everybody is Alive

Can someone tell me where is that place, where they put 12 year olds in prison?

We've seen it all before and since. Rapists and thugs are serving time in the Rainford Juvenile Facility until they are satisfactorily rehabilitated. Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) shares a cell with a likable young criminal who loves tinkering with radios and mousetraps and some explosive inventions of his own. His antics provide the only light relief to the violence. There is a touching scene where O'Brien escapes to comfort his girl friend who has been pursued and raped on a highway. The otherwise unemotional O'Brien breaks down during his moment of freedom. The offender is caught and comes face to face with O'Brien behind bars. At this point the film becomes more interesting as tension between the characters builds. Among the mixture of characters there is of course a bully who always jumps the food queue and roughs up anyone he cares to annoy for no apparent reason. Sean Penn does a good job as a silent brooding type of thug, out for revenge although his own past life has not been an exemplary one. I am amazed at the size of the Illinois Penitentiary of which we get a momentary glimpse of an interior cell block. O'Brien is too, and at this point he rethinks his future attitude towards life behind bars. Not a particularly interesting film ( a kind of docu-drama of life in a rehabilitation unit). It is however a showcase of the acting ability of Sean Penn who went on to star in a host of successful films.

MPAA:Rated R for Strong Violence,Language and Some Sexuality. Quebec Rating:13+ Canadian Home Video Rating:R(should be 18A) The film Bad Boys(not to be confused with the 1995 film of the same name) is a prison movie starring Sean Penn.It has played on TV a couple of times and I have seen it twice.This is an excellent film.Its up on my list of "favorite prison movies" along with "The Green Mile" and "Life".I have not seen Shawshank Redemption but I have read the novel and it is excellent as well.Unlike those movies, this is a very brutal and violent prison movie.Don't watch it if you don't like violence.The film is about a young criminal named Mick O Brian.One day he gets into a shoot-out with some latino's, when the cops come he drives away but loses control of the car and accidentally kills the brother of a latino gang member named Paco Moreno.He gets sentenced to prison.Paco now wants revenge on Mick so he rapes Mick's girlfriend and gets sent to the same prison as Mick.Its hard to choose who to root for in this film.Both men deserve revenge for what happened to them.While in prison they meet all sorts of prisoners such as Horrowitz, a geek who can make bombs out of normal objects and two strong prison rapists named Tweety and Viking.Bad Boys is a very interesting prison movie and I recommend it to fans of prison movies.

I just finished watching this movie and I wasn't that impressed Only Sean Penn and Ally sheedy are excellent in this one ... all the other actors give only so-so performances. Nothing too spectacular... And the plot itself is mildly ludicrous ... to believe that such a thing could happen is a sign of mental weakness ... Keep on watching wrestling and believing it's real ... haha !!! 2/5 overall. A little disappointing for myself who is a big Sean Penn fan but what can you do with a script like that and some slightly uninteresting dialogues ... Better luck next time ... What was Esai Morales doing in there ... still trying to figure it out ... would this "marvelous" plan of his work ?? wowo ... I was reminded of Wile E. Coyote (Morales) trying to catch the Roadrunner (Penn) ... but with a home made ice pick instead of a fork !!!

Bad Boys, starring Sean Penn as Mick O'Brien and Esai Morales as Paco Moreno, is one of the most entertaining and disturbing movies ever. But to focus on the two leads is unfair to the host of other actors who put in magnificent performances, particularly actor Eric Gurry as Barry Horowitz. Teen Mick O'Brien is a vicious gangster punk. When one of his armed robbery schemes goes awry, a robbery of a drug deal involving Paco Moreno, he unintentionally runs down and kills Moreno's little brother, and ends up in juvenile prison. His cell mate is Horowitz. After an awkward start they become close friends and confidantes. Horowitz, who has been there a while, teaches O'Brien the ropes. Meanwhile prison guard and counselor Ramon Herrera (actor Reni Santoni) wants to set Mick on the right path, but this is not an easy task. The prison officials have given authority over other prisoners to two tough inmates, cell mates Viking (actor Clancy Brown) and Tweety (actor Robert Lee Rush), who get to hand out prison work assignments, receive the profits from cigarette sales, etc. They immediately come into conflict with O'Brien and Horowitz. O'Brien manages to usurp their position of authority, leading to further conflicts. O'Brien's toughness and street smarts make him the winner time and again. The character of Horowitz, a young Jewish boy who came to juvey after a botched revenge plot, is worth a whole review by itself. What a shame that this magnificent actor, Eric Gurry, has appeared in relatively few films. Though he is small and weak and would appear to be of little help in a fight, his wit, dogged determination and superior intelligence help him to survive in this environment where he is very out of place. Despite being nothing like the other prisoners, as the film progresses we learn that he has strong criminal tendencies and prison is probably where he belongs. Moreno, seeking revenge on O'Brien, beats and rapes O'Brien's girlfriend (actress Ally Sheedy) so he can go to prison and get even. Tweety is paroled, and Moreno moves in as Viking's roommate. These kindred spirits promptly begin plotting against O'Brien. Circumstances take both Viking and Horowitz out of the picture, leaving Moreno and O'Brien to face a final showdown alone.

I loved this film it was excellent, it had a good cast, good story, good performances and you could really understand the characters. This film is very similar to Scum but although both are very gritty I think this film is a little better. Sean Penn is good in every film he has starred in but this film is what made him a creditable actor. If you want to watch a film with a good powerful story then I recommend this and I thought the ending was pretty good if a little predictable.

When this was released in 1982, I remember the movie title "Blackboard Jungle" being tossed around, but this movie was the 80's updated version. The innocence of the 50's no longer applies to these kids. Esai Morales and Sean Penn were terrific in this movie! I saw it in the theaters as a youngster, and since I'm from Chicago and most of the exterior shots were from reform schools in and around the city I was scared straight quite early. One is really drawn into the characters here; it's easy to empathize with Mick O'Brien (Penn), but it's also easy to empathize with Moreno (Morales) who wants revenge. Keep in mind that these guys are both hoodlums of the highest order and we shouldn't feel anything for either of them. For me, this adds to the story. I've long held this movie high in script, casting (look for an uncredited cameo from Jamie Lee Curtis walking with an afro in the street in the opening sequence), and its timelessness, whereas movies like "Colors" or "8 Mile" simply tap into the urban vein yet again for substance. Bad Boys was party where it began...urban north Chicago, 1982! See this film - you'll not be sorry! Thanks for reading...

This is a fantastic crime drama/thriller about a troubled teen(Penn) who accidentally kills a young boy during a bungled drug heist. He is sent to a maximum security juvenile correctional facility and is thrown in with some of the meanest, most violent young criminals. Meanwhile, the older brother of the young boy that he accidentally killed is out for revenge and tries to get back at him through his girlfriend(Ally Sheedy) outside of prison. Many of the horrific images in this film will stay with you for a long time. There is a constant sense of fear and danger that lingers throughout the film and is highlighted by a terrific score by Bill Conti(Rocky, The Karate Kid). Penn gives one of his best performances here. A must see film.

After a decade ago being the last time I've seen it, I'm still impressed with "Bad Boys" as I was the first time. Sean Penn is incredible in his role and proves how great of an actor he is. The rest of the cast shine as well; Ally Sheedy is touching as Penn's concerned girlfriend; Esai Morales is realistic as a tough guy really p'oed with Penn. There are many unforgettable moments, especially the scene where Penn excitedly visits Sheedy in jail, only to notice her beaten and bruised really bad, and begins bursting in tears. Its a real touching and shocking scene. The film is violent, but never feels exploitive. Director Rick Rosenthal creates a great atmosphere throughout and keeps you rooting for Penn to get out of prison and get revenge. I agree that the end was so-so, but it wasn't your typical hollywood tacked on ending. This isn't feel good entertainment, but a gripping, unforgettable film. It isn't hard to see how Penn is one of Hollywood's most amazing talents.