SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

GazerRise Fantastic!

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

allyatherton Sometimes revenge is the only answerStarring Robert De Nero, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Dustin HoffmanBased on a book by Lorenzo CarcaterraDirected by and Screenplay by Barry LevinsonThis is another example of something that could have been so much better.I was sat watching this thinking to myself, ' I bet the book is better than this.'There are so many big names in this film and it even has a soundtrack by John Williams, it should have worked but it didn't. There is something that just doesn't work. It felt like the whole movie was crammed together and didn't have room to breathe. We don't get time to get our heads around the story or the individual characters, I spent most of the movie trying to work out which character was which. And just when I was starting to get a grip, we are shoved thirteen years into the future and have to try and work it all out again.Considering the star studded line up, for me it was Dustin Hoffman that came out on top even though he only played a small role. He played to alcohol lawyer with perfection, it's a pity we didn't see any stand out performances by any of the others. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe this movie would have been better served with a different production team or a different director.As for the story itself, it's allegedly based on a true story but that is another story.Watchable but frustratingly disappointing.7/10

Predrag Barry Levinson directs this film based on the book by Lorenza Carcattera about four friends growing up in Hell's Kitchen, New York... and how one mistake ruins their whole lives. An excellent cast including Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric and Brad Pitt make this film an absolute must for any film fanatic. Yes, the film does include scenes of sexual and physical abuse suffered by the boys when they are sent to a reform school but that is not what this film is about. Its really a tale of revenge and friendship - both of which are tightly bound together in this film. Levinson is not heavy handed in his direction and allows the actors free range to explore their individual characters with great effect. Although two Hollywood greats are present in this film (Hoffman and De Niro), the parts they play are such, that you don't really notice them and that's a good thing. No one actor should be greater than the story being told and there is no greater evidence of this than in this movie.This film is really quite superb. It is very emotional and very moving. Especially as we know it is a true story. The thought of this is disturbing. The story is a bout 4 boys who go to a young offenders home, here they are abused in any kind of way you can imagine, sexually, verbally, physically and mentally. Years after the boys are released, they are displayed with the opportunity of revenge, and they take it. The film shows true friendship, and is one of the best films you will see.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

capone666 SleepersWhen falling asleep around the male species it is best to do so with a bear trap between your legs.Unfortunately, the boys in this thriller could not access any anti-rape weaponry.When an innocent street prank goes wrong, Hell's Kitchen troublemakers Shakes (Jason Patric), Michael (Brad Pitt) and Tommy (Billy Crudup) are sentenced to serve in an upstate boys home. Interned, they are repeatedly raped by the lead guard (Kevin Bacon) and his squad.Years later, the friends exploit their positions in the media and justice department to takedown their former abusers with false testimony from their neighborhood priest (Robert De Niro).An unsettling account of juvenile detention supplemented by an even more controversial form of retribution, this dark and dubious adaption of the semi-nonfictional novel is an intense and unforgettable experience.Incidentally, if the predatory guards had been female the courts would've sentenced them to life on probation.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

landrew-01296 This is, quite possibly, my favorite movie of all time. Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Robert De Niro, the entire cast do a wondrous job in this film.The cinematography is superb, the acting is bar-none, the choice of actors is top-notch. If I were to make ONE complaint about this film is that it did not receive the attention I think it \, rightfully, deserved.I love the setting. Having once resided near New York City, the movie actually made me wistful for a hot dog (or slice of New York pizza!) and a large coke. It is sad to say, too, that Brad Renfro, who played Brad Pitt's character, Michael, as a young man, died of an overdose several years ago.