ada
the leading man is my tpye
Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
G Connolly
It's perhaps the classic film of Mark Wahlberg and in the top two of Joaquin Phoenix, not just for their studied playings, but their colleagues', the direction, editing, conception, most of the whole production. The directing with editing are very fine indeed. The cinematography is so immaculate I didn't even think of it until the end. Top stuff.I think an average of around 6 stars is really low for this king of all morality tales. It's not perfect, and does have a simplistic edge (what do you expect for a Big Apple 'street' morality fable?) but others have agreed with me that it's one of the best productions of the whole genre in modern film. It deserves an 8 to 10 star average, while it's not the kind of film which is made particularly for repeated viewings. Some are, some aren't, but as a once in a long time watch, this amazing opera like fable is immaculately constructed.
Robert J. Maxwell
There aren't many laughs in this dramatic pastiche of corrupt industries and the not-quite-innocent who is swept up in them before finally blowing the whistle.It's not ethnic, but it seems like it. There's a bit of "The Godfather," a dash of "Prince of the City", a soupçon of "On The Waterfront." There are all sorts of conflicts between men and women, family members united against the law -- or that part of it that isn't in bed with the gangsters.Interesting milieu. Mark Wahlberg as the ex con who's trying to obey the rules of his parole finds a job working for his uncle, James Caan, in the subway marshaling yard in Queens. Caan's company does repairs on broken subway cars. In order to make sure they have enough business, Caan has hired Joaquin Phoenix and a couple of bad goons to sneak into the yards at night and damage the cars. Caan's character is not unidimensional. When Wahlberg asks him for a job, he tells Caan that he'd like to work with Phoenix, a childhood friend. Caan gently tries to steer him into a more honorable, if less lucrative, path to success but Wahlberg is insistent. It's a big mistake on Wahlberg's part. There follow intrigue, brutally staged fist fights, and a couple of death, all leading to betrayal.Wahlberg doesn't have that many lines but he handles them well enough. Like the other men, he has a working-class New York accent. Lots of double negatives: "I don't know nothing." Charlize Theron, as Phoenix's doubtful girl friend, doesn't sound much like New York but she doesn't sound much like Johannesberg either. With her big eyes, upturned nose, and plump lips, she's never looked better.In many ways it's a depressing movie because although many characters commit immoral acts, all of them are given human qualities, including some that are generally considered virtues.
LeonLouisRicci
Gloomy, soft spoken, and bare this story about corruption and its effect on Family and Friend relationships maybe too low key and laid back for mass appeal. It does offer a Name Cast and a slightly inaccurate Mob Boss attraction but this one is quite different than most.The Film is about character and stylish confrontations and wise(guy) cracking Characters are nowhere around this slow of pace, but tense, Noirish Melodrama. The best parts here are interpersonal relationships and responsibility put to the test in some gripping set pieces.The Movie does fail to completely render its Political uncovering and City Hall money grubbing. Those scenes feel less recovered and tend to stultify the pace. It is this weak exposition that keeps the better parts from becoming fully engaging and some of its themes a bit unclear.
justforfunvt
Not sure why I hadn't heard of this movie before. Now that I have, I can convincingly say that it's mostly first rate and should be seen by anyone interested in those quirky off-the-beaten-path types that still manage to tell a real story without all the Hollywood garbage. Burstyn, Theron, Caan, Dunaway, and Phoenix go all out while newcomer Wahlberg struggles to get over his wooden-ness. It's a minor point, however, since most of his scenes are covered nicely by the more mature actors. Both Wahlberg and Phoenix went a long way with "We Own the Night," but this little piece is how they got started back when. Also, I kind of enjoyed seeing Charlize Theron as the flirty, young gamin who comes to a rotten ending at the hand of her vile lover. Well done !
