The Violent Heart

Leave aside for the moment that Sanga is exploring Hitchcockian beats that most film-goers have not seen in their lifetimes. And leave aside also the perfect casting, especially Van Patten successfully selling a complicated and counter-intuitive character ,while at the same time playing Older-4-Younger. What really matters is that Sanga stuck to the core rule of story-telling that so many modern auteurs forget -- engage the viewer. Connect to the character. Hold the attention.

The foreshadowing throughout this movie was very allusive. The ending does a decent job at tying almost everything together. However the ending did leave us with a few questions. There were some unresolved issues that would have made the story more clear. Nonetheless we appreciate that the twist wasn't predictable and it left us wondering throughout watching what the issue could be.

They seemed to paint the main character like an angry black man but didn't actually show him in that light. In fact it was quite the opposite it was a young man trying to manage his emotions and get back on track.

Overall, this movie did keep us on our toes and we would recommend it to watch.

This was an incredible story that grabs you from the first several minutes to the very end! As soon as I began watching, the movie, it captured my attention all the way to the end. The actors took you on a journey and you really didn't know where you were going to end ups. The ending was surprising, but not totally a shocker. I did expect a different ending. By all accounts, the acting was great, and Mary J Blige as the matriarch of the family was very convincing, although her part was very small. I highly recommend this movie without hesitation. It is worth the 1 hour and 45 minutes. Get your popcorn ready!

I thought this was really good. It wasn't cheesy, the acting was convincing. It had an incredibly harrowing storyline and an unexpected ending. I thought it had everything a good movie needs. Definitely didn't feel I'd wasted my time watching it, at all.

I would watch it again. My wife she didn't think one part was believable, so she was indifferent.

It's one of those bleak, slingblade type settings, which could be too dreary for some viewers. I on the otherhand, love those type of backdrop drama/suspense movies. It's dark, but has some bright spots between the brothers, and love interests.

The darkness tends affect the pace at times, which is a slight downer. It could have been a little more suspense.

The direction was great. Writing was great. The leads did their parts. I guess one part could have been a tad more believable, but all in all it didn't bother me.

Pleasant movie, with a mostly black cast which is pretty awesome. I highly recommend.