Tuff Turf (1985) User Reviews

Stuck in the '80s but lots of fun nonetheless

[ceebeegee · 7/10 · 19 February 2007]

This one is a real relic of the '80s--the hair! The shoulder pads! The sweaters folded casually over the shoulders! The movie cheerfully steals from "Rebel Without a Cause" and winks at "The Warriors" and "Footloose" as well. Kim Richards is somewhat miscast as a "tough" girl but gives a very game performance and looks gorgeous as always. James Spader also gives a sincere performance, which couldn't have been easy with some of these scenes (he is forced to serenade Kim Richards on the piano). The best scenes, IMO, are the country club montage (Olivia Barash blithely asking the rich girls "You do swallow, right?"), and when Richards and Spader finally hit it off at a club. How do we know this? Because Richards breaks into a perfectly choreographed (albeit spontaneous) dance number! Truly enjoyable if you just let yourself do so.

West Side Story meets the 80's!!

[rorystevens · 7/10 · 2 May 2004]

I rented this film because I'm a fan of Kim Richards, who starred in "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return to Witch Mountain."

This movie reminded me so much of "West Side Story" because of the gang violence, all the dance numbers, and the events that parallel the story in "West Side Story." You can tell that whoever wrote the screenplay for "Tuff Turf" closely patterned it off of the sequence of events in "West Side Story" and "Romeo and Juliet." A guy meets a girl at a dance, she's part of a gang that doesn't like this guy, and despite being on opposite sides of the tracks, the guy and the girl fall for each other, and obstacles and bad things happen as a result. At the end of the movie, Kim Richards even channels Natalie Wood by picking up the gun and saying "How many bullets are left!? Enough for you!?"

Anyway, if you're a fan of the '80s time period, this movie should be enjoyable. I really enjoyed this movie, it had a good love story, and there was a lot of suspense because you really didn't know whether this movie would have a happy ending or a tragic ending.

I'm surprised Kim Richards never made anymore movies after this. She gave such a great performance, and she had the LONGEST hair, giving her such an edge to her hotness!

Image is everything.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 23 January 2009]

Anyone with a music shout-out? 'Tuff Turf' is a uneven, but overly stylised and fashionable mixture ranging from a lesser take on 'Rebel without a Cause' with a constant spray of social and class references/forbidden romance in a L.A suburban backdrop and being backed-up by a pumping soundtrack led by Jim Carroll and Jack Mack and Heart Attacks. The music was non-stop and the story's tone and shape zips-around, as early on we seemed to move from one joint to another featuring blaring tunes and raving dance moves.

Morgan Miller and his family have just moved from Connecticut to Los Angeles, where he encounters and interferes with the local gang led by the psychotic Nick Hauser. To make matters worse, his fallen for Hauser's girlfriend Frankie and goes about trying to grab her attention, despite the warnings and beatings to stay away from her.

The young cast are quite good. James Spader genuinely fits blending a rebellious attitude with easy-going suaveness. The gorgeous Kim Richards is completely transfixing in who wholesome performance and punk appearance. Paul Mones nails down his role as the hot-headed thug and Robert Downey Jr. lends in with an agreeable performance. Also dependable character actor Matt Clark makes for solid support.

Director Fritz Kiersch truly gets the beat on with its breakneck pack (despite some editing in the story wouldn't have gone astray) and stylishly muscular verve. When it calls for it, Kiersch isn't afraid to pack a punch, as the jarring violence is sweaty and a bloody pulp. Jonathan Elias' booming, sullen synthesiser score helps cement the rough atmosphere and saucy energy. Some set-pieces seem to work better than others, but there's no question there are a couple of powerful, moving and harsh illustrations. The script isn't as foreseeable, but the humour at times seemed to get in the way or not entirely fit.

Revenge of the 80's: James Spader's a rebel without a clue!

[Captain_Couth · 7/10 · 13 October 2003]

Tuff Turf brings back memories of watching movies on Select TV. This 80's cult hit is about a young rapscallion who's life is turned upside down when his upper class father hits financial trouble forcing his family to move out to the 'hood. James Spader slowly learns how to deal with street life whilst his family adjusts to dealing with people that are of "lower social class". Interesting film staring James Spader as the young punk rich kid, Matt Clark as his shell shocked father, Robert Downey Jr. as his high school buddy and Kim Richards (Escape To Witch Mountain) as his soon to be girlfriend. The only part of the movie that gave me the willies was when his older (more culturally refined) brother pays a visit, there's an oedipal conflict between the two (the scene where the older brother embraces his mom far too long and hugs her too close for comfort)that would have given Freud a thrill to try and psycho-analyzed.

Recommended for 80's fans.

New Kid In School

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 May 2017]

James Spader got himself a breakout role in Tuff Turf as a preppy kid from Connecticut resettled in a California public high school. Even though the family has had some financial reverses and aren't living the life Spader has become accustomed to, he still thinks of himself as to the manor born.

So when he spots Kim Richards who is the girlfriend of gang leader Paul Montes he decides to move in. Montes is a jealous and possessive sort and that means trouble all around.

The story has both Spader and Richards growing in character as well as into each other. Spader loses a bit of that preppy arrogance and Richards gradually realizes that Montes is a loser in the long run and she likes being treated with a little dignity and respect.

Robert Downey, Jr. is in Tuff Turf as well in the sidekick role for Spader. Montes gives a most frightening performance when he starts realizing Richards has slipped away from him.

Tuff Turf holds up well for today's audiences. It's a good Brat Pack film of the Reagan 80s.

Not like every other 80s film

[myriam-825-732156 · 23 October 2013]

Robert Downey Jr. AND James Spader? This could be a total turkey and I'd still watch it.

The performance of both is excellent, but that's no surprise. You get to see the formation of some of their respective trademark mannerisms.

Overall: strange plot, seems to sit between genres, starts off as a sort of High School rom-com but quickly descends into a rough teen thriller, with two major and totally random music numbers in the first part, both of which are arse-numbingly boring and ludicrous.

Having said that - James Spader's singing is nice - he's got a good voice but nothing wow, which is why it's interesting that the filmmakers have included it, but it lends a touch of authenticity to a highly stylized 80s flick. The song is odd, unknown to me, but it served its plot purpose I suppose - I would have preferred something else but we can't have it all can we.

Side note: what a beautiful man (James Spader). As penetrating and mesmerizing as ever.

Moving onto the girl: she's good. Intriguing. Playing with the concept of the good/bad girl credibly. Her back story is convincing (and so is Spader's).

The "baddy" of the piece is suitably threatening - you do feel intimidated by the violence and his gang throughout, and I did hold my breath on a few occasions - in terms of the suspense and fight scenes - two thumbs up.

Interesting ending - they didn't go for any cheapshots but saw it through to the end.

All in all - I think it's a bit of a gem, if a bit of a mongrel one.

Childhood VHS Jim carrol band memories

[fizziecal · 7/10 · 20 August 2021]

Omg, Frankie, how hot is she.

I grew up watching the movie on vhs, loved it, and hated it, way to gansta for my farm life. But still, what a nice escape to realise my life was good.

The movie depicted a life style that scared me, along the way, learnt some good music!

Jim Carroll, thank u so so soooo much!

A good 30 years later ,till listen to u.

TUFF TURF!

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 10 December 2019]

Man, James Spader. Either he's trying to appeal to you as a hero, which never seems to work or embracing the pure narcissistic evil that we all dream that he's best at. For me, the James Spader of The New Kids is the Spader I know that he can be. Alpha Spader. Pure Florida cokehead menace.

Even later TV hero versions of Spader - Boston Legal, The Blacklist - have a sadness within either their heroic or antiheroic characters. He's lived a life. Hell, thanks to the magic of movies, he's lived plenty of them.

Director Fritz Kiersch has an interesting career, starting with 1984's Children of the Corn. This movie is the follow up to that, but he'd go on to make 1987's Gor - yes, the one based on the BDSM male-dominated world of author John Norman - as well as 1992's jetfighter drama Into the Sun.

In this lifetime, Spader is Morgan Hiller. He used to live in Conneticut, but once his dad's business fails, he moves to Los Angeles where he struggles to meet friends and not get his ass handed to him on a daily basis.

Of course, he falls for bad girl Frankie (Kim Richards, who would go from Nanny and the Professor to the Witch Mountain movies and being the little girl who gets killed in Assault on Precinct 13 before becoming a reality show star and the aunt of Paris Hilton), which draws the insane attention of her real man, Nick Hauser and his gang. Paul Mones, who plays that crazy kid, would go on to write Double Team and The Quest for Van Damme. Yeah, really.

Keep your eyes on the lookout for a young Catya Sassoon, the daughter of Vidal, the hairdressing dude who bottled his shampoo and became rich and famous. This is also an opportunity to see a young Robert Downey Jr.

The soundtrack is pretty good, too. Pre-Basketball Diaries this has Jim Carroll all over it, as well as Marianne Faithful and Southside Johnny. This feels like a time when America flirted with punk, new wave, the return of the 1950's and so many more musical genres which all overlapped.

The end of this all seems too happy what with all the father getting gunned down and mental abuse and anguish, as the main characters all play along with the band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. There's also a scene where Spader sings to Frankie at a country club, with Paul Carney (Art's son) providing the singing voice.

Tuff Turf, Not Given The Credit It Deserves

[rp_watton · 10/10 · 28 April 2005]

This was my all time favorite movie of the 1980's, and having the beautiful Kim Richards in it, and the ever cute James Spader made it worth watching time after time,,When Morgan moved to yet another new school and fell for the leader of the Tuff's girlfriend it was the start of a non stop battle of wills and reputations, it prooves that the good guy does always get the girl and that some things are worth fighting for. Some people believe this is the movie that ended Kim's career, to me it just never got the recognition it deserved,I just wish Kim would consider making a comeback to prove to everyone she has what it takes to be one of the great actresses of all time, your fans miss you Kim!

Well, that's tuff

[Radiant_Rose · 7/10 · 7 February 2008]

I suppose that if both your parents are teachers, being in a film with a misspelt title is a pretty good way to rebel. IMDb says that both of James Spader's parents were teachers, and he left school in the 11th grade, so ... well, make up your own mind. To make up for the possible lack of difficulty in playing a rebellious New Englander, this role is all singing, all dancing, all cycling ...

... well, I think he sings the line at the start of the film, but the song he sings seems to be dubbed (despite the credits failing to clarify this point either way). And there is absolutely no attempt made to make it seem he is really playing the piano.

Spader has never been in anything musical since this, but I will say that his dancing is very good.

This is a cross between a rather sweet romantic comedy and one of those films that is unbelievably, mindblowingly idiotic. I particularly liked the line, "This is the 80s!" No kidding! So that would account for the outfits and the hairstyles.

amazon.co.uk deleted part of my review (without my knowledge or consent) because I noted that Kim Richards's hair was unusually long. But it was: especially by the standards of the 1980s. Nor did Amazon like my comment that Spader looks as if he is wearing eyeliner during the fight scene at the end. But he does. With his flicked fringe and apparent eyeliner, he resembles the late Princess Diana, IMHO.

Most of the songs are ones that aren't played much now, but "People That Died" was used in a retrospective on the drama series "Six Feet Under". It was played during a montage. Amazon didn't want that in the review either.

I recommend this to all of Spader's fans. You'll laugh, you'll lust, you'll cringe with embarrassment.

It was the 80s.

Very much so.

Uneven, but mostly watchable.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 5/10 · 16 August 2006]

Anyone interested in seeing what kind of films James Spader started his career with should begin with Tuff Turf. The New Kids would show a darker side of Spader, but that film also covers the same territory. The story deals with a spoiled brat troublemaker (Spader) whose family is forced to move to a seedy area of L.A. from Connecticut after they somehow lose all their money. Back where he comes from, you can tell Spader was the toughest and coolest kid in school, but the tougher kids from his new school quickly have him on the run. After breaking up an attempted mugging by the school's toughest gang, Spader gets his butt kicked and his property destroyed numerous times. To make things worse of course, Spader falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (Richards), and she has feelings for him, too. Needless to say, you don't mess around with a gang leader's woman! Even if you are James Spader.

The film, though full of clichés as ancient as Romeo and Juliet, starts off with definite promise. The opening scene where Spader stops the mugging is exceptional. It's well-paced,well- filmed, and the action blocked perfectly. Every step the gang members take across the street as they pull out their weapons is well-choreographed. The film shifts gears somewhat as we see Spader adjust to his new school the following day. We are introduced to Robert Downey Jr.'s character, and he always livens things up in any film. His character is a bit of an enigma, to be certain. He quickly befriends Spader, yet he seems to know the gang well enough to borrow the gang leader's Camaro and things like that. He also plays drums for a pretty cool punk band we are introduced to a while later.

The tone of the film is wildly inconsistent. The second half hour is bewilderingly bad. Spader, Downey, Richards, and another chick take the gang leader's car for a joyride to some posh locations where presumably Spader feels more at home. The group invades a country club in an excruciatingly bad scene which culminates with Spader playing the piano for his new love interest while she sits atop the instrument and looks embarrassed. Spader's singing performance sounds a lot like the first out-take of a James Blunt recording session before he's warmed up. In other words, it sucks. Things get worse as the group moves to a trendy dance club and Richards does some kind of dirty dance while the entire venue stops to check her out. Simply put, the scene is horrible.

The acting is good enough. Spader and Downey just pretty much be themselves. Richards is certainly worth risking your life over. She's pretty, and she's cool enough to have Motley Crue pictures all over her bedroom walls! Paul Mones, who plays the gang leader is charismatic, but ultimately kind of wimpy. He really isn't too intimidating without his homies, and none of them look that tough, (excuse me...TUFF) either. Some of the music is a great example of the early 80s punk scene in L.A.. That Jack Mack and the Heart Attack band from the club is pretty lame, to say the least! No wonder some guy bombed the 1996 Olympics while they were playing a show! The Verdict: 5 of 10 stars. Basically for James Spader fans, only.

The Hound.

awesome in the 80's.awesome now.

[mischam76 · 9/10 · 25 October 2005]

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.

Another 80's Greaty

[butterfliesinautumn · 7/10 · 30 July 2021]

I was in high school when this came out. My high school had more preppies and less punkers, but I still thought this movie was enjoyable. If you don't try to pick it apart, it's worth the view. Spader reminds me of why Levi's button fly 501's were made. Just have fun with it. If you were a teen in the 80's this will have you searching for the nostalgia like looking for Where's Waldo. You can't just leave it alone.

The MTV Version of a Gang Film

[nafps · 3/10 · 30 June 2022]

The "gang" in this film really isn't one. It's MTV wannabes concerned with posing and perfectly hair sprayed hair. They have no turf, no rival gangs, no drug dealing or gang fights. For crime, the best they can do is six of them trying to rob a middle aged businessman...and failing.

Not exactly threatening. The only way they can seem that way is if you put them up against a new yuppie kid. And even then the gang gets its tail kicked by the yuppie's father...seriously.

About the only positives for this film are the Jim Carroll soundtrack and seeing several stars very early in their careers.

Enjoyably Silly

[gjack33 · 7 June 2001]

I only saw this film Recently...although Ive know about it existence since It came out...

I was first under the impression before i saw it...that Spaders Character was a tough guy....But I was wrong....His character was one that simply cant stay out of trouble.And Yeah,he takes quite a beating in this film.

If there is one real tragedy about this film,its that the Talented and beautiful Kim Richards who gives a wonderful performance here, never went on to better things after this.She is better known as a Child actress which probably explains why her career floundered once she grew up

I was quite surprised by the Musicals numbers in this film,since i was simply expecting the standard punk film....But the 80s hairstyles,dress styles,and makeup made me wanna throw up.What were people thinking back then anyway.

All in all,a pretty good film...and KIM,Start acting again..we miss ya

A tuff turf in an upperclass neighborhood.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 15 August 2022]

An early film for both James Spader and Robert Downey Jr., this "teen angst" drama is nothing new, but does a good job in creating an enjoyable film that while overloaded with cliches is well done. Spader's a troubled teen wjo has gone from school to school and not fit in, breaking the rules and always in trouble. Perfect candidate for a gang, but they don't want him in at his newest school even though he stands up to the security guard within their view. Gang leader Paul Mones can tell that his girlfriend Kim Richards likes Spader, and his jealous and violent temper results in Spader getting attacked several times.

Downey's the only kid in school who looks out for Spader, at one point fooling Spader chasing him down an alley and making Spader thinking that it's Mones. Richards and Spader end up in a country club with Downey and his girlfriend where they turn things up a notch before being kicked out. Later, Richards infiltrates her way into dancing at a rock club (even though they're obviously all underage) which has a funny moment with an extra. When Mones basically forces Richards to become engaged to him, you know that this is going to lead into a violent ending.

Los Angeles locations movie audiences have seen thousands of times are nicely utilized, but the film is often shockingly violent. Mones gives a frightening performance, quite convincing, but his character is overloaded with stereotypes as is his gang. These are the worst kinds of rebels without causes, animals running the streets. Spader is quite good, his character well rounded. Bill Beyers, then one of the stars of the TV soap "Capitol", is a nice contrast as Spader's all too perfect older brother, and Claudette Nevins and Matt Clark are fine as their parents. I could have easily rated this as just okay, but I found it really gripping in spite of the cliches and being somewhat depressing.

A troubled new kid on the block has to dance and fight for a girl, not to mention respect

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 27 February 2023]

A prep from Connecticut (James Spader) starts his senior year at a public school in Los Angeles after his father loses his company and scales down in SoCal. He sets his eyes on the beautiful girlfriend (Kim Richards) of a gang leader (Paul Mones) and all hell breaks loose.

"Tuff Turf" (1985) is similar plot-wise to "The Karate Kid" from the year prior, but isn't as effective because it tries to be too many things. It's a musical, a coming-of-age drama, a teen comedy, a romance, an art film and a bloody gang flick all rolled into one.

The first half is an amusing musical with pizazz while the second half turns dramatic and violent. In short, it's a mishmash of "Grease" (1978), "The Warriors" (1979), "Valley Girl" (1983), "Rumble Fish" (1983) and "The Karate Kid."

I like it, but the finale in the warehouse devolves into larger-than-life surrealness. Still, the music's great, Spader carries the movie, Robert Downey Jr. Is entertaining in an early role and Kim Richards (child actress from the 70s) is jaw-dropping with her stunning hair.

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area.

GRADE: B-

Tuff Turd...whoops

[Stay_away_from_the_Metropol · 5/10 · 12 July 2020]

Just watched the movie that was #1 at the box office the week I was born, TUFF TURF (1985). Must have been a weak week at the theater because it still didn't do well. That's probably because this movie BLOWS. It was James Spader's first lead role and Robert Downey Jr's first co-star role. Kim Richards (the girl from Escape From Witch Mountain and Assault on Precinct 13) is really cute as the punk rock damsel in distress but aside from the 80's aesthetics and vibes on 10, this movie misses in pretty much every department. It tries to be a cool & cute high school flick in the first half but it's almost completely humorless and the story goes nowhere, in the second half it turns into an extremely heavy-handed dramatic action flick full of people getting beaten up, bloodied, or shot - but it never feels right. There's something missing. It's simply not an enjoyable film. It's far too long at 2 hours considering it has almost no story, none of the characters have any depth aside from maybe Kim Richards but it's still not that deep, and it doesn't function well as a comedy, a drama, OR an action thriller... whoops.

P.S. every SINGLE time I try to type Tuff Turf it ends up Tuff Turd first on accident

Sounds like another cheesy 80s teen flick--but it isn't

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 13 April 2011]

Morgan Hiller (James Spader) is a new kid in high school. He makes enemies with the local gang...but the gang leader's girlfriend (Kim Richards) falls for him.

The plot is very predictable but this still is lots of fun to watch. I saw it in a theatre back on a freezing cold winters night in 1985. I was in college and just expected a stupid teen flick (that's what I was in the mood for). I was surprised to find myself really liking it. In terms of fashions, music and attitude it was great! It caught the 1980s head on. These kids talked and acted like high school kids (even though all of them were well over that age). It moved quickly, was well-directed and is full of energy. Most of the acting is very good especially by Richards and a then unknown Robert Downey Jr. Spader was a little bit too mannered for the role but he was OK.

This is no unsung masterpiece but I think it's a good strong 80s flick. I give it an 8.

When Will It End??

[Cobbler · 2/10 · 21 August 2002]

I was expecting some enjoyable cheese, a la Savage Streets or The New Kids, or vivid SoCal mid 80's atmosphere, like in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, but instead got an absolutely godawful hodgepodge of Rebel Without A Cause, Romeo and Juliet, and the worst music since Disney's The Country Bears. Decent performances by Kim Richards and Matt Clark (as Spader's dad) didn't help the meandering story, headache-inducing examination of "violence" and poor/rich class warfare, and confusing main character. A scene where the "kids" crash a Beverly Hills country club was interminable, as was the musical number that Spader warbles at a piano! There's a reason why this film is not well known, and the fact that it was directed by the genius who helmed Children of the Corn has something to do with it. I give it a 2, only for the jacket that Spader's character wears and for Richard's crimped hair.

Plenty of attitude, lots of style

[fertilecelluloid · 8/10 · 30 December 2005]

Director Fritz Kiersch made the drab "Children Of The Corn". Fortunately, this is anything but drab. James Spader is terrific as a rebellious youth whose family moves from Connecticut to Los Angeles. He gets himself embroiled in some very nasty trouble almost right away when he inadvertently tangles with local sociopath Nick Hauser, played with creepy authenticity by Paul Mones. The fact that Spader has an eye for the stunning girlfriend of Mones, Kim Richards, doesn't help his situation, either, but it's a great set-up for a violent, fast-paced teen flick.

After this little gem, Spader starred as one of the screen's greatest miscreants, Eddie Dutra, in Sean Cunningham's incredible "The New Kids" (see my review). Then, "Sex Lies and Videotape" gave Spader's career a big shot in the arm and took him miles away from roles like this, at least for a decade or so.

"Tuff Turf" has a mean streak and isn't afraid to lather on the violence and bloodshed. Kiersch's direction is energetic and tight, and he is ably assisted in the atmosphere department by composer Jonathan Elias, who delivers a pumping, moody synth score. Kim Richards, with her long straight hair and sexy wardrobe, personifies a teen lust object, and injects her role with more than a little subtlety. A very young Robert Downey Jr. has a subordinate role as Hauser's only friend and acquits himself well.

The film's climax, set in a warehouse, is brutal and bloody, and the sequence in which Spader's bicycle is destroyed demonstrates virtuoso cutting, sound design and cinematography. This is a very well made movie with plenty of "attitude" and lots of style.

Implausible Characters & Story

[nitro72 · 2/10 · 6 February 2019]

Time capsule-like showcase of the (laughable) looks, sounds, & attitudes of the 80s features implausible characters & story (especially the last half hour) with zero resolution, painfully slow pacing, & a score that doesn't fit at all.

Instantly forgettable. Somewhat entertaining premise, executed poorly. A Complete waste of time.

[bignothingdrake310 · 3/10 · 20 March 2016]

This movie is boring as hell! The editing is garish and obnoxious, there is not nearly enough action it's mostly just padding, full of pointless scenes and poorly written dialogue scenes that just go nowhere and do absolutely nothing to further the plot. The love story between Frankie and Morgan would be more engaging if these characters weren't so dull and lifeless, and don't even get me started on this "gang" This gang has to be the most pathetic excuse for a street gang that I have ever seen! I mean all they seem to do for a majority of this movie is talk tough and intimidate Morgan yet rarely ever follow through with anything, for at least two thirds of the film! In fact you barley even see anything of them for two thirds of the movie. This was so obviously just intended to be a cynical cash grab and it backfired! There's a reason people seldom remember this stinker because there is nothing even relatively notable about it! It only brought in 9,369,329 that's nothing! Even by 1985's standards that's nothing! It's not hard to see why either, there is nothing of value here! I can guarantee you by the end of this movie it is going to vanish from your consciousnesses entirely and for good reason. There is nothing memorable here at all! I mean I swear I have just sat through an hour and fifty minutes of just pure tedium, pure an utter monotony from start to finish, and you know what else? All of that monotony might have been forgivable if it was just building up to a satisfying climactic battle, but even that ending scene in the warehouse was just dull and bland, totally boring! There is nothing here! It is one of the blandest most sterile films that I have seen in a long time! there was just You want a real high school gang flick, watch Jack Hill's "Switchblade Sisters" it's streaming on Netflix last time I checked, just watch that and spare yourself the disappointment. Or if you plan to watch this just do yourself a favor and lower your expectations. It's sad too, because that opening scene really did make this film look promising, I thought "hey this should be good campy fun!" But nope! And these fight scenes! My god they are so poorly choreographed and half-baked and not even halfway decent! I mean were they even trying to make a good movie? No of course not, as I said it's a cynical cash grab. That sex scene also, wow! That was lame, if a film manages to make sex look boring, then you know something is wrong. This is just a lame movie, that wasted a potentially entertaining premise. I came here looking for a good entertaining schlock-fest not to be put to sleep! It is amazing that James Spader's career wasn't ruined by this film, it is nothing short of a miracle, and don't even get me started on his performance it's like he was drunk through the entire thing and just didn't even care but can you really blame him. God knows that I can't. This movie sucks, period. Enough said.

Great L.A. gang flick.

[arturopanduro · 8/10 · 11 May 2000]

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. The movie deals with a troublesome youth named Morgan Hiller (James Spader) who moves with his family to Los Angeles from Connecticut. One night, while bicycling through the city, he interrupts a robbery-in-progress by a gang. The gang leader's hot girlfriend, Frankie (Kim Richards) seems to be impressed with this new kid in town. They see him the following day at school and all hell breaks loose. There is a strong attraction between Morgan and Frankie, which makes for even more trouble with the gang leader, Nick (Paul Mones) and his posse. The soundtrack is good with a little bit of everything from punk rock to new wave. It also features music by Marianne Faithful, Southside Johnny, The Jim Carroll Band, and others. Lots of music, '80s campy fashion, and great fight sequences.

So sappy that it's sticky.

[mm-39 · 3/10 · 6 October 2018]

So sappy that it's sticky. Another teenage gang story. A reboot of 50's gang movies with an 80's twist. We got Eye candy, good looking guys, a love story two rivals. The too cool individual must face the ugly mob and win the girl. Lot's of goofy new wave dancing and music, which is sappy and sticky. A plot twist, with the hero going threw torment until the final show down. The ending is thick, sappy and sticky. Well another 80's teenager flick. The ten speed flying in the air was funny to watch tho. I give a big 3 out of 10 stars.