DaveNoodles

Entertaining and completely overblown gangster flick with a powerhouse central performance by Christopher Walken. Actually all the performances are good, they just pale compared to Walken's freaky frightening intensity.

At times it seems to be put together with a somewhat sloppy hand (stuff like jumping the eye line or wobbly camera work), at other times it seems like it may just be because of practical/budgetary reasons. Generally it's rather nicely put together though, with a few really blistering set pieces, especially an extended indoor shootout set to house music and shot through a blue haze, is impressive and gripping, and when it continues out on the rainy streets, in cars, it doesn't loose a beat.

The writing is uneven, often nuanced and intelligent, equally often over the top, on the nose and rather silly, still, the actors make it work for the most part. Ferrara isn't subtle, and he's not afraid to use some cheap tricks (utterly pointless nudity and violence), but taken in the right spirit, not too seriously, it's certainly never boring, even when it's going over the top.

Did I mention that Walken is excellent?

Aaron Estes debut is a beautiful and haunting tale, that despite its simplicity and some flaws, manages to both be a gripping piece of entertainment/storytelling and also a fairly complex analysis of hate, guilt, loneliness and all the many other human emotions that are especially hard to cope with when you're a teen.

Estes has wisely chosen to keep the plot fairly simple, this gives him room to delve into the mindset and feelings of these very different yet also very alike kids, and he really grabs that opportunity, constantly conveying new back story and exposition, but always in an unobtrusive way and without ever loosing sight of the central conflict that drives the plot along.

Along with DP Sharone Meir the director also creates an intriguing world, the strikingly photogenic setting is milked for all it's worth, and despite some minor indulgences, especially noticeable in one central scene set at a riverbank, the choice to mix hard hand-held images with poetic Mallick like images generally comes of as an inspired and strong choice that puts you right in there with the characters and their predicaments.

The characters are all fleshed out (though some do of course get more time then others) and the actors all seem to relish the chance to play something much closer to real human beings then the cyphers that normally occupy youth-movies. These people are complex and flawed, no one is really good, nor is anyone really bad, which must be said to be something of a brave move, since it's easy to alienate every audience member out there, keep people floating in a moral vacuum where they don't know what to think and so they turn on the film because they feel insulted and abandoned... but I don't think that happens here, I think Estes brilliant writing and the sympathetic recognizably human performances makes it complex and emotionally draining in a way that is viscerally entertaining and yet never pandering. Some might react very differently though (there is one character whom it is very easy to hate if you fell so inclined, the film most certainly doesn't try to paint him as some sort of martyr), and I guess that may be a flaw from a commercial standpoint, but it certainly doesn't make the film any worse.

Rory Culkin and Josh Peck are probably the standouts in the cast, but it really is an ensemble film, and everybody more then delivers. Even if there was no other reason to see it, it would still be worth it for the magnificent performances (luckily there's plenty of other reasons, including a great score).

Structurally the film is flawed, but through no real fault of its own, it's just so that the scene everything revolves around is so powerful that only by throwing explosions or car chases in there could it ever be topped, and since Estes doesn't feel like throwing superficial drama in to make the ending more satisfying, that is not the kind of film he's making here, there's no way around the fact that the last part of the film is a little bit less gripping then the rest.

A good movie, well worth seeing, and it doesn't really matter if you're young or old, it will still resonate I believe.

Very much a Michael Bay flick... but as such, not bad.

The camera is thrown around flamboyantly as it tries to keep up with our two leads who're running through a bright colorful slick future filled with vehicles just waiting to explode and clones that mostly look way better then average human beings.

The editing is fast and furious and the actors of course almost all drown in all the pretty blue sets and glowing suns... and despite the somewhat intriguing setup/plot, it's this that really interests Bay; kinetic energy, stuff that moves fast, things that explode, and his main goal is to throw it at the audience with such fury that they won't notice much ells. Except for the blatant product-placement that is, he always makes sure we'll notice that.

Towards the end it all becomes wearisome, but for the most part it's fun in an undemanding superficial way.

And speaking of superficial... Scarlett running around is definitely a joy to behold.