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Bad Boys

Play trailer Poster for Bad Boys R 1983 2h 3m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Teen delinquent Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is sent to juvenile hall after unintentionally killing the younger sibling of a rival gang leader, Paco Moreno (Esai Morales), in a drug-deal con gone wrong. Prison life proves even more brutal than the streets when Mick is forced to face off against reigning prison toughs Viking (Clancy Brown) and Tweety (Robert Lee Rush). Worse yet, on the outside, Paco is threatening to take revenge on those close to Mick -- including his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy).
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Bad Boys

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
Director Rick Rosenthal does a topnotch job of bringing to life the seedy, hopeless environment of a jail for juvenile offenders and has gotten some terribly convincing performances from his young cast, notably topliner Sean Penn. Go to Full Review Derek Owen Time Out Jan 26, 2006
An oxygenated, thoughtful alternative to the usual run of gangs-in-the-slammer movies. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Oct 23, 2004
3/4
"Bad Boys" misses its chance at greatness, but it's saying something that this movie had a chance. I have a notion it will stand as one of those bench-mark movies that we'll look back at for the talent it introduced. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Nov 21, 2021
3/4
...a solid drama that is, for the most part, more involving than other similarly-themed efforts. Go to Full Review TV Guide Mar 11, 2015
3/5
A searing and gut-wrenching film, Bad Boys is to the 1980s what The Blackboard Jungle was to the 1950s. Go to Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Dec 5, 2012
An underrated but excellent near masterpiece... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vincent S @Vin_E_At_The_Movies Jul 4, 2026 This is not the terrible, overhyped Will Smith Bad Boys but the very powerful teen prison drama with another star making performance from a young Sean Penn. Gritty, violent with real moments of truth and sadness. All of the acting is outstanding and this movie doesn’t hold back in its realistic violence. Every minute is riveting and honest about its subject matter. There is no Hollywood phoniness here. Also being from Chicago, the Chicago locations here are excellent and well used like another character in the story. See more Doug C @pelagic Feb 7, 2026 Excellent actors, plot and action, great movie ! See more thiago s @Thiagostone Jun 9, 2025 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. See more Robyn M @FrejaGaan Feb 25, 2025 Always worth a rewatch. Stellar cast See more Christian K @ckacar Jan 23, 2025 Kind of enjoyed some of this grimy and very 80s prison melodrama. A lot of recognizable young faces was cool to see. See more ACUMEN T @RT38659220 Jan 2, 2025 The only bad boys film that has its justification! If you are from the younger generation you have to see this movie! Just don't start complaining about quality, unless you have the attention span of an ant. Because then you have far more important problems xD See more Read all reviews
Bad Boys

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Cast & Crew

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Rick Rosenthal

Director

Sean Penn

Mick O'Brien

Reni Santoni

Ramon Herrera

Esai Morales

Paco Moreno

Jim Moody

Gene Daniels

Ally Sheedy

J. C. Walenski

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Bad Boys

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Movie Info

Synopsis Teen delinquent Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) is sent to juvenile hall after unintentionally killing the younger sibling of a rival gang leader, Paco Moreno (Esai Morales), in a drug-deal con gone wrong. Prison life proves even more brutal than the streets when Mick is forced to face off against reigning prison toughs Viking (Clancy Brown) and Tweety (Robert Lee Rush). Worse yet, on the outside, Paco is threatening to take revenge on those close to Mick -- including his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy).
Director
Rick Rosenthal
Producer
Robert H. Solo
Screenwriter
Richard DiLello
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Solofilm, EMI Films Ltd.
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 29, 2016
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Dolby
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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