BAD BOYS is a gritty action drama about gang members who get into a violent rivalry and end up being incarcerated for their trouble. The setting is a juvenile detention centre, which brings this close in style to the hard-hitting British classic SCUM, starring Ray Winstone. BAD BOYS isn't quite that film's equal, but fans of the genre will be well served by the events of the plot.
The film has a low budget and a few scenes of poor lighting where you can't see much that's going on. However, it's also grimly realistic and the prison setting is well realised. I found the first hour pretty slow but things pick up in the second half for some familiar prison rivalry and violent chaos unfolding. Sean Penn won plaudits for his believable performance, and rightly so, but the likes of Esai Morales, Ally Sheedy, Clancy Brown, and Eric Gurry also shine just as brightly. The ending is as powerful as it gets.
The film has a low budget and a few scenes of poor lighting where you can't see much that's going on. However, it's also grimly realistic and the prison setting is well realised. I found the first hour pretty slow but things pick up in the second half for some familiar prison rivalry and violent chaos unfolding. Sean Penn won plaudits for his believable performance, and rightly so, but the likes of Esai Morales, Ally Sheedy, Clancy Brown, and Eric Gurry also shine just as brightly. The ending is as powerful as it gets.