This is a powerful story set in Brooklyn circa 1985 with the mob world and the John Gotti rise to power as a backdrop, with the film revolving around three life-long friend's struggle with questions of love, loss and loyalty; three friends whose different ambitions threaten to shake their bond.
Freddie Prinze Jr. portrays Michael, the narrator of this tale. He is a lovable and charming con man who scams his way into the pre-law curriculum at Columbia University. In contrast to Michael's desire to leave the Brooklyn streets behind, his close friend Carmine (Scott Caan), a cool ladys' man enamored of the Mafia lifestyle, who wants nothing more than to stay there. The last person in this trio is Bobby (Entourage's Jerry Ferrara), a lovable and endearing cheapskate who longs for a simple life of working for the U.S. Post Office and getting married to his fiancee.
While at Columbia, Michael charms a young society girl and student named Ellen (Mena Suvari) under the cover of a preppy schoolboy exterior. As the relationship grows, Michael has plans of leaving the dangerous Brooklyn streets behind, but when Carmine catches the eye of crime captain Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a feared mobster who controls their Brooklyn neighborhood, Michael and Bobby are drawn into that world despite their reluctance to get involved.
It's good to see Freddie Prinze Jr. get a part that relates to things other than the "nice guy next door" parts he has been typecast to do in the past. He has a genuine ability to carry out a good dramatic role and should be given more scripts which require him to do so, because I thought he was a credible con man and carried an effective image on screen.
This coming of age crime drama is a good film. Freddie Prinze Jr., Scott Cann and Jerry Ferrara bring a confident and definite approach to characters that are familiar in this genre, from such films as A Bronx Tale and Once Upon A Time In America. This movie gave me a serious reminder of the not so long ago turbulent era in organized crime in New York City (the John Gotti era), along with a positive look at young people overcoming their backgrounds and surviving.
A good indie.
Directed by: Michael Corrente
Running time: 99 minutes
Release date: May 18, 2007
Genre: Crime Drama
Distributor: City Lights Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
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