Bad Boys

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Bad Boys

R

Released Mar 25, 1983

2h 3m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Teen delinquent Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is sent to juvenile hall after unintentionally killing the younger sibling of a rival gang leader, Paco Moreno (Esai Morales), in a drug-deal con gone wrong. Prison life proves even more brutal than the streets when Mick is forced to face off against reigning prison toughs Viking (Clancy Brown) and Tweety (Robert Lee Rush). Worse yet, on the outside, Paco is threatening to take revenge on those close to Mick -- including his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy).

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Variety Staff

Variety

Director Rick Rosenthal does a topnotch job of bringing to life the seedy, hopeless environment of a jail for juvenile offenders and has gotten some terribly convincing performances from his young cast, notably topliner Sean Penn.

Mar 26, 2009

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Derek Owen

Time Out

An oxygenated, thoughtful alternative to the usual run of gangs-in-the-slammer movies.

Jan 26, 2006

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

"Bad Boys" misses its chance at greatness, but it's saying something that this movie had a chance. I have a notion it will stand as one of those bench-mark movies that we'll look back at for the talent it introduced.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a solid drama that is, for the most part, more involving than other similarly-themed efforts.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 21, 2021

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TV Guide

A searing and gut-wrenching film, Bad Boys is to the 1980s what The Blackboard Jungle was to the 1950s.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 11, 2015

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

An underrated but excellent near masterpiece...

Dec 5, 2012

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Christian K

Kind of enjoyed some of this grimy and very 80s prison melodrama. A lot of recognizable young faces was cool to see.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/25

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Audience Member

The only bad boys film that has its justification! If you are from the younger generation you have to see this movie! Just don't start complaining about quality, unless you have the attention span of an ant. Because then you have far more important problems xD

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/02/25

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Audience Member

Damn good film about choosing the correct path in life.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

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Alain E

Definitely watchable. Especially good the dark tones cinematography. The final fight is way too long and only a fool would be stabbed in the thigh and limp away without seeking medical attention.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

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Carson P

It’s like the filmmakers saw the future and decided to try the steal the name from the 1995 masterpiece before it was made this bad boys didn’t impress me at all other than the presence of Sean penn this movie is an uninspired third rate rehash of 1960s crime dramas in the end just watch the will smith Martin Lawrence action comedy that one is way better than this empty shell of a drama 4/10

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Rick Rosenthal covers the life of a young man in very deep A very young Sean Penn as Mick is part of a group of bad boys on the streets Car thefts, money, beatings are what he and his boys do best He has a girlfriend J.C. who doesn't want anything to happen to him But he lands in jail after killing a member of a warring drug gang lead by Paco He's in with other criminals; he can either follow the rules and do his time to walk free or face growing old behind bars forever Paco in the meantime decides to take revenge going after the ones Mick cares about This movie is far too long and is an unpleasant watch But you get some very convincing performances from everyone in a very grimy and hopeless environment behind these jail cells of young offenders who just want an easier lifestyle

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

Full Review

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Rick Rosenthal

Director

Sean Penn

Mick O'Brien

Reni Santoni

Ramon Herrera

Esai Morales

Paco Moreno

Jim Moody

Gene Daniels

Ally Sheedy

J. C. Walenski

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Synopsis

Teen delinquent Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is sent to juvenile hall after unintentionally killing the younger sibling of a rival gang leader, Paco Moreno (Esai Morales), in a drug-deal con gone wrong. Prison life proves even more brutal than the streets when Mick is forced to face off against reigning prison toughs Viking (Clancy Brown) and Tweety (Robert Lee Rush). Worse yet, on the outside, Paco is threatening to take revenge on those close to Mick -- including his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy).

Director: Rick Rosenthal
Producer: Robert H. Solo
Screenwriter: Richard DiLello
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: EMI Films Ltd., Solofilm
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 29, 2016
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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