Leo (2002)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mehdi Norowzian

Writers:

Massy Tadjedin (written by) &
Amir Tadjedin (written by)

Release Date:

12 March 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The boy you were is not the man you are.

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Ex Convict | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joseph Fiennes	...	Stephen
Elisabeth Shue	...	Mary Bloom
Justin Chambers	...	Ryan Eames
Sam Shepard	...	Vic
Dennis Hopper	...	Horace
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Caroline
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Brynne
Jake Weber	...	Ben Bloom
Davis Sweatt	...	Leopold - age 11
James Middleton	...	Louis
Don Henderson Baker	...	Jack (as Don Baker)
David Burke	...	Thomas Kingsley
Amie Quigley	...	Ruth Livingston
Andrew Ruse	...	Mark
Zac Epstein	...	Kid #1

Also Known As:

Leopold Bloom (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexuality and violent content.

Runtime:

Canada:103 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:104 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Freewheel Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: A letter addressed to Oxford, Mississippi, clearly has the ZIP Code 64933. The ZIP Code for Oxford, Mississippi, is 38655. There is no city with the ZIP shown in the film; ZIP's beginning with "649" would be near Kansas City, Missouri.

Ambition Should Be Encouraged Not Scorned

I agree with the reviewer who wrote that "Leo" is vulnerable to charges of being pretentious. It also dips into melodrama in a couple scenes involving Dennis Hopper's stock villain, and some of the other characters needed to be fleshed out more. However, I would much rather see a first time director tackle a project with the complexity and ambition of "Leo" than to have them make yet another pseudo wry, post modern, Tarantino imitation, or, worse, a boring, routine slasher film. Therefore, I applaud Mehdi Norowzian for his effort, even if his reach may currently exceed his grasp. I will look forward to seeing future efforts from a director who obviously has talent. BTW, I think one of the "external reviews" makes an issue of Norowzian's background in commercial work. I don't understand the negative view of this. Many talented filmmakers got their start directing commercials or music videos. Robert Altman made industrial films before his first, undistinguished feature, which starred future "Billy Jack," Tom McLoughlin. A person has to learn their craft somewhere. There are only so many Orson Welles types who spring forth a genius in their first effort.