At Close Range
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Movie Reviews of At Close Range
Movie Review: well crafted morality play
Summary: 4 Stars
The plot's fairly simple and we've seen it a thousand times: a young man on the brink of adulthood has to choose between good and evil, responsibility and recklessness, an honest life or a life of crime. Been there, done that.What makes this movie memorable is the setting (rural Pennsylvania, as far as I could tell) and its excellent deromanticizing of the criminal life. Consider it an anti-Godfather film; instead of the luscious sepia-toned interiors and National Geographic ethnic-portrait, period quality of Coppola's masterpiece, this is plain ol' America, this is the 70's, and this is crass, ordinary, everyday crime.
It's the same thing, really: Brad Whitewood Senior is a wannabe Godfather, but he's being shown without the ritual and romance of the Sicilian tradition. He's just a brutal, amoral thief, and his gang are all of the same stamp.
His son, already on his way to some kind of trouble in a going-nowhere back-of-beyond small town, is fascinated by Dad. Dad has money, Dad has fast cars. Dad has the keys to the good life; at home there's just Mom and Mom's downer boyfriend who gets upset if you smoke dope and make a racket at night when the rest of the family wants to sleep. What's a troubled teen to do? Run away to Dad, of course.
Walken does a terrific job as the charismatic but snake-evil Whitewood Senior. Though the accent seems to slip a bit at times, he has the charm and the blarney and the musical, (self)hypnotizing delivery of the practised con man. Penn is well-cast as the not-too-bright boy with ambitions beyond his abilities. The supporting cast is solid. The cinematography is a style and era that I find very enjoyable.
I was disappointed by the kitschy "back from the dead" ending. Admittedly, we can glimpse that the gunman sent to wipe out the last witness against dear old Dad is Patch, the most incompetent crook ever born; so it figures he would mess up even something so simple as a gangland shooting. But the heroic "bullet-ridden boy drags self across country to confront bad guy" sequence left me skeptical and bored rather than riveted. Based on a true story or not, it was hard to take.
Right up until that moment I was hooked, and I would have been fine with the film ending on the long still shot of the car sitting by the silent farmhouse in the night. However, we had to have the final confrontation, and I give the film makers credit for letting Whitewood Jr. pass his final moral test: rather than putting Dad away for good in the family tradition, he votes for law and order and chooses to testify in court. The courtroom scene at the end was for me more tense, and more genuinely moving, than the kitchen confrontation scene (though I admit the line "Is this the family gun?" was a winner!)
I give the film makers full marks for resisting the usual cloying Daddy/Sonny reconciliation schlock (probably typified at its saccharine worst in Lucas' Star Wars saga), instead voting for Sonny's eyes at last opening to the fact that Daddy is irredeemably wicked.
One thing that's a bit bothersome is the strongly implied rape of Whitewood Jr's girlfriend by Whitewood Sr. The incident is handled without a lot of exploitative detail, yet it's also quietly buried in the plot. We never know if the kid finds out about this; did she ever tell him? would she ever have told him? It certainly destroys any lingering shred of sympathy we might ever have had for Daddy, but the way it disappears completely from the plot is somehow disturbing, as if it was of no consequence in the end.
Well portrayed throughout is the appalling ignorance and gullibility of young boys, and their vulnerability to any kind of opportunistic manipulator. The film works well, I should think, as an antidote to any appeal that the life of crime might have for an adolescent viewer. It's a sharp, harsh moral tale about the kind of people you get involved with in that line of work, and though it's a lesser achievement than Coppola's classic, I have to admit that it is ethically a better work; it does not lure the viewer into sympathizing and identifying with ruthless criminals, instead it more sanely encourages us to see them as they are and pity or despise them.
It also paints a convincing portrait of the kind of dead-end rural poverty and semi-poverty that can make the life of crime seem dangerously attractive. Very American, very realistic, quite suspenseful, and of course Walken is revelling in his character's villainy and loopy, sociopathic, treacherous charm; the film would be worth the price of admission just to enjoy his performance. Penn I can take or leave, but Walken is very fine here.
Movie Review: At Close Range
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on true events that occurred in Pennsylvania in the 1970s, At Close Range stars Oscar-winner Christopher Walken (Best Supporting Actor,The Deer Hunter (Universal Legacy Series)) and two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn (Best Actor, Mystic River (Widescreen Edition) & Milk), a mere three years after his star-making performance as stoner, Jeff Spicoli. Released in 1985, it was likely the father-son dynamic (almost Shakespearean in scope) of the real events that appealed to Hollywood screenwriters. It certainly wasn't the happy ending.
Penn plays Brad Whitewood Jr., a jobless teenager living with his grandmother (played by Penn's real-life mother Eileen Ryan), brother Tommy (real-life brother, the late Christopher Penn), and mother. As evidenced in the opening scenes, when Brad hangs onto the hood of a speeding car, Brad is looking for something exciting in any possible form. A budding relationship with farm girl Terry (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a start, but it is Brad's father, Brad Sr. (Walken), re-entering his life that provides him with the jolt he's been looking for. Brad Sr. is a complete snake; a career thief, simultaneously charming and psychopathic. Soon, Brad Jr. begins working alongside his father before finding himself in much deeper than he expected. Crispin Glover and Kiefer Sutherland co-star as two of Brad Junior's loser associates.
While billed as a "thriller," the film is much more of a "human drama." The characters, despite being based on real people, don't feel one-hundred percent real, but they're not caricatures either. It is the characters and the way they are portrayed that really carries the film, not the plot. A film with a storyline this familiar can hardly be called "thrilling."
Sean Penn is brilliant, in a performance that is much more subtle than the bravado he displayed in his Oscar-winning roles. It's a quietly moving performance that is just as rewarding as those performances were.
Walken delivers one of the greatest performances of his career, balancing both charisma and terror in a way few actors could. He completely embodies the character, making every aspect of Brad Sr. believable. It's chilling and equals the intensity of his Oscar-winning performance in The Deer Hunter. Undoubtedly, Oscar-worthy work here.
My two biggest issues with the film are the musical score and the final shot. The score makes the film feel more dated than it would be without it and it's also somewhat repetitive. The final shot is a freeze-frame effect that has been a cinematic cliché since Truffaut's The 400 Blows - Criterion Collection originated it.
Excluding that shot and the preceding courtroom scene, the last few minutes of the film are the most powerful, due to the searing on-screen intensity of Penn and Walken. The film seems to be heading towards an inevitable conclusion, but throws the audience a curveball and manages to achieve a sort of emotional poignancy. In terms of story and substance, At Close Range is nothing special or profound. It's certainly not perfect, but these last ten minutes are taut, suspenseful, and very powerful. The kitchen scene with Penn and Walken is one of the finest examples of intense acting, something I believe few would argue.
Though it's not immediately apparent, At Close Range is a powerful, performance-driven human drama. It's no masterpiece, but worth seeking out.
B
Movie Review: A Sad, Murderous Movie With An Excellent Performance By Christopher Walken
Summary: 4 Stars
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 DVD transfer is just fine. There are no extras of any importance.
Movie Review: One of the strangest films I've ever seen - but still worth a view.
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me first say that Sean Penn made this film. It certainly doesn't hurt when you add Chris Walken into the mix. But this movie had to be one of the weirdest, most bizarre films I've ever seen. Screen shots come and go seemingly without ryhme or reason. Dialogue is sometimes difficult to decipher - especially Walken's. Many scenes feel rushed. Sometimes you find yourself laughing when its really not a funny scene. But you can't help it, mainly because some of the scenes are just really friggin weird.
Once scene in particular deals with Crispin Glover, Keifer Sutherland, Mary Stuart Masterson, Sean Penn, Chris Penn(at about 1/2 his Resevoir Dogs size) and the imbecilic laughing horndog of a kid from Fright Night (Stephen Geoffreys). They're all out smoking hash by a lake. You see Masterson's character and Penn's character making out on a raft - and we also see Glover looking jealous - but we never find out why. This type of thing happens quite frequently. Many elements are never explained and many scenes make no sense - such as a scene when David Straithairn's (blind guy from Sneakers, abusive dad from Dolores Claiborne) character goes into an epileptic fit. I liked the scene, as it was well acted, it just doesn't make any sense.
You can quickly assert the campiness of this film and I now know why it's a "pulp indie" on IFC. I really liked the film, and to imagine the film without the senseless parts(which consumes about 50% of the movie) would be to disembowel it all altogether.
As for plot, a teen(Penn) just meets his father(Walken) for the first time, only, daddy's a full-time criminal who likes to steal tractors, boats, paintings, and occasionally off an former associate or two. He runs with a gang of heartless rednecks who also share in his malevolent ways. Dad thinks its time to bring in his boy but after his son watches his father and another man drown a former associate, the teen decides he wants out. Our protagonist decides he wants to take off with his girlfriend(Masterson) after being released from jail. Only......
I don't want to spoil it. But let's just say the final portion of the film isn't rushed and makes perfect sense. All in all, a worthwhile film. But don't be surprised if you find yourself questioning major portions of the screenplay and the annoying soundtrack that plays like a garage band at a funeral - in other words, it doesn't go with the movie at all, helping cumulate more and more oddities about the movie while making you laugh in perplexity.
3.5 out of 5 for campiness and taking a huge risk for its day. Also, its fun seeing all those stars before they made it big.....well, Crispin Glover, I'm sure, never saw himself taking the role in Willard when he made this movie! heh heh heh
Movie Review: Is this the Family Gun, Dad?
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the best films of the 1980's, At Close Range tells the true story of the Johnston Family gang (changed here to Whitewood) which terrorized Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania in the 1970s by stealing tractor parts and generally being hoods. While the story may sound not too compelling, this film gets a huge boost from some great ensemble acting. This is the movie that got me over my aversion to Sean Penn and Christopher Walken delivers one of the most believably evil people in movies. I grew up in the town this all took place in and Bruce Johnston (Christopher Walken=Brad Whitewood) lived next door to my Uncle. And my Uncle said that Walken nailed this guy's persona. Scary Thought. What saves At Close Range from being just another crime movie is the flair that James Foley brings to the direction. It's often gorgeous, thank to Juan Ruiz Anchia's brilliant cinematography and in no small part to Patrick Leonard's haunting score, keyed to the melody of Live to Tell. How come there was never a soundtrack? Do yourself a favor, check it out and be reminded that evil does exist and in forms more insidious and banal than serial killers and possessed little girls.