At Close Range (1986)
Genre: Drama / Crime
Duration: 111 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: James Foley
Stars: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken and Mary Stuart Masterson
IMDb score:
6,9 (20.215)
Releasedate: 18 April 1986
At Close Range plot
"Like father. Like son. Like hell."
Brad Sr. is a thug, a murderer, and worse, a bad father. His son, Brad Jr. lives with his mother and grandmother and hardly sees his father. He is white trash, poor and bored. No wonder he idolizes his well-dressed father, leader of a gang of thieves. When Senior asks him to do a criminal job, Junior is happy to do it. Attention at last, action at last.
Actors and actresses
Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Jr.
Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Sr.
Terry
Thomas "Tommy" Whitewood
Julie
Grandma
Uncle Patch Whitewood
Tony Pine
Boyd
Mary Sue
Reviews & comments
cinemanukerke
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- 1879 messages
- 1061 votes
I had already written it on the forum but I would like to repeat it again : one of the most beautiful openers in film history ie close up of a searching Penn, then he sees the girl - all this to a dreamy score in slow motion. After all, Penn is looking for a purpose in his life and has to choose between good (Masterson) and evil (Walken). The opening creates the right mood to follow the film and immediately molds Penn's character. Tough, insecure and a little smug. And for that he will pay a price. Director James Foley came in with this film as a promising talent but it can be said Bredero and in the second half of the 90s one disaster after another so that he now makes sequels of pulp like Fifty shades ... But ACR is there (still still). Foley uses his images and score for a romanticization of both love and crime. So the thefts are initially exciting games to prove himself and the presence of his sweetheart gives peace of mind. The motivation of the young people has a socio-economic tinge: poor/trash in a region without a future and where boredom is rampant, the trigger is of course to embrace crime/adventure. Foley lets the story take its course, takes time to situate and the scenes between Walken and Penn sizzle. The film does slow down after 3/4, predictability sets in (home situation definitely drives Penn to father, thefts go well, friction between the gang members) and therefore just not in my list of favorites. But the ending is strong again. The tragedy that was to come erupts. And in the (beautiful) final scene, the father/son relationship takes shape, revenge, betrayal, shame and anger are concentrated in one sentence (he's my father).
Translated from Dutch · View original
starbright boy (moderator films)
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- 22476 messages
- 5145 votes
The second of a small triptych of half-forgotten youth crime dramas from the 1980s that I will be seeing this period. Make some space on the hard disk of the TV receiver. Let's see things that once recorded from TV.
This one is much better than the first. Foley has ambition, the film opens very nicely and during the film he moves interestingly back and forth between seventies grittiness and a kind of neo-noir atmosphere. It doesn't feel quite balanced, but thought it gave the film a lot of extras. That and especially Sean Penn elevate this film way above an ordinary true story of the week. Actors like Walken and brother Chris Penn are fine, but Sean Penn is so strong that he alone takes this film to a higher level.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2306 messages
- 2094 votes
Crazy story that unfortunately is based on true events in Pennsylvania 1978. When you check wikipedia you find out that every murder actually took place and also the whole context of a dysfunctional family matches.
Superb lead role by Sean Penn, not normal what he performs here. But the rest of the cast is also more than welcome, with a chilling Christopher Walken leading the way. Everything is well portrayed with attention to noirish photography at times. Despite the hard events, it is not just a body count story, but people take their time to build and deepen the characters. strong. And only makes it harder because there is hardly anything positive to be found in the characters. The facts are horrific enough and they are not zoomed in in the first place, although they are indeed present. Rather, it zooms in on the devilish depravity of the Walken and his gait, which drags along the entire environment.
The score is by Patrick Leonard who worked closely with Madonna as a songwriter in the 1980s. And this is where the “Live to Tell” composed especially for the film (Madonna is responsible for the lyrics) drops by at the end credits, and an instrumental version at the opening of the film. I think it is appropriate and certainly a nice detail because Madonna and Sean Penn were married at the time.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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