Dennis Hopper's much discussed gang warfare drama was tailor made for controversy, being too honest for exploitation but, at the same time, shallow enough to frustrate viewers expecting something more than what it is: only another action-packed, urban cop story with a topical background. No, it doesn't glorify gang violence, but it does romanticize the thrill of the chase, with cars careening off each other while the boom boxes pound on the soundtrack. Sean Penn and Robert Duvall make a formidable acting team, playing two LA policemen battling each other as well as the gangs, each of them bringing a measure of depth to their stereotypical macho cop characters with typically intense performances. Meanwhile the script wanders all over the east LA barrios before finally pausing for a suitably tragic conclusion; screenwriter Michael Schiffer wisely passes no judgment and makes no attempt to put the problem of gang warfare into perspective, which is probably why some people were worried that the film itself might incite violence (it didn't).
