Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.

Sean Penn
as Mick O'Brien

Reni Santoni
as Ramon Herrera

Jim Moody
as Gene Daniels

Eric Gurry
as Horowitz

Esai Morales
as Paco Moreno

Ally Sheedy
as J. C. Walenski

Clancy Brown
as Viking Lofgren

Robert Lee Rush
as Tweety

John Zenda
as Wagner

Tony Mockus Jr.
as Warden Bendix
Bazzjazz
Being an early favorite of when I first discovered the potential of Sean Penn. Really gritty film centered around some youths that are ‘raging against the machine’ and learned to fend for themselves on the street. It’s a good film if you can appreciate it in it’s own time and merit....
CinemaSerf
Sean Penn is "O'Brien" who is sent down for the accidental killing of an eight year old lad. His time in prison subjects him to the usual pressures and bullying but he allies with the shrewd electronics whizz "Horowitz" (Eric Gurry) and slowly but surely starts to learn the ropes, turn the tables an...
RobMcJ
Originally watched this on TV (WUTV Buffalo 29) and I vividly remembered the soda can scene - (although I thought he put them in a sock) plus the performances of Sean Penn and Esai Morales. I did not remember a young Ally Sheedy, Clancy Brown and Alan Ruck....