Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13161 in VHS
• Released on: 1995-09-12
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Director John Sayles did the unthinkable and managed to sum up all the problems of urban life in one beautifully assembled jigsaw puzzle of a film. Combining characters from across all strata of one New Jersey city, he makes it clear that old-boy politics, corruption, and urban rage form an interlocking cage that seems to keep hope for the future locked away from our grasp. At heart, it's a story of fathers and sons, with sleazy contractor Tony Lo Bianco trying to reach out to son Vincent Spano, who wants none of his father's business. Add a racial incident, a mayor on the take, political activists, a black politician trying to balance what's right with what's expedient, and a gaggle of small-time crooks and you have a terrific, telling story of urban malaise, black and white, with a great cast that also includes Joe Morton, Angela Bassett, Chris Cooper, and Gina Gershon. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

A big idea
Neither fans nor detractors seem to have a clue what this movie is about. The best window on the theme is Tierney's statement. Everyone does deals, gives and takes favors. That's not a lamentable fact of urban life. It's the reality for social creatures. That's enobling and tragic, and all of Sayles characters are in it. All except the autistic guy, who can only parrot another's cry for help. A brilliant explication of a fundamental truth of human existence.

Noble Effort
In this movie, ambition overreaches result, and the usually clear sighted John Sayles flounders. There are moments of brilliance, as when the camera turns sharply to pick up new threads in the sprawling interweave of city intrigue that composes the central theme. But the sprawl ultimately proves too unwieldy for even Sayles' considerable talent. I only wish he had succeeded. The backdoor machinery of city politics needs sensitive treatment of the kind Sayles can deliver. But the script falters and the characters seldom rise above uninteresting stereotype. If its true that too many cooks spoil the soup, it's also true that too many soups spoil the cook, no matter how versatile the latter. Here, director-producer-writer-actor Sayles simply raises more urban issues than he deals with effectively: police corruption, brutality, racism, homophobia, kick-backs, drugs, influence peddling, organized crime, with a symbolic love story thrown in - in short, the whole 9 yards that keeps cities operating. Unfortunately, the end result is a force field that pulls apart rather than brings together, making the whole effort appear pointless.

Too bad, because such unconventional scope requires unconventional methods of the type Sayles attempts. But I'm not sure it's possible to force such a life-sized tapestry into an ordinary two hour time frame. Perhaps something on the order of a Godfather trilogy with a central focus on the Nicky character would accomodate the filmmaker's expansive vision. Trouble is, political mavericks and independents like Sayles seldom get the financing necessary for following through. Looks like he may be consigned to work the fringes in the brilliant and committed fashion of Matewan and Eight Men Out, for which there is nevertheless always an audience.

Slightly didactic, immensely powerful
Thouht this film does not connect with the seamless mastery of Lone Star or even Matewan, it has an undeniable haunting power, especially in its lengthy and distanced final image. The major flaw in this film, and in Sayles films in general, is his tendency to use the screenplay as a pulpit, creating characters and dialogue to make an often heavy handed statement. Take for example, the two griping women who complain that no one listens to them, or the militant Black Muslim. Fortunately, Sayles quickly leaves the preaching behind and allows his characters, their dillemmas, and their interactions to move the audience subtly, emotionally, and profoundly. The intertwining narratives are constantly engaging- whenever the film would move from one to another, i would find myself excited to return to that thread. joe morton is the standout from the film, but the performances are universlly excellent. Highly reccomended.