Run or Die

I didn't know a thing about this movie other than its less-than-inspiring IMDb plot synopsis but I watched it anyway just because I had a sleepless night to kill. 88 minutes later I felt like I had just watched a modern classic.

First of all, who would've guessed that prettyboy Peter Facinelli ("Twilight") could write such a clever story as well as act it to perfection? Here we have a crime-drama-romance that can be every bit as chilling as Scorcese's "Goodfellas" (1990), every bit as human as De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" (1948), every bit as romantic as Reiner's "When Harry Met Sally" (1989) and with an ending as unexpected as "The Usual Suspects" (1995), all wrapped up in a superbly acted & directed hour and a half.

The plot cannot be properly conveyed in less than 500 words so I won't bother trying. Let's just say it has to do with a small-time crook who gets in big-time trouble while simultaneously meeting his dream girl and royally screwing that up, too. But he's a good kid who loves his momma and is the most ethical crook since Robin Hood, so we can't help but love the guy. Unfortunately there are several psychos on his tail, and when I say psychos I mean psy-CHOs.

I didn't realize beforehand that two of my favorite actors were in this film: Joe Pantoliano (whom I'll always remember as "Doc" from "Eddie & the Cruisers", but you may know him as "Ralph" on "The Sopranos") and the incomparable Vincent Gallo ("Buffalo 66"). For you Gallo fans, he reprises a classic line from Buffalo 66: "All girls are evil!" which got a unanimous LOL from the room. I was sorta by myself, but that's beside the point.

Gallo actually plays one of the aforementioned psychos while the other psycho is played by a very disturbing Michael Madsen ("Reservoir Dogs"). They each play the type of character who could, at any minute, jab a pencil in someone's eye just because they don't like the way they look.

Balance this against Peter Facinelli's boyscout charm and Jaimie Alexander's sweet, wholesome demeanor, and who could overlook the brilliantly cast Marianne Leone (Joanne on "The Sopranos") as momma, and you have yourself the full spectrum of characters, making this a very unpredictable and consequently a very tense film.

I should add that it has a very cool soundtrack with music by bands I had never heard of, but I'll be looking them up. Particularly the film's theme song "Sing Out" by the Grand Magnolias.

I usually end my reviews with a list of similar films, but "Loosies" is truly one-of-a-kind. Don't miss it, if you know what's good for you.

Bobby Corelli (Peter Facinelli) is a pick pocket in NYC. Lt. Nick Sullivan (Michael Madsen) has become the butt of the joke after Bobby stole his badge and started using it. Jax (Vincent Gallo) is his fence. He runs into Lucy Atwood (Jaimie Alexander) who tells him that she's pregnant after their one night stand 3 months ago.

Peter Facinelli is great at being a weasel and he does a good job in Nurse Jackie. However he's not leading man material. He's good at being pathetic but he's not good at being a stand up guy. He comes off as whiny. The romance just doesn't work and his character is horrible. He's kind of cringe-worthy. It's scary to think about this character as a father.

this is the first time when michael madsen, the great B-movie icon, in a movie that turned out to be great! now i know, as long as he's the supporting actor instead the main one, then there's great possibility that specific movie might have turned out GREAT! and this film is exactly proved what i figured out just now. all the ingredients of being a great movie are well prepared and mixed together seamlessly: the screenplay, the scenario, the storyline, the acting, the directing, the editing, the sound track....i mean, everything, wow! this is a gem might be overlooked by lot of people.

never thought that i could have such wonderful time to completely enjoy the performances of all the actors. the well crafted screenplay with very logic and natural dialog have undoubtedly allowed the actors to perform so smoothly natural and cute. i like almost all the characters appeared in this film, including michael madsen's cop role, an innocent, senseless detective who had his pocket been picked and lost his badge. what a great performance of those two young actors! almost perfect!!

i just felt very happy as the movie ended. this is how only good and great movies could affect viewers.

The movie is about a young pickpocket. It's written right there, in the tagline. If you have watched any of the trailers, then you already know the story. Therefore if one is to enjoy the movie, that must come from funny moments, intelligent dialogue, exciting action or special effects, which in Loosies, are non-existent.

That doesn't mean the movie is bad, it just means it is certainly not good. I might consider it a story that was not interesting at all, but said right.

Bottom line: it has an indie flick feel, with all the fashionable songs in the soundtrack and the movie tricks to make things look more alert or to say a longer story from flashbacks. It's like somebody really wanted this to be good. Unfortunately the story of a pickpocket that finds love and it all works well for him because he has nice eyes is completely boring. Girls won't even like it.

The first thing I noticed was the unique look of the Canon 5D camera. Expectedly there are some really nice cinematographic moments which are only possible with this camera setup.

The story gradually drags you in, and the photogenic actors and performances help a lot. It is not the typical "seen it all" Jennifer-Aniston kinda-romance type story and cliché, but rather a sexy written "bad-boy/good-girl got knocked up in a one night stand" kinda story.

The dialog is sexy and well written.

Most importantly the runtime is manageable.

Anyone who is sick of romance-movies in general, especially the usual, Clichè-spiced stew, should still check this movie out. Definitely above average.

Rating: 6 + 1 star for the camera setup and the cinematography. Looks beautiful. (Although the movie definitely doesn't set a benchmark for next-generation cameras)