Code of Silence

Starring:Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Bert Remsen, Mike Genovese, Nathan Davis, Ralph Foody, Allen Hamilton, Ron Henriquez, Joe Guzaldo, Molly Hagan, Ron Dean, Wilbert Bradley, Dennis Farina, Gene Barge, Mario Nieves, Miguel Nino, Ronnie Barron, Joseph F. Kosala, Lou Damiani, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina
Director: Andrew Davis
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

An unnostalgic, modern noir spectacle
dvd purchase
Brilliantly Casted Film
A thriller for people who normally don't like thrillers
Unhistorical Murder Mystery

L.A. Confidential
Starring: Kevin Spacey , Russell Crowe , Guy Pearce , James Cromwell , and David Strathairn
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0790734850
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Amazon.com

In a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, L.A. Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal, and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The Oscar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction that has earned it comparisons to the greatest of all Technicolor noir films, Chinatown. Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale; unfortunately, her male costars are so uniformly fine that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes. Pearce's character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood amorality and ambition, a strait-laced "hero" (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical, and legal considerations. If he's a good guy, it's only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

An unnostalgic, modern noir spectacle.......2007-05-27

Curtis Hanson's "L.A. Confidential," based on the third book in a series by James Ellroy, works so well because, unlike most neo-noir films, it's not a homage to the noir films of old. In fact, it was probably the first true film noir to forget about its predecessors since the 1950s, the time period around which the film is set. And it was just what a film noir should be: gritty, tough, unflinching, intricrate, and confounding. Each of the film's leading actors, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, and Kevin Spacey, as well as its lead actress, Kim Basinger, felt like they could've appeared in a film noir straight out of the 1940s. It's this unnostalgic, straightforward approach that made "L.A. Confidential" so great.

The storyline had a classic vibe to it: in 1950s L.A., three cops ferret out the corruption beginning to eat away at the police force. How each of them does this differs. You've got your good cop, played by Guy Pearce, a strictly by-the-book wannabe detective and the son of a legendary officer who died in the line of duty. You got your bad cop, Russell Crowe, a violent star on the force, always on the edge and with a particularly nasty dislike for women abusers. Then you have a cop who doesn't quite know where he stands, played by Kevin Spacey, except on the set of TV's number-one hit police drama "Badge of Honor," which he supervises. One of the film's best scenes is when Pearce's character tells Spacey why he became a cop in an effort to convince Spacey to work with him. Afterwards he asks, "Why did you become a cop?" Spacey smiles sadly and sighs, "I don't remember." Picking a favorite of this police trio is hard, because each is perfectly cast: Pearce as an inherently contemptable and ultimately honorable goody-goody, Crowe as an apparent maniac who is smarter than he looks and just trying to do what's right, and Spacey as the pitiful once-cop who's lost his way.

But it seems like when most people remember "L.A. Confidential," they remember Kim Basinger, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She deserved it. Basinger played a prostitute in high demand because she bears a strong resemblance to Veronica Lake (so does Basinger) - but there's much more to her than just a divine appearance. Similarly, there's more to Basinger than just a fine body, and she proved it here with a surprisingly deep performance, particularly for a supporting role.

With all that said, it's apparent that the film garnered much of its power from its sharp-cut characters. There's no one who is clearly "good" the whole way through, but never once is a character in the grey: they're either good, or they're bad. They are also some of the most realistic and human people ever to appear in a film noir. The movie's script, by director Hanson and Brian Helgeland, finds a seamless balance between its characters and its story, and surprisingly holds very little of the snap, crackle n' pop dialog one expects in a film noir.
Jerry Goldsmith's score was the one homage the film allowed, with the same sort of morose brass you might expect in an old Bogey pic (and which distinctly recalls the same woeful trumpeting of Goldsmith's theme from Roman Polanski's own neo-noir, "Chinatown"). It was one of those elusive scores that adds life to each scene but also expands the film as a whole.

There's something about the look of the film that hangs in my mind. It may be the color scheme, which consists mostly of black but with the occasional surprise vibrance thrown in through a red or yellow. Or perhaps it's the lighting, a bright light that makes what's in front of us perfectly clear and a surrounding black mist that begs the question: what does it hide within its shadows? There is a scene in which Pearce's character pulls up in front of the Nite Owl bar. That scene brings to mind the painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper (which inspired the look of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"). Hanson took a very stylistic approach in his directing of the film, and much of that showed through its dark visuals.

It wasn't all darkness, though. One of the film's most memorable scenes involved an attempted interrogation by Pearce and Spacey at a popular club late at night. They corner a mobster dating a girl they believe is a prostitute belonging to a popular company which advertises prostitutes who resemble celebrities, in this case Lana Turner. As Pearce begins throwing out insults at the mobster and especially at his date, we notice Kevin Spacey holding back laughter in the background. "A w---e who looks like Lana Turner is still a w---e," Pearce says. The "prostitute" tosses her drink in his face and he stands there, soaked and incredulous, as Spacey says, "That IS Lana Turner."

It came as little surprise that "L.A. Confidential" wasn't awarded the Oscar for Best Picture, but fortunately critics recognized it as one of the best films of 1997 and, more importantly, of the decade. It wasn't only one of the best films of the decade, but one of the best films ever made, a stylish, gritty, cynical yet realistic noir drama that didn't look back at the classics which inspired it. It didn't need to, because ten years later, we're still looking back at it.

dvd purchase.......2007-03-22

the dvd came in a timely manner, packaged well and I have had no problems with the item. It seems to be in great condition.

Brilliantly Casted Film.......2007-03-09

Kevin Spacey proves that he is a great actor in this one, and he's not even the main character. Guy Pearce's come-out movie showed that he could stand up at the top with the best. Russell Crowe's part is great for him. Really the first movie I say him in, and you can see why he eventually one best actor in Gladiator. James Cromwell and Danny DeVito are perfectly cast in this film. If you like movies set in the 40s, 50s but with an edge with real life drama this is a great movie for you! Jerry Goldsmith's score is breathtakingly brilliant - he should have one the Oscar!

A thriller for people who normally don't like thrillers.......2007-03-09

Devotees of noir & period pieces probably will not be as pleased with this as will the rest of this, but Curtis Hanson apparently decided that putting together a coherent & well-crafted film was more important than remaining faithful to one particular genre or another. Aside from specific historical references (Bloody Christmas, for example), it is quite easy to forget that this is set in 1950's Los Angeles. One could regard this as a shortcoming (it is, nominally at least, supposed to be a period thriller) or as an asset (a really well-told story will trump all other details), depending on one's perspective.

In any case, Hanson and a top-notch cast works with a pretty complex plot and manages to keep all of the balls in the air. I always enjoy a movie where the audience figures out most of the twists before the characters do, because then we get to enjoy watching the unfolding of consequences of decisions made or avoided. Spacey, Crowe & Pearce manage to give us wonderfully ambivalent & complex characters, all of whom are far from being beyond reproach and continue to have some dubious motives right up to the film's conclusion. Personally, I always like a film that deliberately avoids a tidy ending and leaves the viewer knowing that, after the credits finish rolling, the other shoe will eventually have to drop.

I agree with others that Kim Basinger's breathy whispery performances is simply annoying & that she is woefully miscast in this role. Why she got an Oscar for this is almost as big a mystery as any portayed in this film. However, it is not a glaring flaw and is obscured by the stellar performances of the rest of the cast. Top notch from start to finish!

Unhistorical Murder Mystery.......2007-02-21

The film opens in 1950s Los Angeles and introduces the people in this story. There is a pot bust of two minor movie stars, well planned to provide headlines. Some men are arrested for assaulting two policemen, and many officers beat them as summary punishment. Photographs of this create a scandal. The meeting tells how the deal is done: some win, some lose, and justice is done. Standards will be upheld for the future. There are two gunmen who are bumping off Mickey Cohen's gang members. Then there is a slaughter of people at a late-night restaurant. A senseless killing or a planned rub-out?

The police investigate those connected to the people killed at the restaurant. Suspects are arrested, they have to get them to talk about what they did. Various methods are used. They get a lead and find another suspect. Detective White stops another criminal. Then the three suspects escape somehow. They are tracked down and a shoot-out finishes them off. "Shotgun Ed" wins an award for heroism. We see how a reformer politician can change his mind about a highway project. There is a plot to embarrass the D.A. by getting a young actor to meet him. When Detective Vincennes shows up he finds the young actor dead! Detective White follows up on Susan Lefferts and finds something in her Mom's basement. Exley and Vincennes investigate another case. Exley visits White's girlfriend and learns more about her. Vincennes makes an error in judgment, his last. Then pictures are given to White to enrage him. Exley does research on the murdered former cop Meeks who was found in the basement. Exley and White talk to the D.A. and get him to cooperate. Dudley Smith and Patchett may be in cahoots.

Someone calls Exley and White to arrange them to meet at a motel; this is a trap. [All those shots and no one to hear them?] The two detectives hold off their attackers. There is a final resolution to the conflicts at the ending. Exley tells the facts about the crimes, there will be another cover-up, and another award for Lt. Exley. A happy ending? Sensational action masks a weak story.

Scenes take place at night since outdoor scenes would show present-day LA. The film did not create the LA of 50 years earlier. It is loosely based on some real events from that era. One book about the "Black Dahlia Avenger" said newspapers and reporters cooperated in the 1940s, there would be no embarrassing pictures then. The ruling powers wanted new highways, no blackmail was needed. One anachronism was the powered garage door of Patchett. A real history book will give the facts about LA in that time, it would be better than fiction. Is the film better than the novel?

Average customer rating:

Norris' Best Film
Chuck's best flick
"They Call You 'Stainless Steel' On The Street."
chuck at his butt-kicking best
While the justice delays, someone has to make the dirty job!

Code of Silence
Starring: Chuck Norris , Henry Silva , Bert Remsen , Mike Genovese , and Nathan Davis
Director: Andrew Davis
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004Y87N
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Description

From the director of The Fugitive comes a riveting, turbo-charged crime thriller starring international action star Chuck Norris ("Walker, Texas Ranger"). Exploding with heart-stopping chases and lethal martial arts confrontations, it's a "daring" (Washington Post) and "suspenseful" (Boxoffice) adventure that pits an honest cop against two vicious crime lordsand his own department. Eddie Cusack (Norris) is a Chicago detective who plays by his own rulesa dangerous habit, especially when he breaks the force's "code of silence" to blow the lid off a deadly police cover-up. Now an outcast, he receives little help from his embittered fellow officers when he's hurled into a blistering battle against rival drug kingpins. But Cusack is a one-man army, waging war on the criminals with his razor-sharp wits, lighting-fast karate moves and a special surprise: "Prowler," a remote-controlled, rocket-equipped tank!

Customer Reviews:

Norris' Best Film.......2006-11-19

Code of Silence is by far Chuck Norris' best film. Not only is it great by the standards of his martial arts action films, but is actually a cut above many action pictures.

Norris plays a Chicago cop who finds himself caught between a turf war between the Mafia and a Colombian drug cartel. His standing on the force suffers at the same time because he testifies against two cops who are involved in a bad shooting. The Code of Silence ends up being double-pronged - one side being the Mafia's Code of Silence, and the other being the police force's Code of Silence against bad behavior by their own.

Directed by Andrew Davis, who also directed Above The Law, Under Siege and The Fugitive, Code of Silence has great action sequences and a great villain in Henry Silva. This is Norris' finest film. Nothing he has done before or since has been anywhere near as good.

Chuck's best flick.......2006-10-04

This is Chuck Norris at his best...Being a B-level action hero(after such A-level icons as Charles Bronson Clint Eastwood,and Slyvester Stallone)most of the Norris output was commonplace,with Karate and Kung-Fu taking up a lot of the on-screen action..Here Norris plays a cop in Chicago who is confronting not only a drug cartel,but corruption within his own department..Norris limits the kung-fu moves,and gives what is for him a stand-out performance,battling the bad guys while trying to sort out who is and who is not corrupt on the force...Another plus is the score for this film,written by David Michael Franks,who scored many of the early Steven Segall action films..If ever a gritty,funky,streetsmart jazz score blended perfectly with the on-screen action this was it..When"Code of Silence"came out in the theatres a soundtrack album of this score was released,but on a small independent label..no compact disc version has ever been released,which is a pity..

"They Call You 'Stainless Steel' On The Street.".......2006-08-31

Originally slated for Clint Eastwood who declined it, and definitely one of Chuck Norris' best performances, CODE OF SILENCE concerns Eddie Cusack (Norris), a cop's cop, who finds himself with three sets of enemies---a Colombian drug cartel, the Chicago Mafia, and his fellow cops. The first two are locked in a vicious turf war for control of the drug trade on Chicago's streets, and both sides are gunning for Cusack, who wants to stop them. He soon finds himself trapped in a web of traditional Sicilian "omerta" and Colombian "silencio."

Cusack is a pariah because he has testified against Sgt. Craigie (Ralph Foody), a washed-up alcoholic officer who inadvertently shoots a young boy and plants a gun on the body to cover up his mistake. Although Craigie is known by all to be a dangerous has-been, the code of silence among his brother officers protects him.

The story finally comes down to a stand-off in which the Colombians kidnap the daughter of the Chicago Godfather. Cusack must rescue her. His one-handed fight is one of the best set-piece gun battles on film, certainly the equal of anything in the DIE HARD or LETHAL WEAPON series.

The Cannon Group, a "B" studio, just about breaks into the Hollywood mainstream with this film. The story is strong, the major characters memorable, and the plot dynamic. CODE OF SILENCE is a film which uses it's gritty Chicago locations with an almost Sydney Pollack-like elan. CODE OF SILENCE also foregoes the self-important grimness of the typical "B" action thriller by poking fun at itself. Cusack's off-the-cuff "Catch you later," murmured to a coke dealer as Cusack leaves a tony North Side party to meet with a Mafia chieftain, is a gem; a sequence when two hapless stick-up artists try to rip off a local bar frequented by nothing but cops is a side-splitting classic. Cusack's partner's retirement schemes, everything from selling hot dogs at Wrigley Field to alligator farming, keep the viewer chuckling.

Chuck Norris' performance as Cusack is one of his best characterizations. Norris acts, and so well that he almost makes us forget we are watching Chuck Norris. Henry Silva, as Camacho the Colombian drug lord, is positively frightening. Many of the supporting roles are taken by recognizable mainstream character actors, and these are uniformly good.

The weak spots in CODE OF SILENCE largely involve the scripted dialogue, some of which is overly contrived ("I hate to put you on the spot"..."I spent thirty years on the spot"), and some of the performances, which are wooden and monotone ("Hi, Uncle Felix"..."You've been a bad boy, Tony" a confrontation between two Mafiosi delivered with all the dramatic force of a damp mop on a tile floor). Perhaps these watery moments wouldn't seem so bad if the rest of the film wasn't so well done.

These flaws cost the film a reviewer's star and relegate the film to "B" moviedom, although CODE OF SILENCE really rates an A Minus.

chuck at his butt-kicking best.......2006-06-13

code of silence is chuck's best role next to lone wolf mcquade and he really does a great job here as a windy city cop who must stop a crime lord and a bloody gang war,and because of the bust gone wrong at the opening of the movie, he does so alone because he knows that an older cop shot a kid and planted a gun on him and at a hearing he says that to a board of review!
more plot than most of chucks movies but it also is action packed! check it out!!!

While the justice delays, someone has to make the dirty job!.......2006-06-04

At the Seventies two well known emblematic figures such Clint Eastwood (Harry Callaghan) and Charles Bronson (Paul Kersey) knew to built the epitome of the urban hero; that anonymous and defenseless citizen who - given the well known legal allurements - decided to apply the justice according their own codes.

Chuck Norris in the early Eighties, (Stallone was in another sphere and Kurt Russell was developing an underground hero) became the heiress of this tradition, incorporating his undeniable skills in Martial Arts which allowed him for one hand, to continue a winning formula around the non sense action movies and by the other hand to engage a wide audience into the genre of the new forms of personal combat, that after the tragic death of Bruce Lee and with the irruption of the Kick Boxing, whose maxim exponent was the young Jean Claude van Damme, allowed him to interweave both genres.

Chuck Norris trajectory acquired several peaks and downs, but inside this easy going weekend movies got its goal until the early Nineties where van Damme, Schawrzeneeger, Mathias Hues, Michael Pare, Michael Dudikoff, Lorenzo Lamas, Brian Bosworth, Dolph Ludgreen, and Wesley Snipes would establish a wider spectrum of heroes.

Average customer rating:

The easy life in a microcosm of car ring gang
Vastly Underrated -- Best Boston Movie Ever
GREAT CRIME DRAMA
overlooked, underrated little crime gem
A great role for Leary in "Monument Avenue"

Monument Ave.
Starring: Denis Leary , Ian Hart , Lenny Clarke , Jason Barry , and Kevin Chapman
Director: Ted Demme
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0788815709
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Description

Denis Leary (TV's THE JOB) and Martin Sheen (THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT) star in this explosive story about the power of loyalty, community, and friendship in the world of organized crime. In a tough Irish-American neighborhood, Bobby (Leary) is a small-time car thief working for the area's top mobster (Colm Meany -- CON AIR, THE SNAPPER). But then, Bobby's own gang kills members of his family, leaving Bobby faced with a tough choice: defend his family honor or obey the rigid neighborhood code of silence! With co-stars Billy Crudup (ALMOST FAMOUS) and Famke Janssen (GOLDEN EYE), MONUMENT AVE. is gripping entertainment in the tradition of GOODFELLAS!

Customer Reviews:

The easy life in a microcosm of car ring gang.......2007-06-13

MONUMENT AVE (aka SNITCH 1998), is somewhat of a chick-flick in a
masculine version, telling a story of a number of youths all from the
same neighborhood, who somehow escaped the radar screen of law
enforcement. This is said to stem from from the incompetence of the
constable, his being on the take, or from looking the other way due
to his shared ethnicity (Irish-Americans, Martin Sheen) with the
other delinquent elements.

The lead characters, among them Denis Leary, Kevin Chapman somehow
wind up at between 30 and 40 years of age, in almost an identical
spot as when they were youths growing up together, rejecting the 9 to
5 routine, in favor of a constant presence in pubs, drinking, high
on cocaine, whiskey, gambling, without having learned a trade or
profession.

They agree to defraud an insurer with a simulated theft of luxury
automobiles in some cases, and in others, sell those for parts as
part of a car ring on the East Coast of the USA.

The easy life, and excess familiarity with their own neighborhoods,
leads this gang to unrealistic expectactions in regards to their
ability to stop the hands of time and the winds of change, in terms
of their own neighborhood in the city from when they were kids,
fearing housing projects and other communities from setting shop in it.

In regards to business, the ring leader admits taking out a number of
well known community members over the years, to eliminate any and all
risks of informants to the police and any challenge to his leadership
position.

Surprisingly, this microcosm in which they sustain themselves
stays unchanged over a period of years, until the skeletons seem too
many, the truth too hideous to remain hidden in the closet. At their
age, the cognitive dissonance between right and wrong and the
expectations of their boss, grows too large to reconcile, such that a
desire to break free from this scene grows increasingly irresistable.

The overwhelming experience of this movie, is the skill of the
director underplaying his presence, by almost totally eliminating
music, special effects, cinematic inventions, by sticking to a
simplicity, and a low-key presence of the cameras. The action as it
unfolds feels authentic to the viewers, with the actors offering
realistic performances, in a movie that appears strongly
autobiographical in nature.

The weak point, is obviously the lack of consequences and pain felt by
the ring members from their actions, the easiness of their
lifestyles, and excess pleasure they seem to partake in, as well as
the astonishingly absent moral reflections, repercussions, analysis
of their gestures. In other words, the audience may have difficulty
identifying with the characters's shallow humanity.

Vastly Underrated -- Best Boston Movie Ever.......2006-09-07

Anyone who grew up in Boston in the 1980s and 1990s will tell you, this is one of the best Boston movies ever made and comes as close as a fictional movie can to feeling like, at times, a documentary (only "The Verdict" comes as close to capturing what Boston is all about). It absolutely blows Good Will Hunting away. (The film "Southie", while truly awful at parts, is actually better than most people think, starred a Dorchester native, and was written by another. While it was set in NYC, "State of Grace" is a close cousin to this movie, but Monument Avenue does not have a ridiculous, horrible ending, which "State of Grace" unarguably did). Believe it or not, Monument Avenue is in almost all ways actually a better film than "Mystic River", and it is much more evocative of Boston. The guys in "Mystic River" are great characters but are obviously just that, characters, while the guys in Monument Avenue feel like the real thing, and few movies capture the dead-end, small-time criminal life of blue collar white NE ethnics better. Monument Avenue is also beyond dark, the final montage that closes the movie is practically unwatchable to anyone who knew or was related to someone who was a part of what was going on in Boston at this time and features one of the most effective uses of stills and mood music in American cinematic history. Charlestown is brought to life so vividly in this film that it is a character in the movie. Everyone in the cast (except for a jarringly weak Colm Meaney) nails it. Leary being great in this movie is no surprise (even though he is a hick from Worcester), but Famke Jansen is shockingly good. The movie is based on what happened in the 1980's-1990's when gentrification hit Boston's Irish Neighborhoods and an epidemic of bar-room shootings took place in Charlestown, in full view of people, with no witnesses stepping forward (a prime motiviation behind most of the witnesses not talking was the desire to settle the score by killing the shooter themselves later on, or preserving the right of the victims friends or family members to do so -- the feuds in Charlestown were so widespread that over 125 murders similar to those in this film are said to have taken place in 10 years -- that is not a misprint). Mothers Against Violence formed in response to this epidemic of murders and refusals to cooperate with the police in Charlestown (this is foreshadowed in the film during a funeral scene). All of Boston's tougher Irish (at that time) neighborhoods -- South Boston, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Roslindale -- had a well-known unwritten code of silence and their share of feuds and unending cycles of vengeance, but Charlestown's was by far the most infamous, all-encompassing and unforgiving. The best-kept secret to outsiders that are not from Boston is that Charlestown is, far and away, Boston's toughest neighborhood. A powerful, elegant, and unfairly ignored film. Truly spectacular.

GREAT CRIME DRAMA.......2006-07-27

ACTING IS GREAT, STORY IS SOLID. SMALL REALISTIC POCKETS OF ACTION.

DENNIS LEARY NAILS HIS ROLE AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE SUPPORTING CAST.

MUST SEE

overlooked, underrated little crime gem.......2005-08-18

If you've watched Rescue Me over the last couple years or seen The Job, you know the typical Denis Leary character: tough, profane, ethically and morally challenged, funny as hell, smarter than those around him but never as smart as thinks he is, and deep down, knows it, and always waiting for the roof to collapse on him, as he knows it eventually will, for he is no idiot though he acts like one 70% of the time. Leary, to me, is one of the best things on television, as is Rescue Me, clearly the equal of the great HBO shows and other FX notables like The Shield. If you appreciate Leary and the dark, tragic yet often comic sensibility he lends to Rescue Me, it would be worth your while to check out Monument Ave. Based on positive reviews in the NY Times and the New Yorker, I saw it on the big screen when it came out in 1998 along with about three other people in the theatre. Not surprisingly it disappeared in a week and is rarely mentioned when critics talk about great crime films, particularly crime films of the post Mean Streets type, a film that clearly was an influence on Monument Ave. And that might be because, like Rescue Me and The Job and Leary's other great film, also made by Ted Demme, The Ref, Monument Ave. pretends to be something it really isn't, in this case a Scorsese like genre piece. But at heart really more of a contemporary tragedy closer in spirit to something like Mystic River than Mean Streets and all the clones that film and Reservoir Dogs created. Monument Ave. has a plot of sorts--will Bobby, the small time car thief Leary plays, turn on his boss Jackie played by Colm Meany who has everyone around him terrorized into silence as his henchmen kill anyone who crosses him, leaving a host of grieving mothers in their wake. For Bobby this betrayal would mean going against a code of silence that has ruled his neighborhood--insular, parochial Charlestown, MA, fifteen minutes from downtown Boston but for Bobby and the rest of the characters, townies all, a thousand miles away for all intents and purposes--and his life. So in effect, as all tragedies, are, Monument Ave. is a morality play, where to do the right thing means going against all your culture and society has said is correct. Monument Ave. is a small film, one that appropriately enough airs every so often IFC, and has all the strengths that can come with a small film. Excellent performances by a strong cast, Leary in particular, but also Ian Hart, probably best known for playing John Lennon in both The Hours and The Times and Backbeat, Famke Janssen showing probably for the first time that she was not simply eye candy, and in one of his first screen roles, Billy Cruddup. Monument Ave. is no Chinatown or even Mean Streets, its aspirations and intents are much smaller, more economical, but as a finely tuned portrait of an imperfect character coming to some moral stance, one that carries consequences he could never envision, this is a film well worth seeing.

A great role for Leary in "Monument Avenue".......2004-02-25

I bought "Monument Avenue" on a whim. I'm a Denis Leary fan, and was interested to see how Leary performed in the role of an Irish thug type. It's a fitting role for Leary. He was properly cast as Bobby, a small time car thief. Leary excelled at the role, coming off as very authentic. I agree with the other reviewer who said Leary doesn't have to play piss and moan roles to shine.

Customer Reviews:

It's OK.......2007-01-13

Not a bad movie but I mainly wanted a copy because I was an extra on the set and appeared in a few scenes. Charles Bronson chatted with us between takes and seemed to be a nice man.
The outdoor scenes were filmed in High Park, Toronto, Canada with many local actor and extras.

Average customer rating:

Hitters
Starring: Carol Alt , Vinny Argiro , Robert Davi , Joey de Pinto , and Costas Mandylor
Director: Eric Weston
Manufacturer: Santa Barbara Home
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002I83P4
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Description

In the underworld of crime, the city has been ruled by one family for generations, but things are about to change. As rival families stand on the verge of war, Tony Civiano (Costas Mandylor), a respected civil leader is caught between family loyalty to the mob and everything he has worked so hard to achieve. When Tony refuses to sell some property of a mob boss, a series of murders make it clear that either Tony turns government informer or face certain death. Since neither solution is acceptable to Tony, he decides to seek justice on his own terms.

Average customer rating:

Norris' Best Film
Chuck's best flick
"They Call You 'Stainless Steel' On The Street."
chuck at his butt-kicking best
While the justice delays, someone has to make the dirty job!

Code of Silence [Region 2]
Starring: Chuck Norris , Henry Silva , Bert Remsen , Mike Genovese , and Nathan Davis
Director: Andrew Davis
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

An Eye for an Eye
Invasion U.S.A.
Lone Wolf McQuade
Silent Rage
Hero And The Terror

ASIN: B000127MAS

Customer Reviews:

Norris' Best Film.......2006-11-19

Chuck's best flick.......2006-10-04

"They Call You 'Stainless Steel' On The Street.".......2006-08-31

chuck at his butt-kicking best.......2006-06-13

While the justice delays, someone has to make the dirty job!.......2006-06-04

Average customer rating:

Hitters
Starring: Robert Davi , Costas Mandylor , Joey DePinto , Richard C. Sarafian , and Frank Stallone
Director: Eric Weston
Manufacturer: Hanover House
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0000AINQH
Release Date: 2003-12-02

DVD:

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