Charlie Valentine (2009)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Normally, gangster movies are not my genre of movie to sit down and watch. Not to say I don't like them, I just haven't watched a lot of them because there are plenty of other movie genres I'd rather watch first. But "Charlie Valentine" is a stand out film that I really liked. You might be wondering why it only ranked an 8 but in all honesty I was waffling on giving it a 10, but I try to save those for my favorite films. That being said, "Charlie Valentine" is a movie I could definitely sit through again. The trailer is what hooked me instantly, making me belt out, "I have got to at least see this film." The story is a simple one with Charlie Valentine as an aging gangster who fouls up a heist in a big way getting his whole crew killed. He takes off to hide with his estranged son, who doesn't know what's going on. His son is a bit of a gangster himself, but not the caliber that Charlie is. From there the story develops into a kind of violent, father and son flick, when the son asks Charlie to teach him everything he knows. The sequence in the trailer that made me burst out laughing and want this movie had Charlie's son being attacked by a man, so Charlie, calmly, shoots the man. The son starts to flip out and Charlie, very flippantly responds, "What? Did you want to chit chat?" It was an unexpected laugh for me in the trailer. I wish the movie had more laughs than that, but it definitely had me and a friend intrigued where we couldn't stop watching it. We started to watch it at 3 a.m., figuring we'd get tired of it enough to pause for another day, but the story was engaging enough to keep us going all the way through the end.The tagline for the movie also had me hooked and wanting to see where the story went. A simple tagline, it read, "Charlie Valentine was a gangster, a gunfighter, a womanizer and a pretty fine chef… He was also the most dangerous, irresponsible scoundrel you ever met." What's interesting is how the movie plays out the way Charlie is a violent, but loving man and has two different personalities for his roles in life after he reunites with his son. Charlie carries an old fashioned razor blade in a leg holster and uses it to kill in the film. But that violent weapon is turned on its ear in the movie, with Charlie using it to gently shave his adult son in one scene, showing a tender care that he is not used to, and how he misses it. The movie also shows Charlie's past and how he misses a life he knew he could never be allowed to have. The cast is top notch with character actor Raymond J. Barry, who has more than 80 credits to his name in movies and TV episodes, according to the Internet Movie Database, playing the title role of Charlie Valentine. Michael Weatherly who has appeared in more than 150 episodes of the popular TV series "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, plays Charlie's son Danny Valentine. A violent, but fun film, the movie has some great moments of moral ambiguity and the challenges of Charlie Valentine being a father and a man on the run. This is one of those rare films that I don't want to tell readers anymore than I have, because of ruining the fun of the film.Regardless, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't like gangster movies.

Well, I caught this film on Showtime and my expectations were low, as I hadn't heard of this movie, and quite frankly am not a fervent fan of Showtime. But what began as background noise quickly caught my attention and I found myself watching with increasing interest, until finally sitting down and really settling into the movie. There is an old world sensibility to this movie that really appealed to me, maybe it's a reference by the filmmakers to an older more classic era in cinema or perhaps it's that the characters are all played by actors you kinda recognize from other movies, I'm not sure.But it was really a great surprise and all extremely entertaining. Ray Barry was dry and slightly bitter as the lead, he didn't soften his character up too much or make him too Hollywood, you felt the sense of compromise he did, it was a really interesting portrayal and not what you'd expect at all.The film was clearly not a big budget affair, and I'm sure it could have and should have been slicker, and more polished with the money or whatever that comes with a bigger price tag. But, there was an edgy, angle to this that really appealed to me, and I think it's uniqueness was perhaps born of it's limitations.There is certainly a format to many recent indie films, they are very similar, almost always told the same way, even when they strive to be different - they are being authored and created by individuals who all seem to have sprung from the same gene pool - filmic geeks, comic book aficionados, the kid who was bullied at school who now returns to play out his revenge on the bullies of the world with his version of reality, the one where the meek and the geek inherit the Earth. Frankly I feel a disconnect with this type of film making.The Hit-man Diaries, Charlie Valentine, seems to be a throwback to an earlier style of filmmaking, an earlier concept of what makes a man a man. That cowardice and facing up to your responsibilities are easy choices and difficult as Hell to overcome. I liked the film a lot, it felt honest and cool, like a bitch slap from Lee Marvin or a knee in the groin from Charles Bronson.Is it going to be paraded at the head of a group of marching comic con internet bullying victims, almost certainly not. You probably need a set of cohones and a fairly decent appreciation of film prior to Star Wars to grasp the subtlety in the story telling.I highly recommend it, but watch it with this warning; Charlie Valentine is not a nice guy, he doesn't discover God, and he probably won't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, but he will take you on one Helluva ride.Gary in Baker, CA -

Complete piece of trash...if it wasn't for the over abundance of strippers I would have fallen asleep. I gave it a generous *3 rating due to the strippers crotch shots and the breasts "o vision used in the strip club scenes. Tom Berenger is in the film for two minutes; even he should be ashamed to let them use his face for PR on this film. The trash you get out of red box these days. I guess it was worth a dollar to see "Blondie"<----(stage name) in her Red Negligee and pumps. More pole dances and a little less attempts at acting would have made this film somewhat enjoyable, as it plays now, not recommend. The Cobra vehicle in the film is also a highlight...

I've seen Jesse Johnson's third and best movie (so far) at the "Action On Film" festival in Pasadena California. This little known cinematographic gem harvested the festival Best picture, Best action Picture, Best Cinematography and the Best Musical Score. Quite a feat for the team led by the talented screen writer and director Jesse Johnson who managed in only 18 days of filming (and with a budget that is considered petty cash in Hollywood) to come up with an action drama movie that isn't only well acted, captivating and entertaining for the action movie fans, but also adds a very human dimension to the classic gangster movie of the old days. Think of the main character Charlie Valentine as an aged Scarface who's ruthlessness and killing instincts are fading away with age and with the realization that in life there are other more important things than money, power and sex. The characters are well rounded and played wonderfully by the main characters, Raymond J. Barry (Training Day) and Michael Weatherly (Gun Shy). The cinematography is top notch - a special mention for the great camera work and image quality. And most importantly, it certainly looks like Jesse Johnson, the screen writer and director of Charlie Valentine who did an excellent job putting this story on screen, is becoming the new flag bearer of the British Invasion in American cinema. Rent or buy the DVD - you won't be sorry.