At Close Range [DVD]

This is a very good family crime drama. the film has extremely shocking moments which will surprise viewers. the film is about a family where the parents are divorced and one of the sons doesnt enjoy his life situations and turns to his dad for help. his dad is a classy criminal and thief but brad jr doenst know. his dad tells him: 'you want in then theres no way out' things go wrong and the emotion builds up throughout the film. this is highly recommended if you enjoy thriller and crime made with originality with faint comedy between some of the cast. it includes stephen geoffreys and kiefer sutherland as solemates of sean penn. enjoy!!!

At Close Range is directed by James Foley and written by Elliott Lewitt and Nicholas Kazan. It stars Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Millie Perkins and Eileen Ryan. Music is by Patrick Leonard and Madonna and cinematography is by Juan Ruiz Anchia. Film is an adapted account of the Pennsylvania Johnston gang headed by Bruce Alfred Johnston Sr, who operated during the 60s and 70s.

Boy aint got the life expectancy of a house fly.

The real life source of At Close Range is bleak and the makers don't shy from that marker. James Foley's movie is consistently downbeat, even when a snippet of hope rears its head, you sense that it is a waste of time latching onto it. Story is that of harsh family relations, it's often told with bleak passages and is violent, though never in a way that it feels vicarious, these passages are significant and they do not diminish the film's worth. It's an unpleasant movie in a lot of ways, but dovetailing deftly with the criminalisation of one Bradford Whitewood Junior (Sean Penn), a youngster reaching out for some father love from his estranged criminal pappy, Brad Senior (Walken), we get a love story trying to bloom, where the arrogance and naivety of youth hangs heavy in the atmospheric air. There's even a sense of youthful adventure lurking around the edges of the frame.

However, this isn't going to end well, it just can't, surely? Brad Junior is an outcast, a misfit, his life is in a rut, but he is instantly enthralled by what his father can give him, he can't see through his rose tinted spectacles what the audience can and the makers hold us in a vice like grip from the beginning to ensure we are there at the end. An instrumental version of Madonna's haunting pop single "Live to Tell" marries up darkly with the mood crafted, as does Anchia's photography, which looks like it has been shot through some MTV Gothic prism. The acting is powerhouse from S. Penn (intense and full of wrought emotion), Walken (utterly dominant as he shifts unerringly between the charm and nasty gears) and Masterson (naively endearing and makes us care for her Terry character).

It will be a bit too maudlin for some, while some of the Pennsylvania imagery comes close to negating the pervading sense of sadness. But to my mind this is an excellent slice of neo-noir and worthy of seeking out as long as you aren't looking to be cheered up! 8.5/10

If this movie weren't so good, it would be unbearable. As it is, it's good enough to overcome a slow pace and a plot so depressing you might ask yourself, "Why am I still watching?"

The story is simple enough. A young man, Brad Whitewood, Jr. (Sean Penn) is a kid with no future, just spinning his wheels. He lives in a rural Pennsylvania town with his younger brother (Chris Penn), his mother and his grandmother. Every now and then his father, Brad, Sr. (Christopher Walken) shows up in a flashy car with a flashy woman to toss some money on the table. Brad, Sr. runs a gang and makes his cash by stealing. Young Brad sees a way out, maybe to a future. He also yearns for the approval and love of a father he never saw much of. Brad meets a young woman, Terry (Mary Stuart Masterson) and they fall in love. He leads his own gang of juvenile delinquents. He hooks up with his father, who gradually brings him into the real business. Then he sees a stool pigeon killed. Brad may be a thief, but he's not a killer. His father, on the other hand, is both. Brad, Sr. soon takes steps to insure that no one can testify against him when the law gets close. The last quarter of the movie is tough to watch.

The movie is almost two hours long and, in my opinion, drags during the first half. The look of the film says rural poverty. There are broken-down cars in the front yards and trash in the streets. People don't say much during supper; they're too involved watching the television. So why do I like the movie? First, the story line has the trajectory of a major drama. You may know nothing good is going to happen to anyone who comes under Brad, Sr.'s influence, but the yearning for approval by Brad, Jr. puts things into major emotional territory. Second, all the actors give strong performances. Masterson is so appealing as a young woman who falls in love and simply wants what her lover wants. Sean Penn, except for a few high drama scenes when he falls into "acting," does a first-rate job as Brad, Jr. Penn is excellent at showing Brad's almost inarticulate feelings. Most importantly, he's convincing as a guy who could easily end up idolizing a really bad man and who is able finally to find his own strength of character. Christopher Walken, however, is what makes the movie. This is not Walken as an over-the-top bad guy. Brad, Sr. is a charming man, a sort of dangerous good-old-boy without the big gut. Charming as he is, he also is evil, a man without a conscience, prepared to kill anyone who may be a danger to him. Walken brings the movie to life.

As much as I was drawn to the story and as much as I admired the performances, I'm not sure how many times I'd want to watch this film. It doesn't leave a nasty taste in your mouth, but you sure are happy you were never born into the Whitewood family or its environs.