alexanderlavin

Here's a real New York movie for audiences who appreciate that. It's lived in and earnest. There are no gimmicks and it's grounded in performance and ambiance.

While it may feel slight at times, by the end it achieves awesome power; these are characters you want to get to know and there are surprises that ring true as in life. The filmmakers keep things economical and pointed, although plenty is left unsaid and left for the audience to unpack. It's probably better that they didn't amp it up with a bunch of second-act complications.

It boasts excellent acting, rich period detail and a trill cultural vibe. This is highly recommended for anybody who misses the city that used to be, and for those who appreciate grace in cinematic realism.

I remember renting the VHS as a teenager, appreciating it as an over-the-top Verhoeven spectacular, but disregarding any politics. Then mid-2000's it emerged from disrepute, during the War on Terror and at the same time that grindhouse cinema was finding its way into the middlebrow canon, as a timely warning against the jingoism always simmering beneath the surface in America. Watching it today, the multivalence of its drama is what strikes me. It's satirical and ridiculous, but there are also believable characters in a compelling drama, and the ensemble understands that tricky mode of storytelling--even the uncelebrated Denise Richards. It both lampoons and dignifies us with stirring effectiveness.