Expected more

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

After a torrid 6 years in prison, Joey (Tim Roth) returns to his family home to stay with his brother and wife whilst he tries to get his feet back on the ground. Only to find his brother is mixed up in criminal activity that could violate his parole. This is an attempt at a story of family loyalty in the face of adversity, and the lengths people will go to protect the unconditionally loved.This is essentially a character piece, or least meant to be. It is worth mentioning that the story and script aren't all that bad and technically it effectively achieves the definite grittiness of its setting's social standing. There is, however, something missing in the acting department of almost every character that dares to introduce itself. It's as if they've all agreed to turn up as a favour to a friend but don't really want to be there. There are numerous points where they can't seem to be bothered to act pain. For example, at one point Tommy, James Russo's brother character, doesn't make a single sound when taking a knife in the chest. Tim Roth looks as though he thinks he's too cool to play a character that is mentally "slow". Tom Hanks could be ranked fairly highly on the cool front. Now if he has to cross the entire spectrum to play a character of the other extreme in Forest Gump then Roth only has to cover a fraction of the distance on the same scale for this role. But for an actor proved to be of ample talent, he just doesn't manage, or try, to pull it off. The budget must have been reached and breached some time before any of the heavy characters were cast. I've literally seen fights in school yards play acted better than in this film. Deborah Kara Unga doesn't do too badly but by no means well enough to pick the whole thing out of the huge empty hole it finds itself in.One other worrying thing about this is that Giovinazzo was recorded in a radio interview likening his film to On The Waterfront. I mean come on.

Just saw this film for the first time, 8-Jan-06. It conveys to me why I like Boys in the Hood and New Jack City. As a self described movie person, who only learned and saw the film maker's art through the lens of the boob tube beginning in the 1960s, I would like to recommend this movie. When the movie opened up, I just assumed a mid USA rust belt city that could be any one of thousand places. Chicago, Gary Indiana, Cleveland, etc. The ending surprised me , in that the cops from NYC showed up at their parents house. The last scenes action did not.The first half of the film I just could not stop watching. We all grow up with dreams. We all think things will be like they are in the movies. At least the famous ones. The Classics. The reality of Boys in the Hood, New Jack City and The Best Years of Our Lives, later on in the film slaps you in the face. The ending did not do it for me. Every thing leading up the ending was believable. Going back home to the old neighborhood after getting out. Getting hooked up with family. Seeing people moving on, moving to their same end. The girl who was left back and was about to by hooked up to a violent looser like Loraine's 1st husband. Diane marrying a nice quiet boy, like she thought Joey was. Joey looking around and seeing the life he thought he would have. I just could not watch the strip scene with Loraine. The last good scene was Joey and Loraine in the car talking.I would like to hope the ending was forced on the director because of perceived market forces.

spoilers hereinTim Roth shows once more he can really act. In No Way Home he enters the stage as a prisoner-on-parole, who is determined never to go back again. As we learn he suffered mental damage resulting from having had an accident while playing as a kid, after which he went in a coma for a while. Though not a retard, he comes across a bit slow. He doesn't overdo this trait, very subtle acting I think! He is kind and softspoken without being sweet and innocent or mushy. He stays with his brother Tommy (Russo) and his wife Lorraine (Unger) who have a far from happy marriage. The film brings across the problems he faces as an ex-convict. His former fiance, turns out to have left him for another man, has kids even. From her we learn he spent his time in jail for a crime his brother committed for which he scapegoated voluntarily. Too bad the director switches halfway through from the dramatic angle -this motif really works, and especially Unger and Roth's emerging friendship deserves more celluloid- to the typical theatrical crime-action approach. That part isn't at all bad, and the flick has a reasonable plot but the power of this movie was in the character-developments and family-relationships if you ask me (you didn't). Gladly no simple happy ending.Worth mentioning also is the brief and utterly unimportant sex scene between Russo and Heather Gottlieb. Although not too depictive in nature I thought it was the best steamy erotic scene I've seen in ages in a 'regular' movie. Gottlieb is a stunning beaut too by the way. I think we'll see more of her.Definitely a film worth watching, unless you like Reservoir Dogs style (Would it be a coincidence Roth was in that as well ?) blood and gore be prepared to look away by the time you reach the end. (8/10)

This is a good story of a man trying to get back in to the real world after a few years in prison. Tim Roth and Deborah Unger are both good and it might have been a better movie if this revolved around their characters than Roth and James Russo, who play brothers. Russo takes this movie from a 7 out of 10 to a 6. He wasn't a very good bad guy.