gab-real

I first drawn to this movie based on my liking of DJ Shadows music (his music makes for a foreboding soundtrack to the lives of its characters). After viewing the entire movie I was shocked to discover how this certain population of homeless persons lived.

Making domiciles in the gloomy depths of New Yorks subway systems, these persons had use of electricity, shelters and in some cases running water. The movies title described the sullen life of perpetual darkness even during the daylight hours. Besides a rat infestation these dwellers of the darkened deep were seldom subjected to the questioning or harassment of law enforcement,due to the fact that they dubbed the place to dismal to risk the venture.

What really stuck in my mind was the utter lowering of standards and rational by which these persons lived by. "I betcha I'll make 10$ today" one inhabitant stated, as if this were a lot of money, yet in his mind it was!

The film ended on a fairly happy note for all the dark day dwellers chronicled, when they emerged from their creepy caves and tried to make a way for themselves topside the city, yet one was still left to wonder just how many didn't emerge and still resided in the urban abyss.

Lastly, I felt doing the film in black & white helped o bring the viewer closer to the basic two toned living conditions of the characters, and I loved how the director allowed the characters and visuals to tell the story and not the person doing the filming. 9 out of 10 stars from me

Imagine for a second the sounds of a typewriter amplified to the point where you thought they were machine gun rounds, or better yet a plate of pomegranates hitting the floor rekindling images of bomb explosions.

These are the memories of the title character (Haji) as he is released from a veteran hospital after the Iran-Iraq war. He has been betrothed to a wife unbeknownst to him to start a new life yet can he overcome the carnage and brutality that her has witnessed and re-acclimate himself back into everyday civilian life? This film makes you wonder if anyone who has bared witness to atrocity can ever fully recover, yet Haji's character does make a valiant attempt when he takes on a Job as a photojournalist. "He is the anxious eye of the revolution" as one person comments on Haji's photo's of the graphically gripping images of poverty & squalor captured on his film reel.

this is a excellent character study of just what can happen to survivor of war and how it can impact all those around them.....( out of 10 form me

I only gave this film a chicane because I'm a Freeman, Wilson and Sinese fan nut based on the reviews I read prior to watching this flick I would have never paid hard earned money to see it. Lucky me my local library had it for check out cause, I see exactly why it got little or no press.

this film lacked heavily on genuine comedy, action or plot structure. The "who's scamming who" was interesting up until the end of the movie which ultimately resulted in the title character (wilson) claiming all (no mystery there!) For those fans like me who have enjoyed some of these fine actors other great works, I 'd advise you steer clear of this one and chalk this one up as one pitfall in all of their acting careers.