dbistolaridis Let me break this down quick for you if you are considering this movie (you may be snowed in, on hospital bedrest, stranded in a hotel in an unappealing place):Positives 1. Kim Richards is pretty and is adorable in her urban clothes 2. Robert Downey Jr. and James Spader are also tasty 80's eye candy 3. Chuckles at watching 80's style urban rebellion...BRIEF! 4. Chuckles at watching 80's style discipline issues at school-MOMENTARY! 5. Chuckles at some cute and some outrageous styles (apparently male nipples were acceptable at urban California high schools in the 80's).FLEETING 6. A snicker at some of the badly executed dance moves, Flashdance couldn't save these moves.-SPORADIC MOMENT HERE OR THERENegatives1. Oh wow, could this story be any sillier? So many silly details laying all over the place like cheap parade candy. Shooting cockroaches on bedroom walls, high school students moonlighting as armed muggers, friends who convince their friends to leave by shoving their food all over their faces)2. Again with the storyline-very ridiculous and sometimes hard to believe or to even follow...some of this could be an editing issue.3. Poor acting! This is clearly not the role for James Spader to shine his very considerable and worthy acting skills. Robert Downey Jr. is believable with his typical 80's style laid back guy...the rest are just fools in headbands.4. Badly shot...apparent even to me, hardly an expert in this type of thing.5. Seriously???? Do these movie makers think urban teens are psycho paths???The overall film just looks dirty as well...not just the fault of the cockroaches. Instead of a vintage gem found at a cool little flea market...this gives of the feel of finding some dirty used old crap in your reclusive uncle's basement, the one with hoarding tendencies. UGH

jcbutthead86 Tuff Turf is an entertaining and fun Teen film that mixes Teen film,Gang film and Action film. Filled with great direction,a wonderful cast and a fantastic soundtrack,Tuff Turf is an entertaining 80's Teen film and a fine guilty pleasure.Set in Los Angeles,Tuff Turf tells the story of Morgan Hiller(James Spader),a rebellious teen who's family has moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start. Unfortunately,Morgan gets into trouble with a local street gang who's leader Nick(Paul Mones)wants Morgan's blood. To make matters worse Morgan starts falls for Nick's girlfriend Frankie(Kim Richards) which angers Nick and leads to violent confrontations and chaos between Morgan and Nick who want to survive in the Tuff Turf.The 1980s were arguably the golden age of Teen films and there were Teen films that broke down into two categories Teen films that were recognized during the 1980s and became classics years later and Teen films that are obscure and little known but find audiences years later. Tuff Turf fits into the latter category. Tuff Turf is a flawed but entertaining Teen film that is a combination of Rebel Without A Cause and West Side Story with elements of The Warriors and Class Of 1984 and while Tuff Turf doesn't match the greatness of those films I mentioned and doesn't do anything groundbreaking in terms of story Tuff Turf is a movie works in it's own right. Tuff Turf is also a genre mash-up film mixing together genres like Teen films,Gang film,Action film and a little bit of Musical thrown in as well and I think the mixture of all of those genres makes Tuff Turf a guilty pleasure and unintentionally hilarious. TT is a guilty pleasure in a sense where you watch the film and like but you as the viewer are almost afraid to say you liked it. TT is unintentionally hilarious because there are scenes and moments in the film that are really supposed to be serious and straight-forward but are so wild and over the top you can't help but laugh at how absurd at how serious the film tries to be. Although Tuff Turf is silly and very funny,there are times where the film can be dark,gritty and violent with a Film-Noir atmosphere that wasn't seen in Teen films during the 1980s. Morgan Hiller is a great character because he's a rebel who uses his wits and intelligence to get out of tough situations and can handle himself. At the same time Morgan is a character with great depth and is multi-dimensional because while Morgan is a rebel he's not a criminal or thug but just a very troubled and confused teenager that has to deal with the pressures of growing up,his parents,falling for Frankie as well as trying to battle Nick and his gang. The Morgan Hiller character is one of the reasons TT is memorable and entertaining to watch and you will like him as soon as he comes on the screen. The Action and fight scenes are well done and memorable with toughness and great pace and truly adds to the film. At 112 minutes TT moves at a good pace,grabs your attention and keeps you glued to the screen from beginning to end. If there is a flaw with Tuff Turf is that the tone and genre of the film is very uneven because one minute the tone can be light the next minute the tone can be dark and serious. Also you never know where Tuff Turf is going to go and what genre it is. TT is a Teen film then it's a gang film as well as an Action film and all of those elements can make the movie confusing at times. I guess TT was trying to make a Teen film that was different from other Teen films at the time by making a genre mash-up film and throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in this movie and sometimes it succeeds and other times it fails The final 15-20 minutes of Tuff Turf are Action-packed and thrilling and a great ending and fun cap-off to the film.The whole cast is wonderful. James Spader is excellent and memorable as Morgan Hiller,with Spader bringing depth,charisma and humor to the role. Kim Richards is wonderful and beautiful as Frankie,Morgan's love interest and Nick's girlfriend. Paul Mones is fantastic as Nick,a gang leader and rival of Morgan and Frankie's boyfriend. Robert Downey Jr. is great as Jimmy,a student who becomes Morgan's friend. Matt Clark is wonderful as Stuart Hiller,Morgan's Father. Olivia Barash(Ronnie),Claudette Nevins(Page Hiller),Panchito Gomez(Mickey),Michael Wyle(Eddie),Catya Sassoon(Feather)and Bill Meyers(Brian Hiller)give good performances as well.The direction by Fritz Kiersch is great,with Kiersch bringing a great pace and style to the film,as well as great camera angles and movements. Wonderful direction,Kiersch.The score by Johnathan Elias is great and effective and matches the tone of the film. A fine score by Elias. The film also has a great soundtrack with songs from Jack Mack And The Heart Attack(So Tuff,Green Onions,She's Looking Good),Jim Carroll(People Who Died,Voices,It's Too Late),Marianne Faithful(Love Hates),Southside Johnny(Tuff Turf),Lene Lovich(Breakin' The Rules(What Do You Do When Opposites Attract),Dale Gonyea With J.R. & The Z-Man(Twist And Shout)and Jonathan Elias(We Walk The Night). Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love Teen Films,Gang Films or Action films,I suggest you see Tuff Turf,a film that's flawed and far from perfect but is entertaining,fun and is well worth your time. Recommended. 8.5/10.

mischam76 tuff turf was one of those movies i used to rent over and over again as a kid.Kim Richards always made it especially easy to keep watching.i think it was that amazing hair and raspy voice that hooked me each time.i hadn't seen it for approximately 15 years but recently purchased it on DVD.i was unsure if i would still like it but after watching it again,and remembering vividly every scene,i loved it just as much as i always did.it is still one of my favorite movies of all time.it has all the ingredients a classic 80's movie should have and deserved a lot more recognition and acclaim.would love to see what Kim looks like now.i will have to keep checking in on this site to see if she has any movies on the rise.

aswerve This film was so influential to me back in 1986 that I took my dad'sportable video camera (The kind where you strap the deck overyour shoulder like a bag and has a cord running to the camera),grabbed the neighborhood kids in our street and re-enactedscenes from Tuff turf after we had just finished viewing it for thethird time in a rental day row.Hell, I even stole the soundtrack and dubbed the dialogue into ourversion of the film.The tuff guys, the not-so tuff guy who is misunderstood by hisparents and tuff guys who beat him up every chance they have, asexy lead actress (why Kim Richards did not get an award forlongest, straightest hair is a travesty!) But best of all is the soundtrack! The tense music under the gangrunning over Spaders racing bike still haunts me today! Whowouldn't wet themselves getting humiliated in the school parkinglot in front of your class mates and teachers who did not nothingbut laugh at you wetting your pants.NOTE the apostrophe in the title summary as the gang leader isnot asking the question, he is merely answering it?