Havoc

From an affluent corner of Los Angeles, a group of privileged teens longs for a bigger thrill than suburbia offers. They imagine a disguised version of street life, borrowing borrowed slang and swagger to feel grown. What starts as a playful experiment quickly spins beyond their control as they draw the attention of a violent Latino gang. The line between fantasy and danger blurs as their carefully staged personas collide with real consequences. As fear and loyalty collide, friendships strain and the girls confront limits they never expected to meet.

Directed by Barbara Kopple from an original screenplay by Jessica Kaplan and Stephen Gaghan, Havoc arrived in 2005 as a crime drama about appetite and risk rather than adaptation. It stars Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bijou Phillips and Shiri Appleby.

Critics offered mixed readings, noting strong performances from Hathaway and the supporting cast while faulting the film's tonal shifts and pacing. The story probes privilege, peer pressure, and the allure of danger, asking where fantasy ends and harm begins.