Simply A Masterpiece

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Based on the real life rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr. which operated during the 1960s and 1970s, 'At Close Range' is a disturbing film, that narrates a devastatingly sad true-story, with absolutely no inhibitions. However, its trump-card lies in its Electrifying Performances!'At Close Range' Synopsis: In 1978 rural Pennsylvania an absentee father is reacquainted with his estranged teenage sons and they become intrigued with romanticized life of crime.'At Close Range' is not meant for the faint-hearted. This film narrates a story so tragic & heartbreaking, that it disturbs you. The narrative is no-holds-barred. Its strictly meant only for those who can stomach hardcore, uninhabited cinema. Nicholas Kazan's Screenplay is brutal. James Foley's Direction is rustic. Cinematography is excellent. Editing is sharp. Art Design is perfect. Performance-Wise: Christopher Walken & Sean Penn deliver astounding performances. Walken enacts the monstrous villain, with cruelty, while Penn enacts the haunted protagonist, with rare ease & understanding. Its these 2 performances alone, that prove to be the biggest merits of 'At Close Range'. Both of the Oscar-Winning Actors are at their best here!On the whole, 'At Close Range' is not everyone's cup of tea for sure, but if you want to watch some solid acting, then this one's a must for you.

It's kinda unfairly forgotten drama about searching your own place in the world and the relationship between father and son.Director James Foley directs this movie with style , but the whole movie is too cold to really affect the viewer. The dramatic scenes lack the tension they should have and the movie does seem to drag at places , like it doesn't know where to go next. The screenplay could have been better. It is based on real story , yet it never really gives us insight into the characters . I think they should be more complex. Also other characters seem rather passive (Peann's mother) and some subplots seem unnecessary. Anyway , while watching the movie I've got a feeling that the writer could done better job.The acting is probably the best ting in the movie . Sean Penn and Christopher Walken are great . Walken always had talent for playing twisted characters. Penn gives a likable performance as the frustrated teenager. Mary Mastroniano and Christopher Penn also give solid support as respectively – the delicate girlfriend and the loyal brother.It's a great, unfairly forgotten drama movie from the 80's. I give it 8/10.

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!

A lot of over acting with very little depth in the characters. A lot of very slowly waste of time and film - time and film that could have been used to put more depth into the characters and make what little action there was interesting. There were many attempts to make a good movie but every time the director and actors almost hit something right - then for some reason, the clip, directions, tempo and or music simply just ruined it. This film should be used at film school as an example of what to do and then what not to do if you do not want to ruin your work. Madonnas music is a strange choice in a movie that makes such an effort to appear - into the smallest detail - to be a study of 1978. Maybe the crew behind the film have tried to stick to much to the original story/events - but sometime you got to let go - this movie just came on my list of bad movies not to be seen again - sad because I believe that very little effort could have made this a great movie