SnoopyStyle Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is a juvenile delinquent. Paco Moreno (Esai Morales) picks on his girlfriend J.C. Walenski (Ally Sheedy). He decides to hold up Paco with his best friend Carl Brennan (Alan Ruck). It goes horribly as Carl and Paco's little brother are both killed. Mick is placed in juvenile prison and befriends cellmate Horowitz. Viking Lofgren (Clancy Brown) and Tweety are the boys in charge. He takes them on and becomes the top dog. His case worker Ramon Herrera (Reni Santoni) tries to reform him. Paco brutally rapes J.C. and is sent to the same prison. Paco faces off against Mick with the help of Viking and Tweety.This is a gritty prison movie that is more like a 70s exploitation movie. The big reason to see this is Sean Penn. He showed great range coming off of 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'. He is both the troubled kid and the sweet kid. He's the delinquent you want to save but is also liable to strike out at you.

charlessmith702210 Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) usually wants things his way. He is right in the heart of Chicago's slums where street gangs will slug it out with drugs as well as guns, but the only problem is his sweetheart played by Ally Sheedy. So, in the first gang retaliation scene, Mick O'Brien gets several enforcers of Paco's street gang in a ambush and drive-by shooting, killing off several of Paco Moreno's gang buddies, but then, Mick realizes that the police are coming. He realizes that during his escape from his pursuit by police cars, he evades a quasi-police roadblock but then his car then hones in into Paco's child brother and slams him hard and the boy immediately dies from what is technically a vehicular homicide..as he crashes and his car bursts into flames..but he survives.So he ends up in custody, ends up in court--Mick--on multiple counts of 1st degree murder by association, eluding police and reckless vehicular homicide--but the judge tells him that he is spared because he is a juvenile. If he was not, he would have been sent to prison for the rest of his natural life, but the judge remands him to the Rainford Juvenile Detention Center.As soon as he gets into this detention center, he meets Gene Daniels, a sort of semi-warden at Rainford. Later on, as Mick O'Brien is introduced to something like a juvenile version of Alcatraz...although mainly a minimum-security facility, he eventually meets up with several other inmates who are ready to explode to fights or rioting like Mick. As Mick approaches his cell block..and his individual cell...he is greeted by a taunting line just like it happens at the first day of military boot camp. He then befriends quickly Horowitz, one of his cellmates, an avid anarchist-like scientist who informs O'Brien that Horowitz knows several members of Paco's street gang. The whole prison scene, is not terribly Alcatraz-like, but more of something a bit out of the Joilet Correctional Center scenes in "The Blues Brothers", with a security fence surrounding the detention grounds. Ramon Herrera then tells Mick about his gargantuan rap sheet he had-- long enough to even dwarf even some of the famous rap sheets by mobsters. He says to Mick that the killing of Paco's child was likely intentional and worthy of possible retaliation by cellmates who have ties to Paco's gang. Paco's surviving gang members then plan their revenge for the death of the Paco's kid, targeting Mick's girlfriend. Before this happens, Paco's gang members who are in the facility--this Mick doesn't know, set off several taunt actions against Mick. Then, Ally, on the way home to the store in the Chicago's streets at night under the "El", are ambushed by Paco and his surviving gang sidekick. And Paco, then gets his revenge, trapping Ally under the "El" tracks and raping her in the height of an oncoming CTA train thundering over them. Fortunately, we do not see most of the actual rape. Afterwards, Paco was about to kill that lady by orders of the other attacker but he refuses. Then an approaching Chicago police car stops their actions--a police officer shoots his attacking friend dead, and Paco has no escape, arrested, and finally, sent to Rainford as Ally Sheedy recognizes the character Paco in a police lineup.A cellmate then informs Mick about the sexual assault of his sweetie, and then Mick plans a bold escape from Rainford, and then, with a help of a truck going outside of the facility, was able to go back to the girlfriend's apartment. Mick and his sweetheart finally embrace each other and Mick strongly consoles her for that horrible incident she faced.Ramon Herrera then comes in and tells Mick that his escape is over, and is whisked back to a van to sent him back to Rainford. The warden then came close to giving him an extension-of-time penalty for the escape but he forgives and lets Mick serve the rest of his sentence.But now, Ramon Herrera then quickly tells Mick to go to his room in private because Ramon is fearing major revenge by the guy who raped Mick's girlfriend...Paco Moreno, who would be transferred immediately to Rainford. This sets up the big fight by Mick and Paco. Paco during lights out makes a ruse that allures Ramon, knocks out Ramon, sends him back to the room, and locks him up. At the same time, Mick burns the only picture he has of his sweetie so he can focus on Paco. Then, Paco goes into Mick's cell but Paco is waiting for him and hits him from behind, starting this final fight. The cellmates then come out and see this no-holds barred fight ensue. As the fight explodes to its climax, it is almost like the "Rumble" in West Side Story, but this rumble is in prison. Like the "rumble", two hard-headed guys, one with a knife. In the end, Mick wins the fight but spares Paco's life before he could drive the knife right into his chest. He drags Paco's injured body right in front of Ramon, goes back to his cell and that's it. The cellmates are then ordered back to their cells because the fight is over, and orders "lights out", and that was it. Mick got his revenge against Paco, but Mick was not too bold to kill Paco off...

TOMASBBloodhound Bad Boys certainly has a lot going for it on many levels, but there are enough implausible moments in the script that keep it from any type of "classic" status. The story centers around Sean Penn playing an angry and violent young hood from the streets of Chicago getting sent to a tough juvenile detention center after accidentally killing a young boy during a botched robbery attempt. The balance of the story deals with Penn adjusting to his new confinement and having to prove how tough he is again and again. Once he has established himself as the toughest kid in the place, the plot is turned on its side. The older brother of the boy he killed (Morales) is also sent to the facility... for raping and almost killing Penn's girlfriend as revenge for the boy's death! From the moment he arrives, everyone knows that the score will have to be settled once and for all. Who will survive??Yes, its a pretty good premise, but too many detours are taken before the anticipated climax finally arrives. And many of them just don't make sense. First of all, there is no doubt that Penn's character is one tough punk. Yet he is just not physically imposing enough to be the "barn boss" as the toughest inmate is called. Yes, he whips the two punks who once held the title in a crafty manner, but there would no doubt have been many others waiting in line for that title. Another problem deals with Penn's escape attempt. After learning of his girlfriend's rape, he actually breaks out of the facility and somehow is able to make it all the way back to Chicago from the location several miles out in the country. Even if he were actually able to do this (which wouldn't be likely), notice how once he's captured and returned to the lockup, they don't even punish him!! Uh huh! I'm guessing the escape and brief rendezvous with the badly bruised girlfriend were meant to establish some sort of motivation for Penn wanting to kill Morales. But honestly, would this type of character need such motivation? Not likely. In addition, Penn is momentarily taken to the state prison for adults and warned that this is the path he is headed down if he screws up again. And apparently this is why he initially refuses to fight Morales when he first arrives at the facility. Penn just wants to do his remaining time and split. Again, not likely. A guy like this would not hesitate to accept a challenge from any man who violated his woman. Another problem deals with how Morales and Penn are left in the same cell block right up to the moment Morales is about to be transferred to another facility. Wouldn't it have been a better idea to keep the two sequestered from one another, even if it meant putting one of them in the hole for a while??? But then we couldn't have had our final fight then, could we? Oh, well.There are a lot of good aspects of this film, too. The acting is outstanding, the casting is picture perfect, and the locations look authentic. The film is full of surprises, and a lot of them work. The Jewish whiz-kid who shares a cell with Penn steals every scene he's in. Look for a young Clancy Brown as the yard boss de-throned by Penn. Ally Sheedy gives a good performance, but she doesn't look like she belongs in that neighborhood! And I like the fact that the film doesn't try to make Penn or any of the others out to be misunderstood kids. They are all rotten to the core and deserve their punishment! Despite some flaws with the script, Bad Boys is still worth at least 7 of 10 stars.The Hound.

James Lawrence 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.