Bad Boys (1983)

When I consider the list of the greatest actors alive today, Sean Penn ranks among top five actors in my list. Winner of two Academy awards in the Best Actor category (a rare occurrence) and a three-time nominee in the same category, Penn has become one of the most influential yet underrated actors of his generation. He shot to a top-rated actor with his performance in Tim Robbin’s “Dead Man Walking” (1995), later following it up with another notable performance in Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999) for which he received an Oscar nomination. There is no doubt that his earlier movies set the stage for challenging roles later in his acting career. After starting his film career in Amy Heckerling’s coming-of-age comedy “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982), Penn then starred as the leading actor in a brutal prison drama, “Bad Boys” (1983). It was an unusual career choice to sign up for a non-mainstream, violent film. But looking back, his performance in “Bad Boys” reminded me of his mature and controlled performance in “Dead Man Walking” by an actor who was at the top of his game, and he still is.

In “Bad Boys” we are taken to the world of a young Chicago street thug, Mick O’Brien (Sean Penn), who leads the life of a petty thief. One day, he persuades his close friend to rob a local drug dealer, and things go bad from this point onward. Little did Mick know that another local thug, Paco (Reni Santoni), was also planning to rob the same dealer. Later, in the police chase, Mick accidentally kills Paco’s younger brother. Mick cannot be charged as an adult and, therefore, he is sent to a juvenile prison. There he meets his roommate, Barry Horowitz (Eric Curry), who is a skilled kid when it comes to handling chemicals and electronic gadgetry. Through various events in the prison, Mick crosses paths with two criminals, Viking (Clancy Brown) and Tweety (Robert Lee Rush), who are unhappy with Mick’s attitude. Soon, Paco is charged for a crime and transferred to the same jail where Mick is severing his sentence. Things go out of control as Paco is determined to avenge his brother’s death.

This is by no means a happy film to watch. From the stabbing in the opening scene to the shoot-out and then to a rape, “Bad Boys” is a bloody, violent tale. Director Rick Rosenthal maintains a serious tone throughout in depicting the violent world of juvenile criminals; he uses prison as a canvas to paint the violent mind-set of criminals. The impact of the drama unfolding in the prison is brutal, realistic, and gritty, and it seems to offer no hope. Even though the criminals are legally juvenile, they are capable of committing violent, gruesome crimes like criminal adults. Just as with other prison dramas, “Bad Boys” operates with only one motive: the survival of the fittest.

Viking and Tweety want to bring down Mick, as they see him as a threat to their bossy leadership in the prison. Mick is a step ahead of them and devises several bloody moves that keep things interesting and realistic. At no point does Rosenthal incline towards one race as the main driving force of increasing the crime rate; the writers keep racial stereotypes and prejudices in check. We have a Latino gang operated by Paco, a small white gang run by Mick, a local black drug dealer, and in the prison, we have two whites leading the pack of criminals. Never for a moment will you think one race has more criminal tendencies than the other; they are all the same in Rosenthal’s world.

Sean Penn is equally fierce in his portrayal of Mick. The film offers no background on why Mick is a petty thief, although we do get a glimpse of him trying to interact with his busy, negligent mother. Other than this, the movie chiefly marches with Penn’s incredible performance, even when no pertinent detail is offered for Mick’s character. His character bears a striking resemblance to Paul Newman’s character in “Cool Hand Luke” (1967); he is different than the others, and he is not going to back down to any forceful opposition. He conducts himself unlawfully in the prison and then is later locked in a solitary confinement, but by the end, we see others cheering for Mick. Penn packs in all the rage required in realistically depicting Mick’s character. His teenage rage never stops for a minute when he goes on with his criminal ways. But the ultimate question the writer, Richard DiLello, asks is whether there is a redemption for Mick by controlling his anger. Mick is presented with this scenario in the climax, where he has an option to call it quits, thereby putting an end to his blind fury. It is great to see Sean Penn putting up a convincing, violent performance. The supporting cast of Reni Santoni and Clancy Brown both provide a counterbalance to Penn’s performance. Like Mick, both the characters are also blinded by revenge, failing to realize the consequences of their actions. Another notable performance comes from Ally Sheedy, who plays Mick’s girlfriend in the film. She has only a few scenes, but as a rape victim, she conveys her pain and helplessness quite well.

The film moves along at a good pace in the first two acts; however, it fails in the final act. The pace slows down with Paco’s entry, and it fails to pack in all the punches delivered by the first two-thirds of the film. The showdown is predictable but still within the realm of what the director wants to show. In the end, “Bad Boys” will be remembered for Sean Penn’s masterful performance, a reminder why he is one of the greatest actors alive today.

Video:

Lionsgate presents “Bad Boys” in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded in an AVC format. The print is clean and free of any blemishes. Natural print grain is preserved as desired. Considering the low-budget nature of the movie, the 1080p transfer is a mixed bag. There are several scenes when the transfer appears really sharp, and then we have scenes that are soft. However, even when the transfer is inconsistent, the skin tones are lifelike. The long shots sometimes have inherit softness to them, whereas close-ups reveal enough detail. The HD transfer lacks dimensionality that I believe can be attributed to the source.

Audio:

We get a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track for this release. The dialogue is smooth and consistent and is driven mainly by the front channels. The gunshots are loud but not punchy. Overall, the track works well, if not great. Also, included is the option to view the movie with English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

There are not many extras included on this Blu-ray release. Starting off, we get an audio commentary track with director Rick Rosenthal. He discusses the characters, the story, the production techniques used, and the main shoot-out sequence. He describes show Sean Penn and Reni Santoni presented their audition monologues for their roles. We also learn how a popular TV show, “NYPD Blues,” influenced the movie. Overall, Rosenthal is engaging in this track.

We also get an original theatrical trailer.

Parting thoughts:

“Bad Boys” is the best juvenile prison drama, period. In fact, it beats some of the mainstream prison drama movies by a mile. Even when the main shoot-out scene is deliberately disjointed, the final product is cohesive and solid. For me, Sean Penn’s performance is a big revelation. The film offers a realistic plot line with believable characters and fantastic performances all around. Released on Blu-ray for the first time, “Bad Boys” is somewhat underwhelming in terms of audio and video. Still, fans of Sean Penn might want to check it out.