Colors

A detailed Summary of Colors


The film, "Colors", produced in 1988 by Dennis Hopper, is giving us a view of Los Angeles street gangs and how the police and community deal with them. What is ironic about the story is although there are plenty of scenes of violence and terror, the producer seems to take a more sympathetic stance toward the gangs, rather than to their victims. The police unit dealing with the gang activity includes the two main characters, "Pac man", played by Sean Penn, a rookie in the unit, and" Hodges", the veteran, played by Robert Duvall, who are at conflict with each other over police tactics when handling gang members. Maria Conchita Alonso is cast as the love interest for Sean Penn's character. The relationship between the two stretches the boundaries of believability (a cop involved with a "home girl"), but is intended to give us an insider's look at gang life from their perspective.

The mood of the film is one of tension, with darkly lit scenes, and typical oldies music playing in the background for the Hispanic gang and contemporary rap sounds for the African American gang, whic


In the film's conclusion it seemed more important to the producers to wrap up the story with a final scene that includes the relationship between Pac man and his new partner, rather then to return to the issue of gang violence, which is the actual premise of the film. "Colors" failed to close the film in a way that would answer the questions raised by the story.

The events that portray the film's sympathy toward the gangs include a scene with Alonso's (Pac man's girlfriend) story of a tagger that was caught by Pac man, that she believed was treated cruelly by him with his punishment of painting the kid's face with his own spray paint. She claims that the kid was her cousin and splits with Pac man, telling him she is one of them, a home girl, and that they are her family. The attitude that the gang members are part of a family (because they have no other) and not a group of violent offenders is both as realistic as it is compassionate to their social situation in life. This portrayal of the gangsters tries to influence the audience to share and feel their frustration. The

Some common words found in the essay are:
Alonso's Pac, Robert Duvall's, African American, Sean Penn's, Los Angeles, Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, , Conchita Alonso, Dennis Hopper, gang activity, home girl, gang violence, dealing gang, duvall's character, dealing gang activity, film colors,

Approximate Word count = 731
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Colors ... There are many good moments in ampquotColors,ampquot but the one I will remember the most is in the scene where a group of Los Angeles gang members are trying to explain ... 890 words
  • Colors of Life ... Also, the oil produces a shine and enhances the vibrancy of the bright colors. ... Also, compared to all the soft colors on her face, the eyes stand out the most. ... 1693 words
  • Colors analysis In ampquotColorsampquot Yevgeny Yevtushenko uses the speaker, lots of imagery, and some metaphoric phrases. Each element is specially used to ... 481 words
  • primary colors by annoynomus Theresa Purpura Professor Shannon Government 1 8 April 1999 Primary Colors Primary Colors opens with a quote be Machiavelli, ampquotMen as a whole judge more with ... 1221 words
  • primary colors ampquotPrimary Colorsampquot is a fictional account of a presidential primary campaign. The book is writen by Anonymous, who we now know is Newsweek colunmnist Joe Klein. ... 723 words

Professional Essays

  • All the Presidentamp39s Men ampamp Primary Colors The two movies utilized for this discussion, Alan Pakulas All The Presidents Men 1976 and Mike Nichols Primary Colors 1998 dramatize actual ... 739 words
  • Michelangeloamp39s Sistine Chapel Fresco Paintings ... religious people and scenes the first half is done in the typical fifteenthcentury color scheme, and the second half is done in colder colors and tones De ... 1431 words
  • Emission Spectra of Light Sources The purpose of this la ... Ao Weak Neon Sunlight red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple 400 to 535 Ao Strong Conclusions 1. The largest spectrum range and brightest colors were seen ... 827 words
  • Six Degrees of Separation ... In other words, the colors with which they painted Paul were colors of their own choosing, not necessarily what Paul actually represents. ... 1134 words
  • Veronese Art Analysis ... of emotion and distortion ArtLex 1. Mars and Venus measures 81 x 63 3/8 inches ArtLex 1. An oil on canvas, Veronese utilizes brilliant colors and rich ... 1161 words
  • Henri Matisse His first major works were identified with the group of artists known as the Fauves or ampquotwild beastsampquot because of their violent colors and their nonrealistic ... 1779 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.