Five Corners

Life in the Bronx in 1964. A psycho gets out of prison and picks up where he left off, affecting the lives of people he knew. Has some funny moments and a couple interesting sub-plots. Excellent cast in this Hand-made indy: Jody Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff as Jodie's limp-legged boyfriend, and John Turturro as the psycho.

Five Corners is a socially relevant film with a unique visual style

and a sense of humor. the cast is superb. Robbins, Foster and

Turturro give hints as to what they would go on to accomplish as

their careers grew. Todd Graff is also awesome but seems to be

having better luck as a screenwriter and producer. The two

females who play the glue sniffers are hilarious in roles that could

have easily be unsympathetic. The two mothers (Chalfant and

Gregorios) carry their weight in smaller but no less significant

roles. The two cops are straight out of the old crime dramas of the

1940's and 50's. There is also a good sense of 'place' in the film. I

got a genuine feel for the neighborhood where these characters

dwelt. I have also had the pleasure of being directed by Tony Bill in

a made for T.V. movie, A Chance of Snow. He's a professional. I

wish that he'd do more along the lines of Five Corners.

It's 1964 The Bronx. Violent Heinz (John Turturro) returns to his neighborhood after getting out of prison for an attempted rape of Linda (Jodie Foster). Harry (Tim Robbins) rescued Linda the first time but has turn pacifist since then. Somebody shoots a teacher with an arrow. Castro and Willie are two kids blowing up a store sign with cherry bombs. They pick up Melanie and Brita who are out of it from sniffing glue. Heinz is after Linda again thinking he's in love with her. Jamie would like to be her boyfriend who protects her.

This movie is split in two. Turturro, Foster and Robbins inhabit one half. Turturro is great as the disturbed rapist. The penguins are weird. The acting is good but the script meanders a bit with a lot of strange turns. The other half has four lesser known actors. The girls are funny. It's odd that it seems to float on the surface of the movie without connecting to the other half. I do find the unknown actors' story interesting especially the elevator scene. I kept wondering what that story has to do with anything. The final reveal satisfied me to some extent. I wish it could have made more connections earlier in the movie.

I came across this film on sale, and purchased it because I saw the leading roles- Jodie Foster and Tim Robbins, before they really got famous, and I was surprised at how well the movie was done. Set in the 60s, Five Corners rings true with tone and mood of the times. Plot is straightfoward and even mildly believable, but what the film's shining aspect is its portrayal of human emotions- its very clean, raw look at the fundamental of social interaction.

Listen to Jamie's cries at his abducted girlfriend through the steel subway bars. Feel his pain as he scratches for the just-beyond-reach token. Though seemingly one dimensional at first, Heinz is a complex, tortured character with roots (albeit predictably) from youth and upbringing.

The film belies its innocent appearance with a few unexpected flashes of violence, yet maintains a positive feel with occaisional punchlines. Another surprise is Eriq La Salle, who plays a commanding role in the film's racial commentary. (Look for his surgeonesque brusque manner in his pre-Benton, MD role.)

All together with a mysterious archer vigilante (?) in the midst and cute penguins mucking about, this film is worthy of your time if you have some extra.

Verdict for a five dollar DVD? A+ simply on the Beatles tune alone.

The kind of film that doesn't get made anymore in Hollywood. Original story, great atmosphere, wonderful acting. A somewhat quirky but still powerful human drama. Somehow, everything just fits in this film. Given the cast, it's hard to believe it is so little known. One to be re-discovered (hopefully). 8 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495