DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Added 2/12/2009
WHEN I FIRST STARTED WATCHING THE MOVIE, I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A JOKE WITH WHITE PEOPLE TRYING TO ACT GHETTO OR WHATEVER, AND I WAS GONNA GET MY LAUGHS. I IMMEDIATELY SAW THE MOVIE WAS SERIOUS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE OF WHEN MICK AND LEX WERE LITTLE, AND THAT THE MOVIE WAS NO JOKE. WHEN I WAS DONE WATCHING THE MOVIE, I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW GOOD IT ACTUALLY WAS. IM NOT GONNA GIVE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE MOVIE. THE STORY WHEN LOOKED AT FROM A DISTANCE IS KINDA GENERIC, WITH ONE BROTHER BECOMING A STREET WALKER, AND THE OTHER A COP, BUT THE WAY IN WHICH IT HAPPENS IS ALMOST LIKE NO OTHER, WITH MINOR COMPLEXITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CHARACTER'S PERSONALITY TO MAKE IT UNIQUE. I WAS ALSO IMPRESSED WITH HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO EXPLORE THE URBAN GENRE WITH RELATIVELY MINIMAL VIOLENCE, AND SENSELESS DIALOGUE THAT STEREOTYPES THE GHETTO. THEIR A FEW WEAKNESSES TO THE MOVIE THOUGH, STARTING WITH NICK CHINLUND(ADULT LEX) NOT BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY SPEAK SOME OF THE HEAVY SLANG HE USES AND MAKE IT FEEEL AUTHENTIC (HIS PERFORMANCE BEYOND THAT IS VERY STRONG, BUT THIS STICKS OUT TO ME SINCE IM FROM FLATBUSH, EFB, AND CROWN HEIGHTS BROOKLYN). ANOTHER WEAKNESS IS THE PREDICTABILTY OF THE STORY, BUT IT IS AN EMOTIONAL DRAMA, NOT A SUSPENSE THRILLER, SO IT DIDNT HURT THE FILM TOO MUCH. THE FINAL WEAKNESS I COULD THINK OF SOME ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CHARACTERS DONT SEEM CONSISTENT W/THEIR PERSONALITY (LEX IN THE CLUB) AT TIMES, AND MORE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO JUSTIFY WHY THE CHARACTER WOULD ACT IN SUCH A WAY. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN FIXED BY MAKING THE MOVIE APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 MINUTES LONGER, AND THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE THEN BEEN A CLASSIC TO ME. I ALSO WISHED THAT THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE EXAMINED THE REVERSE RACISM MORE OF TWO WHITE KIDS GROWING UP IN SPANISH HARLEM, WHICH IS MOSTLY LATINO AND BLACK, BUT I GUESS IT WASNT PAT OF THE PLOT OR THEIR UPBRINGING, BESIDES LEFTY LOUIE CALLING LEX HIS FAVORITE WHITEBOY. IF YOUR FROM NYC, OR YOU'RE INTO STRONG, DARK, EMOTIONAL DRAMAS, OR YOUR INTO THE WHOLE URBAN THING, THEN THIS IS A DEFINITE MOVIE TO BE SEEN. ITS A SHAME THAT THIS ISNT ON DVD.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Good depiction of NY seedy street life
Added 12/12/2008
I as someone who grew up NYC can relate to the shady and filthy street atmosphere portrayed here. Thats the way NYC was through out the mid to late 90's. There was a lot of racial mixing going on during that time with the hip hop era booming so that portrayal is also accurate. I thought the Lex character was miscast. They should have found someone younger. A 40 year old clean cut white italian guy talking in ghetto street lingo is a big exaggeration. Overall a very interesting movie. The raw nature of it took away from the excitement that a fake hollywood touch would bring to a film like this but, then again it wouldnt look to real if that was the case.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A biting and seedy look at NY street and drug life ....
Added 1/20/2003
In this movie we follow two very different brothers raised by an alcoholic street walking mother ... One brother manages to overcome the adversity of his upbringing always striving for a long term goal, while the older brother takes a more hedonistic look at life and doesn't really plan further than tomorrows thrill ..... This certainly is one of the hands down best depictions of how drugs really ruin your life and your loves ... it certainly must be noted that this 1977 is NOWHERE close to the violent drug movies of today where we are treated to super close up shots of users inserting heroin needles ....
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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Bit typical story but still the best!
Added 12/7/2002
I believe the plot of A BROTHER"S KISS, sort of typical
Hong Kong gangster movies very 80's theme..like brotherhood, drugs and violence..with very tragic tales however the director
Seth Zvi brought heart warming moments with great actors' performance...worth to see it anytime!
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Bit typical story but still the best!
Added 12/7/2002
I believe the plot of A BROTHER"S KISS, sort of typical
Hong Kong gangster movies very 80's theme..like brotherhood, drugs and violence..with very tragic tales however the director
Seth Zvi brought heart warming moments with great actors' performance...worth to see it anytime!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Added 2/12/2009
WHEN I FIRST STARTED WATCHING THE MOVIE, I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A JOKE WITH WHITE PEOPLE TRYING TO ACT GHETTO OR WHATEVER, AND I WAS GONNA GET MY LAUGHS. I IMMEDIATELY SAW THE MOVIE WAS SERIOUS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE OF WHEN MICK AND LEX WERE LITTLE, AND THAT THE MOVIE WAS NO JOKE. WHEN I WAS DONE WATCHING THE MOVIE, I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW GOOD IT ACTUALLY WAS. IM NOT GONNA GIVE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE MOVIE. THE STORY WHEN LOOKED AT FROM A DISTANCE IS KINDA GENERIC, WITH ONE BROTHER BECOMING A STREET WALKER, AND THE OTHER A COP, BUT THE WAY IN WHICH IT HAPPENS IS ALMOST LIKE NO OTHER, WITH MINOR COMPLEXITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CHARACTER'S PERSONALITY TO MAKE IT UNIQUE. I WAS ALSO IMPRESSED WITH HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO EXPLORE THE URBAN GENRE WITH RELATIVELY MINIMAL VIOLENCE, AND SENSELESS DIALOGUE THAT STEREOTYPES THE GHETTO. THEIR A FEW WEAKNESSES TO THE MOVIE THOUGH, STARTING WITH NICK CHINLUND(ADULT LEX) NOT BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY SPEAK SOME OF THE HEAVY SLANG HE USES AND MAKE IT FEEEL AUTHENTIC (HIS PERFORMANCE BEYOND THAT IS VERY STRONG, BUT THIS STICKS OUT TO ME SINCE IM FROM FLATBUSH, EFB, AND CROWN HEIGHTS BROOKLYN). ANOTHER WEAKNESS IS THE PREDICTABILTY OF THE STORY, BUT IT IS AN EMOTIONAL DRAMA, NOT A SUSPENSE THRILLER, SO IT DIDNT HURT THE FILM TOO MUCH. THE FINAL WEAKNESS I COULD THINK OF SOME ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CHARACTERS DONT SEEM CONSISTENT W/THEIR PERSONALITY (LEX IN THE CLUB) AT TIMES, AND MORE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO JUSTIFY WHY THE CHARACTER WOULD ACT IN SUCH A WAY. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN FIXED BY MAKING THE MOVIE APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 MINUTES LONGER, AND THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE THEN BEEN A CLASSIC TO ME. I ALSO WISHED THAT THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE EXAMINED THE REVERSE RACISM MORE OF TWO WHITE KIDS GROWING UP IN SPANISH HARLEM, WHICH IS MOSTLY LATINO AND BLACK, BUT I GUESS IT WASNT PAT OF THE PLOT OR THEIR UPBRINGING, BESIDES LEFTY LOUIE CALLING LEX HIS FAVORITE WHITEBOY. IF YOUR FROM NYC, OR YOU'RE INTO STRONG, DARK, EMOTIONAL DRAMAS, OR YOUR INTO THE WHOLE URBAN THING, THEN THIS IS A DEFINITE MOVIE TO BE SEEN. ITS A SHAME THAT THIS ISNT ON DVD.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Good depiction of NY seedy street life
Added 12/12/2008
I as someone who grew up NYC can relate to the shady and filthy street atmosphere portrayed here. Thats the way NYC was through out the mid to late 90's. There was a lot of racial mixing going on during that time with the hip hop era booming so that portrayal is also accurate. I thought the Lex character was miscast. They should have found someone younger. A 40 year old clean cut white italian guy talking in ghetto street lingo is a big exaggeration. Overall a very interesting movie. The raw nature of it took away from the excitement that a fake hollywood touch would bring to a film like this but, then again it wouldnt look to real if that was the case.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A biting and seedy look at NY street and drug life ....
Added 1/20/2003
In this movie we follow two very different brothers raised by an alcoholic street walking mother ... One brother manages to overcome the adversity of his upbringing always striving for a long term goal, while the older brother takes a more hedonistic look at life and doesn't really plan further than tomorrows thrill ..... This certainly is one of the hands down best depictions of how drugs really ruin your life and your loves ... it certainly must be noted that this 1977 is NOWHERE close to the violent drug movies of today where we are treated to super close up shots of users inserting heroin needles ....
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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