From the beginning of Colors the police in the story act like they hate the young men in the neighborhood-categorically. They don't have even the tiniest bit of respect for them as human beings with strengths and weaknesses, virtues and faults. It's an "us and them" mentality as though only two categories of people existed, decent law-abiding folks and "stone-f---ing killers" (gang members). The neighborhood is the "jungle" and the residents are "gang bang assholes." When Hodges (Robert Duvall) speaks to young men in the neighborhood, he often calls them names and suspects every person in the neighborhood of criminal activity. Duvall is jaded and cynical. He's not a bad person, but he's been on the job too long, and is no longer capable of impartiality or fairness. He is training the rooky cop McGavin (Sean Penn) who seems very young and cocky. McGavin is concerned about his appearance, with looking cool, and finding sex. On the other hand, he wants to do the job. He wants to fight crime and drugs, but he lacks judgment. He's a "hot shot" and too quick to draw his gun. For example, he brings out a shotgun when a kid throws a rock at the police car.
             The police in the film are ill-equipped to deal with the chaotic and violent social problems that confront them in the ghetto-the "scourge of drugs and gangs," as the minister puts it. They don't know how to deal with the machine-gun violence, the drive-by shootings, youngsters waging war on each other, on innocent bystanders, and on the police in "f---ing bozoland." Hodges lectures McGavin to be more careful, not to take so many risks, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. McGavin is arrogant and thinks he knows it all. He tells Hodges that's just the way he is, and he'll just have to deal with it. He appears to lack training. He knows how to be tough and break i...