Bullies is a 1986 Canadian action drama film directed by Paul Lynch and starring Jonathan Crombie, Janet-Laine Green, Stephen Hunter, and Olivia d'Abo.

In a story that has elicited occasional comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, a vendetta arises from the forbidden relationship between a teenage girl, whose clan terrorizes a small town, and the son of a newly arrived family.

[1] Telefilm Canada, the government agency responsible for supporting the national film industry, refused to contribute to Bullies' financing due to its perceived exploitative content.

American actor Dehl Berti did not participate, and a casting call was instead published in the local press for a lookalike who could appear in some non-dialogue pick-up shots.

[21] In the U.S., it was distributed by Universal Pictures,[22] in what appears to have been a hybrid release where the film, while available in most markets, only received a limited number of screens in some major agglomerations like Los Angeles.

"[9] Barbara Vancheri of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that the revenge angle was "well executed with suspense and a heavy dose of blood and violence", adding that amateurs of the genre "should like this action-adventure film".

[29] Alex Grant of The Province acknowledged "a series of sadistic setpieces", yet found that "Bullies brazenly delivers the goods" thanks to a "handsome look and punchy style", making it "easy to see why" a U.S. major would acquire it.

"[30] Bruce Bailey of The Montreal Gazette found the film representative of producer Peter R. Simpson's commercial product, balking at the premise that "to beat a homicidal maniac, you've got to act like a homicidal maniac", but accepting that "some of the scenes are pretty effective in a sick sort of way" and that "it looks like they put considerable thought into orchestrating the rhythm and impact of the mayhem.

"[31] Joel Rubinoff of The Toronto Star was along the same lines, writing that there was something "strangely reassuring" about the film's exploitation formula and that the action was directed "with style and gusto", positing that "while Bullies' stay in movie theatres may be short, it will likely clean up in video sales".

[32] David Barber of the The Kingston Whig-Standard deemed that the story appeared "lifted from the pages of old comic books everywhere", but with "a darker tone, one disturbing in its nonchalant acceptance of retributive violence".

[35] Christopher Harris of The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "Lynch seems to have the talent to sustain suspense [but] this feeble movie is so overcome by its own welter of blood and savagery that it becomes a monster of violence".