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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the overlooked films of the 1980s, perhaps because it is such a downbeat tale of an amoral family. Sean Penn plays a kid whose small-time criminal impulses are stoked to a new level when he falls in with his father (Christopher Walken), a vicious career criminal for whom no problem is so large that it can't be solved by a murder. At first exhilarated by the attention from his father (and the jobs he gives him to do), he gradually catches on to just what a bad guy Dad really is. But when he tries to extricate himself, he discovers that Dad now has him squarely in his sights. Penn is terrific in a role of emotional complexity, while Walken, king of the creeps, is positively frightening as this soft-spoken but highly lethal patriarch. --Marshall Fine
DVD Description
Based on a real life series of murders in 1970’s Pennsylvania, AT CLOSE RANGE is a chilling portrayal of a family’s life of crime.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format: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!!!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Dont believe the other review, this film is a classic, Walken is brilliant in it and so is penn. The ending is very shocking and so is the whole film from end to start. Buy this film now, because it rules, trust me!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A chip off the old block?
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... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Spike Owen
top flick
I Would recommend this movie great acting by Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, and also great score by Maddona Live to tell.
Published 3 months ago by J. Boyd
An oldie but still good
Watched this the other night, Sean Penn was so young in this movie and had such great talent at that young age already. Christopher Walken, great actor as always. Read more
Published 22 months ago by N Fourie
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