Young Lion of the West

Aaron Sorkin said about writing that his greatest screenplays are based off a simple series of "if/then" statements. To put it simply, cause and effect. Applying this same logic to any film script is a simple formula to create the drama we all know and love to watch on the big (and more so little in today's age) screen.

Reality TV star Joey Sasso is on display, in more ways than one, in his freshman effort "Young Lion of the West." It is absurdly ambitious, as Sasso conceptualized, wrote, assisted in directing, and starred. This is as "indie" as an indie film gets. A micro budget, micro crew, local actors, all leading to what can only be applauded as a tremendous effort by all involved. Sasso deserves an immense amount of praise and appreciation for what he was able to accomplish on what is essentially a student film. Sasso also displays the acting talent of someone who could potentially reach beyond "loud annoying frat boy" type casting. His range is currently limited to the occasional scowl and the stereotypical single cheek tear, but the talent and passion is there and it's evident. Sadly, ambition takes you only so far, and this is where the praise ends.

Young Lion is a thematic catastrophe. A literal mess of disjointed plot lines that don't resolve and sudden out of the blue curve balls that seem as though they could've been twists in a more competent screenplay but here they fall flat as the ramblings of someone who didn't know the theme they wanted to portray. Theme is the key to story, and for the life of me I couldn't tell you what the theme of this film is. Is it greed? Perhaps, but we drop that in favor of addiction. Is it addiction? Perhaps, but we lose that theme in favor of cheap "crime drama" thrills. Unfortunately I believe that the theme here is that there isn't a theme, more so a hodgepodge of hundreds of different ideas that never formed a collective.

I can't help but wonder if the film was purposely written in the often overused avant garde style of European films where the story is that there isn't a story. The pandering non sense of a first year California film school student who's so proud of the fact that they made a "movie" when in reality they haven't expressed any idea outside of their own pompous thoughts that they MADE something. On the flip side is this movie not as artsy as all that and in turn is just a mess because Sasso, while proving to be a solid screen presence, just isn't a writer? Not every actor is a writer/director, and that's fine.

Young Lion pans out to be nothing but a jumble of other ideas that simply never form a cohesive story. If it is attempting to be an edgy art house flick in the vein of famous avant garde European filmmakers from the 70s and 80s, it fails at visually compelling the viewer. If it's attempting to be brutal crime thriller about the consequences of greed, it fails to grip the viewer enough to make them feel the consequences of the seemingly random and nonsensical violence. If this is simply trying to be a character piece about one man's journey through life it fails there too because the characters don't display any sort of linear motivation or arcs. Sudden domestic violence motivated by out of the blue racism isn't an edgy filmmaking choice, it's lazy screenwriting to transition into an absolutely meandering third act.

If screenwriting boils down to a series of if/thens, I can't make heads of tails of the cause and effect that creates the dramatic tension in Young Lion of the West. In a more gifted filmmakers hands, there's a story to be told here, as it stands, Sasso falls flat when trying to juggle too many balls at once. I'd be happy to see Mr. Sasso attempt to commit himself strictly to acting, perfect his craft, and IF he has a story to tell later down the road, THEN he can write a better sophomore effort. However, IF there's no story to be told, THEN you end up with a messy, pointless, meandering film like Young Lion of the West.

Even if you're not a fan of Netflixes Blockbuster TV game show The Circle and its first winner, the lead actor Joey Sasso, you're still going to appreciate this compelling Tale of a Rochester, New York kid from the streets trying to make something of himself while still keeping his head above water amidst all the decadence, debauchery and mayhem that the dark side of life has to offer. For a low budget independent film, this has amazingly high production value. There were only maybe two scenes where the sound could have been a little bit better. However, for most of the entire movie the camera angles, the sound, the lighting, the pace of the story and an obviously great editing job holding it all together were top notch. Really, it's a great work by the whole crew involved with this movie. I would have given it another star for a total of eight if during the intro they took a little more time establishing why you should care or give a damn about the lead character Nick Donato. I think that would have brought a little more investment into the story as a viewer. But that's just a little nitpick comment, I really did enjoy this film. I'm looking forward to their next production. -Matt the Cat aka @Chicago. Shogun on Instagram.

Being a big fan of Joey on The Circle and having been born and raised in Rochester, NY, I knew I had to give this movie a shot and I'm so glad that I did. This movie evoked many emotions and was "deeper" than I originally thought it might be. The acting was well done, it kept me on the edge of my seat and surpassed my expectations. It didn't end with a pretty pink bow which I usually always root for, but was great none-the-less. I loved the representation of Rochester, NY-it was fun to see places that I've grown up with in the movie. I would never have expected this movie to be as good as it was with the budget they had. I highly recommend this movie!

The storyline, the acting, the dialogue, the cameras and sound...all of it was superb! For being a first full length movie created by Joey Sasso and his crew, they nailed it! The way the story unfolds is relatable to all generations. Everybody knows somebody, or has been that person, to start out with glory in their eyes but fell onto a dark path. Your spectrum of emotions will be ignited during the highs and lows of the story. Sensitive topics of violence, drug abuse and domestic abuse are handled maturely and realistically. I look forward to enjoying more entertainment from this group in years to come.

Been anticipating this movie for a while now and it sure didn't disappoint. As a Rochester native i've been keeping up with Joey's career and he's been talking about this for a few years now. I was pleasantly surprised with how the story played out. Kept my attention just fine throughout! Loved seeing some Rochester staples mixed in throughout the movie as well. These guys seem hungry and authentic and I hope they keep pushing out work together. Can't believe they were able to make this happen on such a tight budget and with limited resources and equipment. I was also surprised to see there was some established actors and actresses involved too! Definitely exceeded my expectations. Hopefully they do more work in Rochester!! Would be great for the blossoming film industry taking place in Western NY.