History YMMV / Colors

** All the Police Brutality is seen as just a normal part of the job. Even a righteous cop like Bob mostly just turns a blind eye to what he witnesses due either to acceptance or fear of reprisals from his peers. Bear in mind this movie was released just two years before the Rodney King Beating and the subsequent [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots LA Riots.]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: A member of Rocket's gang amuses himself by dressing up in oversized baby clothes and dancing around with stuffed animals. However this is important to the plot as this got him sent to County where Frog overhears him telling another Crip about the hit that’s been put out on Gavin. Which leads to Rocket’s gang shooting up the 21st street house party and so on.

** the scene of the hysterical man whose wife was killed by stray bullets is gut wrenching. In-Universe, Hodges and [=McGavin=] are clearly effected and the unnamed veteran cop trying to comfort him clearly has no idea what to tell him.

** Gangs are extremely violent! At the time of the film’s release most Americans outside a few large cities believed gangs were still like ''Film/WestSideStory'' or at worst like ''Film/TheWarriors''. This film drove home the point that modern gangs (still relevant today) are disorganized, nihilistic, and extremely well armed.

* TheCameo: Creator/JackNance of ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'' fame makes a brief appearance as one of the police officers in the breakroom.

** This is also one of Don Cheadle's earlier roles.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: A member of Rocket's gang amuses himself by dressing up in oversized baby clothes and dancing around with stuffed animals.

** We get to see [[Creator/TheWayansFamily Damon Wayans]] showing shades of his future comedy career that would be launched two years later by ''Series/InLivingColor.''

%%* {{Anvilicious}}: Gang life is horrifying.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Frog comments towards the end of the film, "When I die, It's going to be like that", pointing to a fellow gangbanger who was making out with a beautiful woman. Three months after the film was released, Trinidad Silva was killed by a drunk driver.[[note]]This wasn't his final film, as he was filming ''Film/{{UHF}}'' at the time. [[/note]]

** the scene of the hysterical man whose wife was killed by stray bullets is gut wrenching. In-Universe, Hodges and [=McGavin=] are clearly effected and the unnamed veteran cop trying to comfort him clearly has no idea what to tell him.

* {{Anvilicious}}/SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Gang life is horrifying.

* TheCameo: Creator/JackNance of Film/Eraserhead fame makes a brief appearance as one of the police officers in the breakroom.

** A very young Creator/MarioLopez appears in a non-speaking role as a chicano gangbanger
* {{Tearjerker}}:

** the scene of the hysterical man whose wife was killed by stray bullets is gut wrenching. In-Universe Hodges and [=McGavin=] are clearly effected and the unnamed veteran cop trying to comfort him clearly has no idea what to tell him.

** Creator/DonCheadle playing [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar a character]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame named Rocket]].

* {{Anvilicious}}: Gang life is horrifying.

* {{Tearjerker}}: [[spoiler:Hodges' death. And the scene pans back in a FlyawayShot making it even more dramatic.]]

* Anvilicious: Gang life is horrifying.
* Downer Ending: Hodges is dead, Frog’s brother is likely getting a life sentence, none of the violence has subsided in any way.
* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/DonCheadle playing [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar a character]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame named Rocket]].
* Shaggy Dog Story: Despite all the efforts nothing has changed at all, and Hodges is dead.

** the scene of the hysterical man whose wife was killed by stray bullets is gut wrenching. In-Universe Hodges and McGavin are clearly effected and the unnamed veteran cop trying to comfort him clearly has no idea what to tell him.

* {{Tearjerker}}: [[spoiler:Hodges' death. And the scene pans back in a FlyawayShot making it even more dramatic.]]

* {{Tearjerker}}: [[spoiler: Hodges' death. And the scene pans back in a FlyawayShot making it even more dramatic.]]

* [=Tearjerker=]: [[spoiler: Hodges' death. And the scene pans back in a FlyawayShot making it even more dramatic.]]

* TearJerker: [[spoiler: Hodges' death. And the scene pans back in a FlyawayShot making it even more dramatic.]]