Bad Boys

Bad Boys

“Bad Boys” is about some mean Chicago street gang kids who cause a lot of trouble, get sent to juvie and then cause even more trouble when they’re inside.

Like these movies usually do, it builds up to a moral moment where a bad boy has to decide if he’s going to be a good man which is too bad because it was really good until it got predictable. The acting, directing and sense of place in “Bad Boys” is so strong that the movie deserves better than an obligatory right scene for its ending.

Sean Penn stars as Mick O’Brien, an Irish-American teen hood from the Bridgeport neighborhood; Esai Morales plays Paco, a Latino hood from Pilsen. They are both tough, mean anti-social kids; this film doesn’t sentimentalize street gangs. They meet over a drug deal that Paco does with a black gang. There’s a mix-up and suddenly there’s shocking gunfire and Paco’s little brother is dead. Mick killed him. Mick goes to prison and then Paco gets back at him by raping Mick’s girlfriend (Ally Sheedy). Paco gets caught and sent to the same prison where Mick is.

Mick already knows his way around but it doesn’t take long for Paco to learn: The guards sincerely preside but ineffectively over terror enforced by the toughest kids in the joint. Violence and sexual crimes are commonplace; only the strongest survive. This situation is complicated, of course, by the fact that everybody in the prison immediately knows that Mick and Paco are gonna have to fight to the death over their honor feud.

And it’s at precisely this moment when two kids are being set up for an eventual showdown that “Bad Boys” starts winding down. For an hour this movie is so good it scares me; Penn and Morales completely convince us along with all their supporting actors “Bad Boys” is the first movie I’ve seen where street gangs aren’t glamorized (“West Side Story”), stylized (“The Warriors”) or romanticized (“The Wanderers”). We believe we’re watching something approximating reality here.

Richard Rosenthal directs confidently and fluidly; we see he’s a fine director even if he did make “Halloween II.” Sean Penn gives a real star performance as mean defiant teenager while other inmates include such singular characters as Horowitz (Eric Gurry), bright inventor who casually mentions his arson conviction; Viking (Clancy Brown), boss hard but vulnerable prisoner; Tweety (Robert Lee Rush), ruler at Viking’s side.

These performances are good which makes it such letdown when film turns into just another prison picture . Although second half continues close , convincing observations everyday life youth prison story structure begins feel programmed : big fight coming , we think know who’ll win what anyway? They’ve already made three “Rocky.”

“Bad Boys” didn’t hit the mark for greatness, but it’s significant that this film even had a shot at it. I think we’ll look back on this as one of those movies that set a standard for the talent it uncovered. Based solely on their work in this film, Penn, Morales and Rosenthal are headed for important careers and so may some of the supporting actors. It’s not a total success, but boy does it give it a good shot.

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