Sean Penn Starring in 1983's Bad Boys

Sean Penn fans will be running in mass to buy the 1983 movie, Bad Boys.You will be thanking me for turning you on to a young, dynamic Penn, for it showcases his ability in depth. Twenty six years ago, Sean Penn was only twenty three years old. I was only a little older than Penn, and his acting took my breath away.

Writtten by Richard DiLello and directed by Rick Rosenthal, Bad Boys tells the story of a Chicago youth,
Mick O'Brien, (Penn) who is sent to a juvenile prison for accidentally killing the kid brother of his arch rival, Paco Moreno, (Esai Morales). Both boys are involved with youth gangs, and Paco Moreno vows to revenge Mick.
He rapes the only bright light in Mick's life, his girlfriend, played by Ally Sheedy. Paco is caught and is of course, sent to the same juvenile prison as Mick. Paco launches a new plan of revenge, and Mick has no choice but to defend himself. Life pushes him into a corner, and watching Penn's development of this character is incredible.
If Mystic River and Milk were riviting performances, then Bad Boys, though filmed many years ago, will hypnotize you. I assure you, you will find the performances outstanding, and the movie itself will be on the top of your list as one of the best youth crime dramas ever!

Now for some fun trivia about this movie:
Since there were no stunt actors, Sean Penn broke his ankle while running away from the prison guards into the woods. Production had to be shut down for eight weeks.

Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, and Kevin Bacon all auditioned for the role of Mick O'Brien.

Sean Penn and director Rick Rosenthal went out with the Chicago Police Department Gang Squad Unit.
This was done in preparation for the movie. Unfortunately, Penn was mistaken for a real criminal and was
assaulted by one of the police officers.

Eric Gurry played Horowitz, who is a little known actor, but extremely compelling in this role. You will truly enjoy watching what he can do with his part as Penn's cell mate.

Clancy Brown, who played a prison rival named Viking Lofgren, is the present day voice of Mr. Krabs in
Spongebob Squarepants.

Waiting to hear from you after you watch Bad Boys.

IMDb-Internet Movie Database