Flores e Espinhos

The acting was great, one of the best films I've seen, and a true emotional roller coaster of a ride...a neat little twist at the end. The film can be very shocking in places, but what's so good is that it contains no special effects, just purely great acting and direction.

Well paced and well acted story of old couple living in Coney Island in a decaying neighborhood with hoodlums. A portrait of NYC in the 1970s. Also very heavy on Jewish content, this movie would be worth of inclusion in a Jewish film festival. A surprise! Worth a watch, especially if you like the gritty 70s feel.

Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon shine as an elderly, long-married Coney Island couple who live in a neighbourhood that has seen better days. Together they must deal with the changing times - his cafeteria is not doing so well these days, an arrogant gang rules the day on the nearby boardwalk, etc. Their daughter (Janet Leigh) has her own problems dealing with a son (Michael Ayr) whose career as a recording artist is just taking off.

"Boardwalk" is a nice little slice of life / character study / human interest drama that is not always compelling. Some of the supporting characters are just NOT as likeable or as engaging as the couple at the centre of our story, and the film is never very interesting when it doesn't focus on them. Yes, some people could argue that the film gets a little too ugly at the end, but the subplot with the gang had to be resolved *somehow*. Ultimately, this does feel rather manipulative at times; for example, there's a point where director Stephen Verona could just let Gordons' performance carry the scene, but it's accompanied by melodramatic music on the soundtrack.

Strasberg and Gordon are the main reason(s) to watch: their believability as a loving twosome, their banter (they actually peruse a copy of Playboy together in bed), their struggles to deal with developments in their lives. "Boardwalk" does have some poignancy when it illustrates his life as a Jewish immigrant in America. Strasberg is also free from any sort of prejudice, and is taken aback by Leighs' reaction to a black couple who move in next door. There's a solid supporting cast (Joe Silver, Eddie Barth, Merwin Goldsmith, Eli Mintz, Lillian Roth, Kim Delgado as the repulsive main baddy, Linda Manz, Antonia Rey, Sammy Cahn, Altovise Davis, Lloyd Hollar). And that looks like Steve James as one of the moving men late in the picture.

Overall, a respectable if not entirely successful independently made drama, certain to push peoples' buttons frequently (that gang couldn't be more despicable if they tried).

Seven out of 10.

Vigilante thriller its not, like the synopsis reads and the front of the video case might suggest with the imagery… though the scene does occur. "Boardwalk" is a well-intended (despite the racial flare and direct moralizing) and at times moving feature thanks hugely by the exceptional performances of seasoned actors Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon. The two were simply charming whenever together. Watching the once happy elderly couple, now battling family issues/ health problems (which is the main drama driving the story where there are numerously scattered human interest subplots), but also the changing neighbourhood of Coney Island as young jive talking hoons run wild (which populates mainly the beginning and ending but still feels secondary) is engagingly passionate in its ups and downs. The heartache only grows, where it comes away with a swelteringly damaging climax and the closing shot is particularly haunting in its forced predicament. The suspense is only minor, but it's always compelling. The evocative script is thoughtfully laid out in its exploration of the effects / shake down these central characters find themselves in, as they're stripped to the bone and demoralized, living in a community filled with fear, but still they won't back down and succumb to the turmoil (be it the gangs or their dwindling business). Its love, survival and violence rolled into one. Amongst the sombre air, is still quite a sunny vibe of hope led by the acting. In support roles are agreeable turns by Janet Leigh, Joe Silver, Eddie Barth, Merwin Goldsmith and Kim Delgado. The authentic location work helps cement a realistic edge, while the pacing is rather measured and rather low-scale in its escalating confrontations and violence (which is tamely staged, but gut wrenching since you're thrown right into the acts).

Stephen Verona co-wrote and directed this story about an elderly married couple living in a decaying New York neighborhood near Coney Island who refuse to relocate despite escalating crime and racial tensions. Low-budget film from I.T.C. doesn't have an exploitation gimmick (on the level of, say, "Death Wish") to lean on, therefore it didn't reach many audiences. Both Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon do first-rate work, but the glumness of the concept and Verona's need for his slim plot to come full circle to make a point results in a very depressing experience. Janet Leigh has a smaller role as the couple's daughter, and her eagerness with this dramatic material is heightened by Verona's unsubtle handling (it isn't one of her better performances). The picture stays in the mind through a few pointed scenes and images, but "Boardwalk" is too static to make a greater impact. *1/2 from ****