I enjoy movies that breath class, take time to tell the story, and are a little off beat. I saw this movie by accident, and from the get go I was glued to the screen.
Only after watching the movie I learned what a relief this must have been for Cuba Gooding Jr.! I hadn't seen movies with him in it for quite some time, so I was surprised to read all the fails he had produced. And there are a lot! This movie however, is a gem easily overlooked. The overall score of 6.1 is too low in my opinion. It is well written, directed and acted by all members of this great little enterprise.
Cuba plays Joshua, the right hand man of a local gangster Vincent, played by Ferrer, who is excellent by the way! But Cuba is more intriguing, darker and with his dark sharp edged face (Cuba?! Yes, like I said, amazing performance!) he tells the story of a man who knows his place in the world, accepts the circumstances he works in and the resulting violence this automatically brings with it.
He knows no mercy, is tough, street smart and loyal to his boss. During the movie you feel the fragility of Vincent when Joshua tells him he wants out. You feel and see the guard dog quality of Joshua that gives strength to his boss, who collapses when he finds out that Nino (big ass gangster played by Keitel, who is on automatic pilot IMO)had his wife killed after Vincent refused to play by his rules. Joshua turns 180 on his wish to leave and helps his boss to get even.
It sounds like a simple gangster flick, but the way the story is told, slow paced but never boring, the shoot outs and killings that somehow feel more real than I have ever seen (although I have no personal experience how it really does look like, thank God) make the movie so believable, so intense and so overwhelming, that I sat on the edge of my seat the entire time.
It is a gritty movie, real and in your face at a pace that gives you time to take it all in. Go rent this movie, it is well worth it!
Only after watching the movie I learned what a relief this must have been for Cuba Gooding Jr.! I hadn't seen movies with him in it for quite some time, so I was surprised to read all the fails he had produced. And there are a lot! This movie however, is a gem easily overlooked. The overall score of 6.1 is too low in my opinion. It is well written, directed and acted by all members of this great little enterprise.
Cuba plays Joshua, the right hand man of a local gangster Vincent, played by Ferrer, who is excellent by the way! But Cuba is more intriguing, darker and with his dark sharp edged face (Cuba?! Yes, like I said, amazing performance!) he tells the story of a man who knows his place in the world, accepts the circumstances he works in and the resulting violence this automatically brings with it.
He knows no mercy, is tough, street smart and loyal to his boss. During the movie you feel the fragility of Vincent when Joshua tells him he wants out. You feel and see the guard dog quality of Joshua that gives strength to his boss, who collapses when he finds out that Nino (big ass gangster played by Keitel, who is on automatic pilot IMO)had his wife killed after Vincent refused to play by his rules. Joshua turns 180 on his wish to leave and helps his boss to get even.
It sounds like a simple gangster flick, but the way the story is told, slow paced but never boring, the shoot outs and killings that somehow feel more real than I have ever seen (although I have no personal experience how it really does look like, thank God) make the movie so believable, so intense and so overwhelming, that I sat on the edge of my seat the entire time.
It is a gritty movie, real and in your face at a pace that gives you time to take it all in. Go rent this movie, it is well worth it!