Looking back at this - well I remember how much I loved it and it still holds up nicely (ok the phone thing has not aged well, but anything to do with communication will not have a good standing watching it from the 21st century back to when this played and what time and things you had to rely on) ... Having said that, this builds on a couple of things: Story and characters.
Although the latter especially is very much elevated through the actors playing them. Christopher Walken is always a gift and a guarantee, but watching Dennis Leary it made me wonder how he never really got bigger. Yes he's probably only able to do one thing (character wise), but he is so freaking good at it ... of course it's not just those two. Everyone else is great and some of them made it to some sort of fame. The cast is just superb, you kind of wonder how they got them all. But the script was good and they got the guy apparently responsible for American Gothic - great TV show that I have to revisit too sometime soon! Watch and even though there are alternate endings on the disc, the one used in the movie itself is the best ending. Shame there weren't any deleted scenes other than that - the audio commentary mentioned them and I'm sure while the movie is great as it is, it would have been nice to see them
Although the latter especially is very much elevated through the actors playing them. Christopher Walken is always a gift and a guarantee, but watching Dennis Leary it made me wonder how he never really got bigger. Yes he's probably only able to do one thing (character wise), but he is so freaking good at it ... of course it's not just those two. Everyone else is great and some of them made it to some sort of fame. The cast is just superb, you kind of wonder how they got them all. But the script was good and they got the guy apparently responsible for American Gothic - great TV show that I have to revisit too sometime soon! Watch and even though there are alternate endings on the disc, the one used in the movie itself is the best ending. Shame there weren't any deleted scenes other than that - the audio commentary mentioned them and I'm sure while the movie is great as it is, it would have been nice to see them