Talking
about my favorite Gary Oldman roles last week reminded me how much I like this
movie. I’m not big into the mobster
genre in general, but I like this one.
It’s a strong character story (it reminds me of Infernal Affairs in that way) with intriguing internal and external
conflicts and some excellent acting.
The
film opens on Terry Noonan, recently returned to Hell’s Kitchen after a
twelve-year absence. Some around the old
neighborhood remain the same: his best
friend Jackie, up to his eyeballs in organized crime, approaches his shady
activities with playful verve. Others
have changed: the old power structure is
gone, and Jackie’s older brother Frankie is now running the show. Still others are alike and different at the
same time: Jackie’s sister Kathleen has
moved uptown and is trying to put her old life behind her, but she’s just as
drawn to Terry as she ever was. And as
for Terry, to what extent is he the same or different?
You’ll
notice my synopsis dwells on the characters, and that’s where the movie best
excels. It explores a number different
personalities forged in the crucible of the Kitchen and examines how the crime
that surrounds them all affects them and the relationships between them. Frankie, attempting to forge an alliance
between his own Irish boys and the Italians down the street, is determined to
prove his gang the equal of the richer, more established family. Jackie is equal parts recklessness,
jocundity, hair-trigger temper, and affection, and he doesn’t know how to
reconcile that his brother is now his boss.
Kathleen pulls away from her family while simultaneously worrying for
their safety and well-being. And Terry,
in the middle of it all, is pulled by old and new desires, old and new
loyalties.
I like
that the main mobsters we see here are Irish.
It’s a bit less typical, messier and grittier than the usual mob
stereotypes that juxtapose violence and luxury.
Someone like Jackie thinks his illegal extracurriculars are doing right by
his neighbors; by torching a gentrified building, for instance, he’s keeping
the yuppie scum from moving in and taking over.
The Irish-Italian interaction is interesting, too. Loyalty and enmity runs deep here on both
sides – strangers are trusted or threatened depending on their last name, and
to the Irish boys, “pizza” and “spaghetti” are dirty words.
I
singled out Gary Oldman in my earlier post, and I’ll single him out again
here. His Jackie is a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him
character, explosive, engaging, and surprisingly sensitive. However, the acting is great all around, and
several fine actors – all of whom look stunningly young here – deserve kudos
for how well they handle the complexities of these characters. Sean Penn plays Terry’s internal tug-of-war
to perfection, and as Kathleen, Robin Wright (Princess Buttercup!) likewise
brings pathos to her conflict between worlds.
Ed Harris (I’ll always think of him as Christophe from The Truman Show) is alternately hot and
cold as Frankie, and both sides are terrific.
Warnings
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