Back in 2008, Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, and Amanda Peet got together to make a gritty story that takes place in Boston. Many films have portrayed street kids who are born into crime: Al Pacino's Scarface is perhaps the most notable of the genre. But this film is right up there among the best.
No spoiler, of course. Basically, Ethan and Mark play two brothers from south of the tracks who start their criminal careers as kids by running shady errands for the local hoods. Later, the two graduate to bigger feats. They end up in trouble, as you'd expect.
The kicker is that one of the two is married to the beautiful Amanda Peet and has two kids: will his family life keep him from getting into worse hot water?
What makes this film unique is that it is so real and believable. Not once does the script go Hollywood or over the top. You, the viewer, join the two desperate brothers in their rugged, ragged endeavors as young gangsters. You feel as if you are in their shoes.
Of the three, Amanda steals the show. She's so believable as the wife who tries, desperately, to hang onto a husband who is mired in crime. Will her marriage survive? Will she get her husband to go straight? What about money? What about the future. Can one brother make it while the other clings to the gangster world?
Grade of A. This is a top-notch street-punk story, with enough of a punch to keep you guessing!
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