People are voting emotionally.

Let's be realistic.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Small-town bad boy Brad Whitewood (Penn) goes off to stay with his namesake father (Walken) when things get sour at home with his mom (Perkins) and her beau (Autry). Brad Sr. is quirky, charismatic, charming and a career criminal who is potentially the worst possible influence for a son that already appears to have a screw loose.Feeling a connection to his kin, an affinity for theft and wanting financial security to move in with his beloved girlfriend Terri (Masterson) young Brad asks to be brought in to the family business - a criminal theft and hijacking ring.He isn't in for very long before he begins to feel like he is out of his depth with the level of criminality his father and uncles routinely engage in. Put his naivete down to youth.When Brad rebuffs his father's entreaties to join in more thefts and says he is leaving town to settle down with Terri out of state Brad Sr. takes it personally and blames her. Young Brad gets busted on grand theft stealing with his friends and the feds try and shake him down to rat out his father and uncles.Feeling the pinch of imminent federal indictment Brad Sr. takes brutal action. He has somewhat of a level of comfort with life on the edge because he has gotten away with whatever he wanted before over and over again. But the last time he was imprisoned he swore it would never happen again.The perception that violent crime is a big city phenomenon is a gross generalization and misrepresentation of reality. Those that have lived in small towns know this quite well and have looked in the eyes of violent criminals some of whom are distant kin.Brad Sr.is of course worse than any animalistic monster because at least they have a care for their offspring. This is communicated most powerfully in the final scene in the county courthouse where Brad Jr. begins his testimony and must not only identify the defendant - the most diabolical and bloodthirsty individual he has ever known but tell the jury that the man is his father. Young Brad chokes up and can barely get the words out in the most convincing and powerful moment in Sean Penn's long and accomplished career as an actor.The brilliant part about the way the film ends is how efficiently it concludes the arc of the hero. This aimless young guy begins with trying to find out who he is by getting to know his father. He gets the answers he is looking for about himself but loses his innocence and most of the people in his life that he cared about.Christopher Walken remains considerably than just an intriguing character actor who consistently steals scenes in supporting roles. He has often played the lead in mainstream films.

The look of the film says rural poverty. There are broken-down cars in the front yards and trash in the streets. People don't say much during supper; they're too involved watching the television. The main story is based on the real life story of killer Bruce Johnson. With the accepting of the character's names being changed, the film features an accurate interpretation of events. It is truly a shame that no one really knows about this film. It features a powerful and emotional tale of an American criminal family.This is a gritty movie, with great questions about family ties and what to do with your life when you have no real options. Most of the cast was relatively unknown at the time, so check out actors like Kiefer Sutherland, Crispin Glover, and Mary Stuart Masterson at the beginning of their careers. Credit should also go to director James Foley and scriptwriter Nicholas Kazan for not only delivering a powerhouse film but for also getting it right.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

At Close Range is a wonderfully perfected movie. A tour de masterpiece of potent scenes, some truly unforgettable, dramatic, shocking, a little thanks to Madonna's hit "Live To tell" that plays at different instrumental speeds throughout the film. The lyrics of this song, stand true to it's story, which itself, is shockingly true. In my opinion, At Close Range, was one of the best films of 1986, a big year for vengeance movies in Adelaide. Another shocking fact, was that this movie only ran for twelve days, which I think in one sense is criminal. Real life brothers, Sean and Christopher play the Whitewood brothers. Their scumbag of a father and a master thief, known as Brad Whitewood Senior (Christopher Walken in a brilliant and menacing performance) who left them long ago, has just stepped back into the picture. The dialogue between son and the returning father is bizarre. He even has to consult with his son, if the other son, is the guy flopped out on his couch, which he isn't. Wanting to escape his dead, small town existence, Brad Junior (Penn) and his friends join up with his father's gang. This gang consists of some real scary types from A level actors who each bring something to the table. You even get to see how this professional gang of thieves operate on some jobs, one including Penn on his first job, alone with the guys, before he brings his mates in. Later on, when him and his mates stuff up, and are arrested, jeopardizing his father's operation, Brad Senior has them picked off, one after the other, in consecutive scenes, while Brad Junior remains in lockup. They all die in the same location, which I found haunting. The father's an absolute piece of s**t. A great use of scene atmosphere is at a cockfight, with Walken talking with a shady acquaintance, about arranging the killings. There's also of course, a love interest, Penn's new girlfriend, Terri (Mary Stuart Masterson) one of those impressive young actresses of the eighties. What the hell happened to her? Sadly for Terri, her fate meets with tragic ends in a arranged execution, that Penn remarkably survives. Directed by James Foley, a guy who knows how to make films, ACR is just another one of his, I loved. It's wonderfully shot and brilliantly acted. Each actor brings a totally different character to other ones they play, and I'm talking mainly Walken's gang and some others. They're heavyweights who've created real, human character performances. They should all be bloody commended. In fact At Close Range should also be known as a budding actors handbook. To finish this movie off, with a cherry on the top, we're treated to Madonna's version of Live To Tell as the end credits come up. Put this one on your eightie's movies to see. Please!

Based upon the true story of Bruce Johnston Sr., his son, and his brothers.Together, they constituted one of suburban Philadelphia's most notorious crime families during the 1970's.Their criminal activities ranged from burglary, theft... and ultimately, murder.....It's understandable why De Niro turned down the Walken role. It's one of the most darkest characters you may ever meet on screen.Walken is electrifying as the father who knows no bounds when it comes to family and business. At first, he seems like a normal violent criminal.One who would be nice to you, but if you ever crossed him, he wouldn't be happy. But no. This man is a psycho, and knows it, and the fact that he keeps his cool for the majority of the film, and while others are doing his acts of violence for him, makes Walken even more unsettling.The rest of the cast are superb, The brothers Penn, are awesome, and this is the film that really showed the audience that Penn was someone to look out for (after all he'd only just made Shanghai Surprise, so this was a blessing).masterson, puts in her greatest performance, and seeing faces such as Glover, And Sutherland, give the film a very nostalgic feel.It will not be for all tastes, it's a very dark subject matter, and there are some disturbing scenes, and the film never really has a conclusion, which makes it all the more powerful.So all in all, it's a beautifully dark disturbing movie.My only gripe was, at th start of the end credits, we have in the biggest writing possible, Madonna sang a song.Penn, we know you were married to her, we didn't need to hear 'Live to Tell' every ten minutes in the movie...