friendships, booze, money, and sex

this is a very good movie and its easy to call it a classic. its a well built story that develops its characters into complex emotional beings. it should be said though, that it is slow. almost excruciatingly slow. it takes nearly 4 hours to get through this and little of that is action. as well, the entire story is told in retrospect from an older man about how he got to the situation he's not confronting; which is he's been hired presumably to kill someone despite having been "away" for 30 years.

in short the story is about a group of young boys who together develop into a criminal underground of the prohibition era ny. their close friendships carry over while one is jailed for 10 years for stabbing to death a man who killed one of them. once out and part of the gang again divisions begin to develop between them. ultimately leading to the ending which is repetitively brief and somewhat difficult to understand.

sure it doesn't hold up to the godfather, but its a beautifully shot and well made movie. its worth watching with out a doubt.

certain issues i have with it that mar it. it is too long and too slow. yet a scene were the main character rapes a friend is way too long and detailed. there is a hint of sexual desire in the dwelling on this scene which in my view is simply repulsive. its easily the worst scene of the movie...not for its effect (which i'll give it was shocking and develops the mess this man has created for himself) but for the lingering voyeurism of the extended graphic scene. also the end of the film...after nearly 4 hours....was confusing. not to give it away but i didn't find it convincing the guy wanted to be killed firstly...and secondly why was the trash truck outside a party at a mansion, how did it know to start before the guy came outside, and why didn't they show him actually die and instead rely on a slight-of-hand "maybe he did, maybe he didn't". frankly it was a major let down for a movie that you have to invest a lot into to get to that point.

all in all a definite "see it". i'd watch it again, but it can't be a favorite.

(8/10)

8/10