Bad Boys

Play trailer

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).

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

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

01/26/2006

An oxygenated, thoughtful alternative to the usual run of gangs-in-the-slammer movies.

Go to Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

10/23/2004

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

11/21/2021

3/4

...a solid drama that is, for the most part, more involving than other similarly-themed efforts.

Go to Full Review

TV Guide

03/11/2015

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

12/05/2012

An underrated but excellent near masterpiece...

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

@Thiagostone Jun 9

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

Always worth a rewatch. Stellar cast

See more

Christian K

@ckacar 01/23/2025

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

01/02/2025

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

MariofanAlex445

12/23/2024

Damn good film about choosing the correct path in life.

See more

Alain E

@AlainE 12/14/2024

Definitely watchable. Especially good the dark tones cinematography. The final fight is way too long and only a fool would be stabbed in the thigh and limp away without seeking medical attention.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Rumble Fish

77%

80%

Rumble Fish

Watchlist

The Pope of Greenwich Village

77%

74%

The Pope of Greenwich Village

Watchlist

The Star Chamber

77%

43%

The Star Chamber

Watchlist

The Lords of Discipline

40%

55%

The Lords of Discipline

Watchlist

Breathless

61%

49%

Breathless

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Now Streaming: Jane the Virgin, Arrow, American Psycho, And More

Sean Penn’s 10 Best Movies

Michael Bay To Direct "Prince of Persia" Vid Game Pic

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now