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Colors (1988)

Director: Dennis Hopper

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From Time Out Film Guide

Never as eccentric as The Last Movie or Out of the Blue, Colors nevertheless makes most other cop movies look formulary by comparison. Neither its plot - two mismatched cops take on LA's murderous gangs - nor its violence offer anything out of the ordinary. It wins out, rather, with a raw authenticity: gritty location shooting, plausibly inarticulate dialogue, a chaotic episodic narrative, and excellent performances. To a rather predictable master-pupil relationship, Duvall and Penn bring a refreshing lack of buddy-buddy sentimentality, while Hopper avoids sensationalism, rarely condemning or condoning, but providing a stark, even subtle investigation of misplaced loyalties and a moronic sense of honour. He also copes with car chases, stand-offs, and shootouts as efficiently as any director currently working in Hollywood. Finally, however, it's a film with heart; a moving, beautifully acted death scene at the end effortlessly evokes the sense of waste inevitable in a world of such random, unthinkingly violent macho pride.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Dennis Hopper

Producer: Robert H Solo

Cast: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks, Grand Bush, Don Cheadle, Gerardo Mejia, Glenn Plummer, Sy Richardson, Trinidad Silva full cast

Genre(s): Thrillers

Duration: 121 mins


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