A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
Genre: Crime / Drama
Duration: 98 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Dito Montiel
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum
IMDb score:
6,9 (28.308)
Releasedate: 29 September 2006
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints plot
"Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go back."
After an absence of nearly twenty years, Dito (Robert Downey Jr.), now a successful writer in LA, returns to Queens, a working-class New York neighborhood where he grew up, to see his seriously ill father one last time. There he is confronted with the people he left behind.
Actors and actresses
Young Dito
Young Antonio
Dito
Laurie
Young Laurie
Monty
Aunt Mary
Dito's Mother
Mike O'Shea
Diane
Reviews & comments
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
Dito Montiel's autobiographical debut about his teenage years in Astoria (Queens). The story and the raw images of this underprivileged New York neighborhood create an authentic whole. Nevertheless, due to the confused beginning, the film gets off to a slow start and only gets really interesting in the second part.
Well acted across the board, I especially want to point out the once again excellent Dianne Wiest as Dito's mother.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Moviestar1979
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- 1671 messages
- 975 votes
A nice film set in New York in the mid-80s.
Violence, relationships, emotions and wrong choices are the common thread in this film directed by Dito Montiel. Before starting as a director, he was a band member with Major Conflict in New York. The film refers to this existing band. The cast does a great job. Montiel initially found Shia LaBeouf unsuitable, as he was more looking for a lesser known actor. LeBeouf punched a hole in the wall during his 2nd audition to add some more anger to Dito's character. Sadly, this was George DiCenzo's last film. The actor passed away 4 years later at the age of 70. Channing Tatum was also in top form. During the scene where Monty suffered a stroke, Tatum let his emotions run wild by smashing a table in the window of a door. Fortunately, he got his emotions under control in time. This improvisation eventually stuck in the film.
My attention wandered a bit during the 1st part. It starts out messy, but eventually turns out to be a good one. Partly thanks to the strong acting performances. The film was good enough for 7 awards and 9 nominations.
3.0 *
Translated from Dutch · View original
IH88
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- 9762 messages
- 3190 votes
“My name is Dito... and I'm gonna leave everybody in this film.”
Penetrating portrait about a man who, after 20 years, returns to the place where he spent his childhood, and has to face a number of people from his past. His sick father, his mother, his childhood girlfriend, their friends, etc. Dito has all left them behind in search of a better life. Given the flashbacks, you can't blame him (hopeless existence, crime, a suffocating father, murders), but the film also wants to show that Dito might have made better choices.
Certainly the powerful scenes between Downey Jr. and Rosario Dawson/Chazz Palminteri make that clear. Director Montiel leaves it up to the viewer to judge this. I myself would say that Dito has done well to leave his old life behind, but not to hear from you for 20 years is also a bit exaggerated of course. Because of the two timelines and the short playing time, the film sometimes makes a rushed and fragmented impression, but the acting keeps things together. Downey jr, LaBeouf, Palminteri, Tatum, Dawson, Diaz etc. Fantastic.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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