The Narrows

I am not sure if this movie is worth the 8.1 out of 10 it's currently rated at, but its definitely worth a 6 or 7.

This movie takes a long time to get going and doesn't really hit its stride until the last third of the movie.

Vincent D'Onofrio was brilliant in this, Titus Welliver also puts in a good performance, its worth watching this movie just for those two performances alone.

Both of their characters add a little bit of an unexpected twist to the story which makes the payoff of sitting through the whole movie worthwhile.

Really good modern New York streetwise gangster movie. The Narrows has a wide range of good acting from the cast, but Titus Welliver as the local mob boss was so good he scared me. Vincent D'Onofrio was as good as he always is, as one of the local underlings & the father of the main character, Mike Manadoro played by Kevin Zegers. Kevin Zegers I had not seen before, but he held his own throughout the flick & I hope to see him again. The rest of the cast helped the movie for me come out as one of those huge surprises you come across when you search through a list of nameless movies to find a sleeper hit & "The Narrows" was just that. Also, Sophia Bush as Mike Manadoro's new upscale girlfriend, well she was just hot. If you have a chance to see this do, it will be well worth your time.

surferboy

Most of the films of this genre are hackneyed remakes of classics with nothing new to add except a new face here and there. This film is obviously tailored to an intelligent novel and the acting is surprisingly tight. Donofrio is outstanding as the bitter old numbers runner who can't seem to get over the death of is saintly Italian wife; not too many clichés there, huh? But he pulls it off with the panache only he can bring to a role. Huzzah for you, Mr. Vincent, you did it again. But as the lead, Kevin Zegers steals the show. Where has this kid been? He is believable, beautiful and serious. I know that the established critics bombed this film, but that's never swayed me all that much. I watch a lot of films and this one, though far from a ten, is a solid seven.

Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers) lives with his father Vinny (Vincent D'Onofrio) in Brooklyn. His friend Nicky Shades (Eddie Cahill) returns from war with a dark edge. Mike's photography gets him a partial scholarship to NYU. He falls for fellow student Kathy Popovich (Sophia Bush) despite having neighborhood girlfriend Gina Abruzzi (Monica Keena). He starts doing odd jobs driving for local mob guy Tony (Titus Welliver). His father is angry with him working for Tony.

This is reminiscent of well-used material from better movies. It's an indie in need of better cinematic style and better music. It's more in the line of a good-looking TV movie. Zegers is a perfectly functional young leading man. He has just enough charisma and Bush is a hottie. However the story meanders without much tension. It takes a long time for the movie to raise the danger level. The dialog is a bit lackluster except when D'Onofrio shows up. It tries to go to a darker place but it never shocks. The whole movie needs to be tightened up a bit and concentrate on the father son relationship. More D'Onofrio would really help.

I'm not even sure why I rented this but it was in my queue . . . Probably for a few years. Anyhow, it was about "Little League" Sopranos . . . Junior mobsters who like being Italian in Brooklyn and throwing their weight around.

The acting and cinematography were quite good but the story kind of wandered around . . . An intimate look at the mundane life of run-of-the mill thugs.

I don't think I'll even have a slice of tomato pie . . . At least for a day or so.