Genres

Visitors Review

raymond-15 2013-06-15 12:42:00

Improves in the latter scenes

We've seen it all before and since. Rapists and thugs are serving timein the Rainford Juvenile Facility until they are satisfactorilyrehabilitated.Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) shares a cell with a likable young criminalwho loves tinkering with radios and mousetraps and some explosiveinventions of his own. His antics provide the only light relief to theviolence.There is a touching scene where O'Brien escapes to comfort his girlfriend who has been pursued and raped on a highway. The otherwiseunemotional O'Brien breaks down during his moment of freedom. Theoffender is caught and comes face to face with O'Brien behind bars. Atthis point the film becomes more interesting as tension between thecharacters builds.Among the mixture of characters there is of course a bully who alwaysjumps the food queue and roughs up anyone he cares to annoy for noapparent reason.Sean Penn does a good job as a silent brooding type of thug, out forrevenge although his own past life has not been an exemplary one.I am amazed at the size of the Illinois Penitentiary of which we get amomentary glimpse of an interior cell block. O'Brien is too, and atthis point he rethinks his future attitude towards life behind bars.Not a particularly interesting film ( a kind of docu-drama of life in arehabilitation unit). It is however a showcase of the acting ability ofSean Penn who went on to star in a host of successful films.

RoseNylan 2013-06-15 05:52:07

One of Penn's best films

This is a fantastic crime drama/thriller about a troubled teen(Penn)who accidentally kills a young boy during a bungled drug heist. He issent to a maximum security juvenile correctional facility and is thrownin with some of the meanest, most violent young criminals. Meanwhile,the older brother of the young boy that he accidentally killed is outfor revenge and tries to get back at him through his girlfriend(AllySheedy) outside of prison.Many of the horrific images in this film will stay with you for a longtime. There is a constant sense of fear and danger that lingersthroughout the film and is highlighted by a terrific score by BillConti(Rocky, The Karate Kid). Penn gives one of his best performanceshere. A must see film.

2013-06-09 00:21:55

"Bad" Script/Acting

Sean Penn is overexposed nd overrated but certainly has proved self capable in other outings. He fails here first as the "hard delinquent" whose enviroment led to his crimes and second as the "sensitive inmate" who sees the light and just wants to go home.Eric Gurry appears as Horowitz, playing the Jewish stereotype- craftiness and comic relief - a stupid casting attempt at lightening a grim reformatory flick.While Penn is unbuyable as Chicago street tough, he is worse in a scene where he expresses sorrow over a family tragedy.Penn was lucky people liked his Jeff Spicoli character enough for Hollywood to give him another chance in "At Close Range", a much better outing for Mr.Penn.

kurciasbezdalas 2013-06-08 13:38:15

A good prison film

Before watching this film i wasn't quite sure that this is aprison-movie. The beginning was not like i expected and i started tothink that i ain't gonna like this film but then the main character ofthe film gets put in borstal and then the movie gets interesting. Thismovie has everything that prison-movie needs from interestingcharacters to well portrayed prison life (althou there were no racialwars and it appeared unusual to me). Sometimes it did appeared a littlebanal and predictable but that's OK because it was still interesting towatch. The acting was good and also nice directors work. so if you likeprison-movies you should watch this.

Tim Cox 2013-06-05 16:12:11

Bad Boys

Penn stands out with a convincingportrayal as a hard ass teenagerwho lands in a foul reform school. That's pretty much the film. Penn owns it throughout with the restof the cast adding nothing to the maze.

2013-06-05 02:00:31

Not to Be Confused with the Will Smith flick...

This one stars a very young Sean Penn in his breakout role as an inner city Irish thug who accidently kills the younger brother of one of his enemies.He is sent to Saint Charles Youth Home in Illinois and learns the ropes on how to survive in the toughest adolescent prison in the state.He's a smart kid and has brains as well as the ability to fight and he quickly earns a lot of respect.When his enemy rapes Penn's girlfriend, Ally Sheedy in retaliation for his brother's murder and is sent to the same prison a showdown occurs.This film is effective in showing the insides of a violent youth prison very realistically as well as portraying the troubled kids on the inside with a lot of complexity.They aren't just one dimensional stereotypes.The dialogue is harsh and the filming is bleak and gritty.The Chicago locale shots are great and show a seedy side to the Windy City.The final confrontation is very powerful and totally realistic.Penn, in the end must decide whether to take his enemy's life or let him live.This is a very watchable, well acted and intelligent, moody drama. If you haven't seen it, well...you should. It may be hard to find but it's worth the hunt.Watch it on VHS if you have to.This is a good,very memorable movie.

kato_76 2013-06-02 16:59:51

Juvenal Boys

Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is a teen criminal from Chicago. He was sent toajuvenile detention center for accidentally killing the little brother ofPaco Moreno (Esai Morales), a small time drug dealer. To revenge hisbrother's death, Paco rapes J.C. Walenski (Ally Sheedy), Mick'sgirlfriend,and is ironically sent to the same detention center as Mick. Somebodywillbe repaid for the crime they committed.Revenge is the game these two boys are playing. Their lives are now notlived to survive, but are lived to repay-- to repay the pain of that wasinflicted on their loved ones, to repay the pain they felt for their lovedones, to repay the pain they feel because of the hatred for oneanother.I imagine Rick Rosenthal, the director, is attempting to instill a senseofguilt for not only the hatred we feel, but also the hatred we cause.Revenge doesn't bring answers; it only brings agony to those who seek it,and those who it affects. There are better ways to cope withgrief.My favorite part of the movie is when Mick escapes from the detentioncenter, knowing he will get caught, just to see J.C. This truly showedhowmuch he cares for her. I also realized how furious and hurt he must havefelt when he heard what had happened to her. Paco's crime shouldn't havehappened. His brother's death was an accident, but what he did wasintentional.Although it was made in 1983, this movie still seems to fit in with theworld twenty years later. Hopefully in twenty more years this film willbeviewed and understood the same way I view and understoodit.

2013-06-02 03:57:05

one of Penns first and best movies

BadBoys is another teen gone bad movie where they end up in jail. but before there was oz, there as BadBoys.....watch it ,,,you will enjoy it. Mr. esai moralles is great in this one too. Don;t confuse this with the Will Smith & Martin Lawrence film.....this came out way before those.

2013-05-29 03:06:03

VERY PLESAED

This review is from: Bad Boys (DVD) A one of a kind movie if you like penn.this is and oldy but moldy....for the archives.had a goood experence with the seller and know problems.. on time and all that... like i said a good product.

2013-05-28 20:20:21

One of Penn's best.

This movie is always wrongly stated as a '83 production; it may have been released that year, I don't know, but it says '82 in the end-credits, and Sheedy clearly made this one before "Wargames". Watch Penn attack a blond Clancy Brown with a pillowcase full of Cokes; a marvellous fight-scene not to be missed. You can also rock out to a great soundtrack, featuring the almighty "The Tubes".

neon-dreams-1 2013-05-26 04:11:17

Caught it on TV and was mesmerized

Just caught Bad Boys on TV, and couldn't stop watching. Thought Pennwas brilliant, and loved Horowitz. Thought the screenplay wasexceptional, and loved that it ended when it did. What could have beencliché was avoided by tasteful direction and excellent casting, thoughI agree with one of the reviewers that "Viking" seemed too old to be inthe reformatory, as did his sidekick whose name escapes me. I did thinkthat the character actor who played Viking did a great job. Penn isreally amazing in this film. He never overplays. He really became MickO'Brien. As a young actor, I used to feel that Penn over-acted. Iconsidered him to be a bit of a show off, until Mystic River and 21Grams changed my perception dramatically. He's now become one of my topten actors. I didn't know about Bad Boys. I was frankly blown away byhis performance. The reformatory did remind me of "Oz" on HBO, which isone of the reasons I couldn't stop watching it! I also thought theprison staff were very good, especially Penn's counselor, who doubledas a teacher and guard. I loved that Viking was singled out for hisdrawing, revealing a sensitive side to him. It makes him more complex,rather than settling for a stereotype of an evil, dimwit. Next to Penn,Horowitz was my favorite character. He was brilliantly cast, andwritten. All in all, a terrific film. Good to see a young Ally Sheedydoing great work.

2013-05-25 12:27:13

Gritty prison film

The Bottom Line:Prison flicks are almost always interesting and this 1983 Sean Penn thriller is no exception; set in a juvenile detention center with no heros but anti-heros and few concessions to any positive message, it's a film for those who like their movies violent and mean.3/4

2013-05-16 21:25:53

One of Sean Penn's best roles

I missed this in the original run and decided to grab it. Mick O'Brien (Penn) kills the little brother of a notable gangster and is sent to jail. It's not just a revenge tale, but a decently finished biography of a young man in trouble. This is one of Penn's strongest performances. Well worth watching and owning if you are a Penn fan. Rebecca Kyle, December 2008

kd4kn 2013-05-16 10:39:13

Americas Juvenile Crime,

In this Film you are not going to see the usual American Kids they want youto see,but you will see the more Real and less unfortunate ones. We have toadmit that America is not very keen in this subject (JuvenileDelinquents,Petty Crime)as Spain is, but this movie is not thatbad.Mick O`brian (Sean Penn) is a tough street kid trying to survive the bestway he can and knows.Living a life of crime as in mugging,bag snatching,carthefts and armed robbery`s,he will stop at nothing to keep the only thingshis got,his liberty and the love of his girlfriend J.C. (Ally Sheedy).Buthis luck will change when he is sent to a juvenile prison for armed robberyand murder.There he will experience the horrors behind bars,and meet newenemies.This film is not so realistic as it should be,but its still quiteentertaining.Its also quite brutal and dramatic.Juvenile Delinquency is a very interesting subject for movie making,but onlywith the right Director and screen writers.7/10.

2013-05-14 06:35:45

Early Sean Penn - One of My Favorites!

This review is from: Bad Boys (DVD) Personal preference of course, but Sean Penn as a tough teen in a high-security youth center provides for a great storyline. Although a bit dated over time, still packs a powerful punch.

Marc Desbiens 2013-05-13 22:01:20

Not that generous ...

I just finished watching this movie and I wasn't that impressedOnly Sean Penn and Ally sheedy are excellent in this one ... all the otheractors give only so-so performances. Nothing too spectacular...And the plot itself is mildly ludicrous ... to believe that such a thingcould happen is a sign of mental weakness ... Keep on watching wrestling andbelieving it's real ... haha !!!2/5 overall. A little disappointing for myself who is a big Sean Penn fanbut what can you do with a script like that and some slightly uninterestingdialogues ...Better luck next time ...What was Esai Morales doing in there ... still trying to figure it out ...would this "marvelous" plan of his work ?? wowo ... I was reminded of WileE. Coyote (Morales) trying to catch the Roadrunner (Penn) ... but with ahome made ice pick instead of a fork !!!

MadBluntz 2013-05-13 17:42:02

Amazing prison movie!

MPAA:Rated R for Strong Violence,Language and Some Sexuality. QuebecRating:13+ Canadian Home Video Rating:R(should be 18A)The film Bad Boys(not to be confused with the 1995 film of the samename) is a prison movie starring Sean Penn.It has played on TV a coupleof times and I have seen it twice.This is an excellent film.Its up onmy list of "favorite prison movies" along with "The Green Mile" and"Life".I have not seen Shawshank Redemption but I have read the noveland it is excellent as well.Unlike those movies, this is a very brutaland violent prison movie.Don't watch it if you don't like violence.Thefilm is about a young criminal named Mick O Brian.One day he gets intoa shoot-out with some latino's, when the cops come he drives away butloses control of the car and accidentally kills the brother of a latinogang member named Paco Moreno.He gets sentenced to prison.Paco nowwants revenge on Mick so he rapes Mick's girlfriend and gets sent tothe same prison as Mick.Its hard to choose who to root for in thisfilm.Both men deserve revenge for what happened to them.While in prisonthey meet all sorts of prisoners such as Horrowitz, a geek who can makebombs out of normal objects and two strong prison rapists named Tweetyand Viking.Bad Boys is a very interesting prison movie and I recommendit to fans of prison movies.

2013-05-13 01:40:01

Excellent experience

I received my order sooner than I was told and the quality of the DVD was excellent.

2013-05-03 22:57:16

underrated

This review is from: Bad Boys (Uncut & Uncensored) (DVD) i cant stand how sean penn is now but i tell ya, this is one of the most underrated teen films ever. i own it and im glad i bought it

Maximus975 2013-05-03 05:02:01

summary

When people think of "Bad Boys" the first thing that comes to mind ismost likely the Michael Bay epic staring Will Smith and MartinLawrence. That is not the case in this review. "Bad Boys" is the storyof Sean Penn's character Mick O'Brian and a chunk of his life in whichhe goes to juvenile hall. Your generic bad neighborhood is where MickO'Brian lives, ruled by gangs and over run with crime. A place wherejust by sitting at a red light you can be mugged, and for helping bebashed on the head with a pipe. Sean Penn, only twenty-three years oldat the time this movie was made was a very dedicated actor. One scenein particular was he and a new inmate enters the detention hall for thefirst time. It is fairly obvious that whenever a new batch of boysenters the hall the custom is to spit and throw objects at them toreassure the new boys that they are new. Penn asked his fellow castmembers to give it all they got and spit as much as they could on him.Further more Penn and other cast members performed whatever stuntstheir characters needed to do. It isn't long that O'Brian cannot takeany more of the regime in place and the torture the boys in chargeinflict on a weaker inmate. Soon enough O'Brian becomes the leader ofthe guys in the detention hall. Once he takes charge however Penn keepshis acting relatively the same despite O'Brian as a character is now incharge and becomes moderately power hungry, Penn does a wonderful jobat keeping it in. In the whole though, this film doesn't really seem togo anywhere, but has the possibility to keep people entertained for theduration of the film.