MovieChat Forums > Colors (1988) Discussion > Frog's smirk at the end scene

Frog's smirk at the end scene

posted 16 years ago by trumpydumpy2001
23 replies | jump to latest

What did you make of Frog's smirk, at the end sequence, after Hodges is shot? That was one of the most striking scenes in the movie to me. Throughout the movie, Frog and Hodges chit-chat as though they have a "rapport", and even though Hodges is a cop, and Frog a gang member, they talk to each other like buddies.

It was as if the movie was trying to make a point, that at no time did Frog ever have any kind of respect for Hodges, it was all just a charade to him. In the end, he was glad to see a copper die.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Ezekiel_Stone 13 years ago

I think Frog thought that Hodges had snitched on him and so according to the code of the streets he got what he deserved. I also think that the smirk was partly meant for Pac Man because it was like a "jumping in" initiation for him to finally graduate him to the urban gang jungle where lives are cheap. Pac Man had finally lost someone close to him and Frog knew the pain and anguish that Pac Man is feeling and it was like "now you know how we feel".

[–] whitten-1 13 years ago

Also, don't forget that Hodges DID tell someone who told him about the intended hit on Pacman -- he told another cop at 1:28:18:

Lieutenant: "Who told you this?"
Hodges: "I'd rather not say."
Lieutenant: "I'm not asking you to testify... I'm not gonna give up your source."
Hodges: "Leo Lopez. Call him frog. He's up at County on a traffic warrant. He owes me one, OK? ... Look, I believe him."

I'm not saying information necessarily got out from the lieutenant -- or the other cop standing next to him when Hodges said it; but Hodges _did_ reveal his source to two other cops.

One other thing, from earlier on in the movie, is that it's the COPS who give McGavin the nickname "Pacman", due to his yellow car and his line about gobbling up all the bad guys. And that nickname goes straight out onto the streets. So the movie is indicating that there's a lot of information exchange, very quickly, between the gangs and the cops. They each know who the players are on the other side.

The suggestion, to me, from the fact that Pacman's cop nickname goes viral so quickly is that information about snitches and informants has an equal tendency to travel in unwanted ways. Regardless of who he was talking to, Hodges NEVER should have given up that Leo was the informant.

Having said that... The scene where Rocket asks who was in County with T-Bone suggests that he deduced who ratted on their plans himself, rather than having a cop source. But we can't know for sure. Rocket is one of the most ambiguous and little-discussed characters in the film, and he's clearly a badass.

[–] Ezekiel_Stone 13 years ago

If i was Hodges i would have felt comfortable sharing the info on the intended hit on pacman to my fellow officers, especially to guys who outrank me, i mean these guys are supposedly on my team. My loyalty is to my partner and my team first and although i may have a respect thing going on with frog, he is definately playing for the bad guys so screw him :P.

You make a good point though about how easily information leaks and flows, it's just unfortunate that Hodges had to suffer for his mistake ultimnately.

[–] Greg24710 12 years ago

Don't worry about it too much.

Ultimately, it boils down to this: Frog was a piece of *beep* gang banger.

Hodges thought he could deal with these scum as if they were civilized people. That can be a very dangerous mistake in police work.

[–] everydayboredom1980 12 years ago

That part made me hate Frog even more than his stupid little dance did.

40 year old gangbanger. Cool guy, a real winner.

[–] everydayboredom1980 12 years ago

Just read this about him on IMDB.

Sad stuff.

Died in a 1989 car accident while UHF was being filmed. The driver of the other vehicle pleaded guilty to drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter. Silva's wife and two-year old son suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Has a dedication in the end credits of "UHF".

[–] The_Mob_Has_Spoken 11 years ago

I took it to mean it was a "so sad you can either cry... or laugh"-type thing. He liked and respected Hodges and everything, but he also knew that Hodges knew better than to reveal that Frog was his jailhouse informant. When Melindez pressed him, Hodges gave Frog up. Which set the whole chain of events in motion that eventually resulted in Hodges's own death. Loose lips sink ships. Frog's smile was a way of expressing all that frustration and anger and bitter disappointment. "Hodges, homes, you screwed up, man." Normally Frog would be glad to see a copper die, but not this time. It was a terrible irony.

And yes, we don't definitively know how Rocket knew who snitched on the Pacman hit. He may have deduced it and he may have had sources or "ears" in the force and jail. It is ambiguous. But Hodges definitely should have kept his damn mouth shut.

"Ass to ass. Ha ha ha ha. ASS TO ASS!"; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa5z77EI8y0

[–] Gabe1972 11 years ago

Hodges was a cop. Frog was a gangbanger. When Frog gave Hodges info or whatever, it was only because he thought he could get something out of it. Yes, they had a rapport, but Hodges was still a cop and Frog still a gangbanger. When Hodges was shot, Frog didn't really care, and smirked to basically say, "Good, another dead cop." They weren't friends, and I'm sure Hodges knew that Frog was only civil to get something, but didn't really care one Iota about him.

This is what I go from it, anyway.

The plural of mouse is mice. The plural of goose is geese. Why is the plural of moose not meese?

[–] insomniac_rod 10 years ago

I think Frog's smirk was kind of: "Damn, Hodges was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he knew what he was getting into it for his partner".

I think they were buddies but you know, they are used to seeing people around them die, so when Frog watched him die he was like "oh, bad luck":

Hate is baggage, life's too short to be pissed off all the time.