MovieChat Forums > Bad Boys (1983) Discussion > Does anyone see Paco's side of things?

Does anyone see Paco's side of things?

posted 10 years ago by YepiTsTrue11
18 replies | jump to latest

We are meant to root for Mick, which we do. Paco was a douche but let's keep it real, Mick and his boy tried to rob Paco which led to his (Paco's) best friend and little brother getting killed. Sure, Mick didn't mean for it to go down that way but one can certainly see why Paco would harbor so much hate for the guy.

What Paco did to JC was horrible but the scene where Mick says "I'm sorry about your little brother, OK?" and Paco starts talking about JC, it's as if we are supposed to feel that Mick's situation was worse. I guess the argument to be made there would be that Mick killing Paco's brother was an accident, while Paco raping and almost murdering JC was pre-meditated.

Still, one can see how a wayward, tough kid like Paco would want revenge. The scene where his mother is packing up his little brother's belongings was heartbreaking. So while rooting for Mick, I can still see Paco's side.

They both have done bad things in their lives. However, Mick has a more good hearted nature inside of him than Paco, which is inevitably why the audience roots for him.

What do you guys think?

[–] romefan123 10 years ago

Intriguing post. I've always had a soft-spot in my heart for Paco Moreno. He's a great character, and things aren't all black and white here. They were all tied into some bad things--bear in mind, Mick's friend Cameron Frey dies too, so in a sense, they both experience loss. Paco, in my view, upped the ante by raping JC. In fact, it was his aim to not only rape her, but kill her. And yet, I can see why he carries so much rage. Good points up there...

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[–] Hollywood_Square_Contestant 10 years ago

I don't think we are suppose to feel sorry for any of these thugs. It just so happens that Mick O'Brien(Sean Penn) was the MAIN character in this film. So we are to see things mostly for his perspective.

But I agree, they are all as BAD as each other.

[–] michaelsmith30 10 years ago

Mick killing Paco's brother was an accident as the result of careless driving. . Paco raping and intending to kill JC was no accident. Either way, I really had no sympathy for either one except their victims.

[–] michaelsmith30 10 years ago

Probably the only one I had sympathy for was the young black kid who was thrown off the tier

[–] kisshooters69 10 years ago

Everyone in Rainford were scum. Not one of them would have stayed out of adult prison for long once they were released from Rainford. The kid thrown off the second tier was in Dorm C for a reason. He obviously committed a very serious crime otherwise he wouldn't be there. I don't feel sorry for him at all.
Quote: I don't like repeat offenders. I like dead offenders. Ted Nugent.

[–] SpaceMountainMike 8 years ago

Probably the only one I had sympathy for was the young black kid who was thrown off the tier

You aren't kidding. Maybe it's because he was the only main character who you don't know what his crime was, so his incarceration was "out of context" (for lack of a better term).

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[–] romefan123 10 years ago

Disagree.

It was no accident. He would have killed someone sooner or later. Only it happened sooner, you see? So don't BS me...don't BS yourself. How did you feel about what went down? Well...when you do know...and want to talk about it...I'm here. Anytime you want to talk about this...or anything else...I'm here.

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[–] gabby_bm 10 years ago

You really should have started that with:

"Hey.
Boy."

I don’t need you to tell me how good my coffee is.. 
.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] louisecracker 9 years ago

We are obviously supposed to feel for Mick. The whole film is based on him, his feelings, the people rallying around him.
I watched the movie last night and although I enjoyed it greatly, it seemed quite outdated to me. I don't think Paco's character could be shown in the same light today. And yes I do feel for him, as well, a little.

[–] kisshooters69 10 years ago

O'Brian and Merano hated each other before everything happened.
Quote: I don't like repeat offenders. I like dead offenders. Ted Nugent.

[–] Falconeer 9 years ago

Paco wasn't so bad. At least he had some kind of "code of honor." He tried to do a straight forward drug deal, but the black gang had to be scumbags and pull guns. They wanted the money AND the drugs. Paco wanted money, like most kids in his situation, to escape from his miserable existence. I can understand that. When his little brother gets killed, of course he wants revenge; it is the most natural human reaction there is. He cared about his family, seemingly more so than Mick cared about his own mother. Spanish people are very family oriented. Raping JC was pure revenge. He knew that would hurt Mick as much as he got hurt when Mick killed his brother. That's why I didn't take any side; they were both messed up kids that made really bad decisions that changed their fates forever.
Anyway, fantastic movie from beginning to end..

[–] Howlin Wolf 9 years ago

Team no-one… but Mick killing the kid was an accident… Paco raping and trying to kill JC was quite deliberate, so Paco was way worse.

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[–] rascal67 9 years ago

Paco raping and trying to kill JC was quite deliberate, so Paco was way worse.
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I didn't like Mick and like the sentencing judge said, he was sociopathic. It was only his feelings for JC, that gave him some humanity. Mick also didn't appear to have a conscious over killing an innocent 8yr old kid and like Herrera said, it was NO accident. He had just been involved in a shootout that got his best friend killed and was being high tailed by the cops trying to get away.

Paco's feelings could be understandable at the beginning over his little brother's death and he had designs on JC; but beating and raping her when she was an innocent too was crossing the line, just so he could get back at Mick. It doesn't make him worse than Mick, just the same. These boys were BAD. Typical that the film played Mick up to be the anti-hero and that the assault and rape of his girlfriend is themed as being more serious than the crime that Mick committed. JC survived, albeit shaken and somewhat bruised, Paco's little brother didn't.

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[–] nancy-mitrione 8 years ago

While I did root for Mick, we do also see a soft side of Paco. Paco loved his kid brother. You could see that in the few scenes that they had together when he hugged and tussled his hair, promised to take him to a movie and hangout, etc. Like the opening montage ... these were all innocent babies at one point in their lives. I am not justifying what any of them did, but our families and friends have a huge influence on our lives. Sometimes people do things out of desparation (stealing, selling drugs) to get a better life.

[–] millsey72 (10939) 3 years ago

The movie is titled Bad Boys. So there is no good guy and shame on you for rooting for the criminal Mick. I was hoping both died during their fight

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78592) 2 years ago

They were Bad Boys, both needed to be incarcerated. O’Brien was a dangerous armed robber and Morales was a drug runner. I sympathize with Paco’s need for revenge over the killing of his little brother but violent rape is not a good way to go about it. I think they were both right where they belonged.

It was quite a convenient plot point that two rotten young men with such a history wound up in the same Juvie Hall over a paperwork mistake lol. It’s like the authorities wanted these two apes to kill each other!