Brooklyn Rules (2007)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Michael Corrente

Writer (WGA):

Terence Winter (written by)

Release Date:

28 May 2009 (Israel)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Not made to be broken

Plot:

Brooklyn, 1985. With the mob world as a backdrop, three life-long friends struggle with questions of love, loss and loyalty. |

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Brooklyn | Friendship | Dead Dog | University

Cast

Paulo Araujo	...	Young Michael
Daniel Tay	...	Young Bobby
Ty Thomas Reed	...	Young Carmine (as Ty Reed)
Alec Baldwin	...	Caesar Manganaro
Scott Caan	...	Carmine Mancuso
Jerry Ferrara	...	Bobby Canzoneri
Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Michael Turner
Mena Suvari	...	Ellen
Chris Caldovino	...	Philly Cabrese
Alexa Havins	...	Blonde - Brooklyn Girl
Christian Maelen	...	Gino
John Cenatiempo	...	Bouncer #1
Staci Rudnitsky	...	Allison
Annie Golden	...	Dottie
Monica Keena	...	Amy

Also Known As:

Nailed Right In (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cataland Films

Trivia:

During production, the working title of the film was "Nailed Right In".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Wheh Carmine is walking down the sidewalk to the store, a lady comes out of the front door. When Carmine starts to close the door you can see the cameraman's reflection off of the glass.

Movie Connections:

References Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Pretty good movie... Read this review!

OK, this isn't the best Brooklyn-coming-of-age-in-the-midst-of-wiseguys movie ever made, but all in all I think it was pretty good.

First off, I think all the acting was pretty good. A great turn from Jerry Ferrara, "entourage"s Turtle. One may think from watching that show that this kid was plucked off the streets of Bensonhurst (where's he's from... and I am too) to be on the show, and is a one-trick-pony, but, he gave a great, nuanced, sweet performance of a character that was nothing like his "entourage" alter ego. Kudos to him. I look forward to seeing him in more films, growing as an actor. He was likable, believable, and genuine.

Scott Cahn was excellent. He played his character, one that isn't new in mob-related films, with intensity, humor, and honesty. While his character Carmine may be bordering on a life of crime, he kept the character's heart in tact. I swear moments in this film reminded me of his dad... in a good way.

Freddie Prinze Jr, who'ds I've never seen in a "real movie", was pretty good in this too. Out of the three though, he seemed the most out of place, but, I felt he tried hard and played the role with conviction. His and Mena Suvari's (another actor who I felt didn't fit this film) romance plot line was one the movie could have done without. Upper crust girl falls for and inspires scrubby neighborhood guy to shoot for the stars. It's been done before, and it didn't need to be done again. ANyway, I think if this kid had more roles like this to beef him up, he'd become a pretty good actor. He's not BAD now... but he'd get better for sure doing character driven films like this.

Alec Baldwin, who I think is always entertaining, did a good job in this as the local neighborhood mob boss. He didn't ham it up or go over the top as he sometimes does. He did a nice understated job that suited the character. He was likable, but also had that sheen of danger about him. Good work for this kind of character.

The Brooklyn setting (basically the neighborhoods visited in this are Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Bay Ridge, and Dyker Heights) were genuine (Pastels was a nice touch... and if you're from this neighborhood, you'd agree). The backdrop plot line of the "rise of John Gotti" was a cool one to see everything eveolve around. It hasn't really been touched upon except for on those not-very-great TV movies about Gotti and Sammy "The Rat" Gravano. I thought it was a nice touch. Ss were the scenes with Bobby's family. Perfect! It had comedy, drama, believable characters, and while it may not be the greatest movie ... mob related or not... it had heart. I dug it. It's worth a view.

PS. Someone mentioned in their review that if you're gonna use The Stones in your mob movie soundtrack, you shouldn't use songs already used in other mob movies. Well, to correct them, the only Stones song in this flick is "Sympathy for the Devil"... which to my knowledge was never used in another mob movie. And anyway, Scorcsese used "Gimme Shelter" in not one but TWO of his films. I guess he should be chastised even more for ripping himself off, huh?