going to play the lead role however gave it to Sean Penn as Chris thought Sean was better suited for the part.

[edit] Cast

Robert Duvall as Officer Bob Hodges
Sean Penn as Officer Danny McGavin (nicknamed Pac Man)
Glenn Plummer as Clarence 'High Top' Brown
Grand L. Bush as Larry Sylvester (nicknamed Looney Tunes)
Don Cheadle as Rocket
Damon Wayans as T-Bone
Leon Robinson as Killer Bee
Romeo De Lan as Felipe (brother of Frog, who later becomes a 21st gang member to revenge against the Crip set)
Maria Conchita Alonso as Louisa Gomez (romantic interest of McGavin/Pac Man and member of 21st Street Gang)
Trinidad Silva as Leo 'Frog' Lopez
Gerardo Mejia as Bird
Mario Lopez as 21st Street Gang member
Karla Montana as Locita
Sy Richardson as O.S.S. Sgt. Bailey
Courtney Gains as Whitey
Allan Moore as Shooter