Colors

R

1988

2 hr. 0 min.

Crime

Drama

Action

List

77%

39 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this gritty police drama from director Dennis Hopper, street-wise cop Bob Hodges (Robert Duvall) and hotheaded rookie Danny McGavin (Sean Penn) grapple with their new partnership on the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles. Although Danny finally lets Hodges show him the ropes, his adrenaline-fed brutality earns him a reputation with the very gangs they want to help. With a gang war ready to explode, Danny confronts his own racism even as he falls in love with Louisa (Maria Conchita Alonso).

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Critics Consensus

Colors takes a hard-hitting yet nuanced look at urban gang violence, further elevated by strong performances from a pair of well-matched leads.

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ed m

Run of the mill cop movie. Nothing original. Nothing you haven't seen before.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/28/24

Full Review

Kenneth L

I watched this movie in the theater when it came out. It was a big deal at the time, and I thought it was a solid drama. Watching it years later, it hasn't aged as well as one might hope, but it is still a compelling story inside of an 80s time capsule.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

StephenPaul C

The greatest 02 hours of solving crimes in the Los Angeles Police Department in Los Angeles, California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Sean Penn as a rookie detective named Danny McGavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/23

Full Review

Steve D

I found the script well intended but clunky.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/28/23

Full Review

jelisije j

The circle of life when It comes to the dealings with cops and gangs.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Love colors great movi

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Dennis Hopper

Director

Sean Penn

Officer Danny McGavin

Robert Duvall

Officer Bob Hodges

Maria Conchita Alonso

Louisa Gomez

Randy Brooks

Ron Delaney

Grand Bush

Larry Sylvester

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Colors: Official Clip - Nothing But a Gangster

1:41

Colors: Official Clip - One-Eight-Seven

2:12

Colors: Official Clip - Hodges' Alley

2:13

Colors: Official Clip - Five Names

1:25

Colors: Official Clip - T-Bone Represents

1:20

Colors: Official Clip - Gangster Dance Party

1:43

Colors: Official Clip - T-Bone's Rabbit

1:03

Colors: Official Clip - The One About the Two Bulls

2:12

Colors: Official Clip - Chasing High Top

3:28

Colors: Official Clip - Drive-By

1:45

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

I expected more from Hopper as a director, at least something different from the tried-and-true formula pictures.

Aug 16, 2021

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Colors is a solidly crafted depiction of some current big-city horrors and succeeds largely because of the Robert Duvall-Sean Penn teaming as frontline cops. They're terrific together as members of the gang crime division of the LAPD.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Never as eccentric as The Last Movie or Out of the Blue, Colors nevertheless makes most other cop movies look formulary by comparison.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

It’s easy to forget what an electrifying actor Penn used to be, especially opposite a revered mentor like Duvall.

Aug 20, 2023

Full Review

Henry Sheehan

Los Angeles Reader

Making gang membership a function of psychology and depicting the local communities as helpless and malformed makes it easy for the filmmakers to avoid admitting... the larger and more relevant issues of politics, economics, and social structure.

Aug 12, 2022

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

There is no reason for Colors to last two hours, and lose itself within so many twists and turns. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 13, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this gritty police drama from director Dennis Hopper, street-wise cop Bob Hodges (Robert Duvall) and hotheaded rookie Danny McGavin (Sean Penn) grapple with their new partnership on the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles. Although Danny finally lets Hodges show him the ropes, his adrenaline-fed brutality earns him a reputation with the very gangs they want to help. With a gang war ready to explode, Danny confronts his own racism even as he falls in love with Louisa (Maria Conchita Alonso).

Director: Dennis Hopper
Screenwriter: Michael Schiffer
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.1M
Sound Mix: Surround

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