Deuces Wild (2002)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Scott Kalvert

Writers (WGA):

Paul Kimatian (written by) &
Christopher Gambale (written by)

Release Date:

3 May 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Before gangs had guns... they fought with guts.

Plot:

Two brothers, Leon and Bobby are members of the street gang in Brooklyn known as the deuces. Their brother...

Plot Keywords:

Gang | New York | Drug Overdose | 1950s | Street Gang

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Stephen Dorff	...	Leon
Brad Renfro	...	Bobby
Fairuza Balk	...	Annie
Norman Reedus	...	Marco
Max Perlich	...	Freddie
Drea de Matteo	...	Betsy
Vincent Pastore	...	Father Aldo
Frankie Muniz	...	Scooch
Balthazar Getty	...	Jimmy Pockets
Nancy Cassaro	...	Esther
Matt Dillon	...	Fritzy
Deborah Harry	...	Wendy
James Franco	...	Tino
Joshua Leonard	...	Punchy (as Josh Leonard)
Alba Albanese	...	Brenda

Also Known As:

Deuces Wild - Wild in den Straßen (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

96 min | Spain:100 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37939) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Canada:14A (video rating) | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CineWild

Trivia:

Josh Hartnett was originally cast in the role of Tino but was allowed by the producers to drop out when he won the role of Danny in Pearl Harbor (2001).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the scene between Bobby yelling at his mom and Leon sending him out, someone (clearly not Bobby or Leon) casts a shadow on the wall.

Quotes:

Marco: How's my sweet lil' Betsy doin?
[Leon punches him]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

Soundtrack:

What in the World Can I Do

This is no classic, but Deuces Wild is still entertaining until the closing credits

Deuces Wild (2002) takes its cue from films such as West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, and The Outsiders. And since I happen to like these kind of movies, I happened to like Deuces Wild quite a bit. The story takes place in 1950s Brooklyn, New York:

Leon (Stephen Dorff) and Bobby (Brad Renfro) are members of a street gang called "The Deuces". Ever since their brother died from a drug overdose, Leon and Bobby along with the rest of the gang are determined to keep drugs off of their block. The Deuces are always in opposition to "The Vipers", a vicious and murderous gang. Their leader is Marco (Norman Reedus), a drug dealer who caused Leon and Bobby's brother to die from the overdose. But, ever since the overdose Marco has been in prison, plotting his revenge against Leon. Meanwhile, Fritzy (Matt Dillon) runs the streets. Fritzy is a godfather-type, meaning nothing happens without his approval and if you disrespect him you will die. When Marco is released from prison, he begins to tear the streets apart and start warfare with The Deuces. While all of this is going on Bobby starts to fall in love with Annie (Fairuza Balk), the sister of Jimmy Pockets (Balthazar Getty), who happens to be a Viper. While Leon and Marco plot revenge against each other, The Deuces and The Vipers prepare for a fight to the death. What follows is violence, death, and tragedy.

I don't know why so many people don't like this movie. I guess it just isn't their cup of tea. Anyway, I think Scott Kalvert did a good job of directing. That is, until the final fight between The Deuces and The Vipers. I'm sad to say that during the fight there is MTV-style editing, which completely takes away all of the emotion of the characters. Speaking of characters, all the actors did fairly good in their respected roles. I'm surprised Johnny Knoxville was in this and he didn't screw it up!

This is no Gangs Of New York or classic, but Deuces Wild is still entertaining until the closing credits. So come on people, give this one a shot and rent it or wait until it shows on cable. I give Deuces Wild a 7.5 out of 10.