Staten Island (2009)

Memorable, crazy movie

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It's phenomenal -- especially Ethan Hawke whose acting is absolutely brilliant. If you're an Ethan Hawke fan then you'll love this movie simply for him; although all of the acting is excellent -- in some scenes facial expressions alone speak volumes. There's some gruesome stuff too, as you might expect, but no gratuitous gunfire. The entire movie is damn good right down to the end. It reminds me a tiny bit of the TV series "Damages" the way Past, Present and Future all seem to be in random order. You need to pay attention. It's not all spelled out for you which is another reason I like it so much. You can definitely watch this one more than once and catch new things you might have missed.

For most of the citizens of the New York area, Staten Island will be that remote place where the ferry that runs from Manhattan ends. It is a shame, because the island offers other interesting aspects not found in the other four boroughs that comprise the metropolitan area of New York City. Staten Island is also a place where mafiosi men have gone to settle with their families because it offers them an incentive for being away from the obvious sites associated with organized crime.Three lives are examined as they touch each other in of all places, a small deli in Staten Island. There, as if by chance, we meet Parmy Tarzo a man that wants to become the head of the crime industry in Staten Island. We also meet Sully, a man working for a septic tank company with his own share of knowledge of dirty things. Finally, Jasper, a deaf-mute cold cuts employee with a knack for carving in that section of the old fashioned Italian deli.What Parmy does not know is that in planning to become the boss of bosses, he has stepped on his own crew members ambitions of working on their own. He has a surprise coming to him. One night, while driving, he is ambushed by a hired man. His car plunges into a river, but since he has been practicing to hold his breath under water, he survives the crash with only minor scratches. Little prepares him when he witnesses the man who tried killing him with his own trusted men. As a way to stay alive, Parmy decides to join the protesters trying to save a big tract of land that has been sold for commercial development.Sully is a young man happily married. Not having been able to get his wife Mary pregnant, he takes her to one of the best hospitals where he learns about an interesting way to create highly intelligent children with an unorthodox method for achieving it. Since the treatment is costly, Sully decides to steal money from none other than Parmy, whose home he has visited while servicing the septic tank. In the botched robbery, Parmy's mom gets injured, so her son wants revenge.Finally, Jasper, known as Jas, the deli worker, a man with a gambling habit, gets lucky in hitting a "trifecta" that rewards him with a lot of money. Since his needs are limited and realizing Sully is in a bit of a spot, he contributes toward Mary's treatment. Unknown to us, Jas has a secret no one has a clue of what it is. Parmy and his men come to him when they need a procedure that only Jas, who cannot talk about it, is able to perform for them.The film was an unexpected surprise that paid in many ways. Director James De Monaco, a Staten Island native, wrote a screenplay that works well in the film. The stories overlap one another without overwhelming the narrative. The three men, although knowing the others, have no direct connection in the way the action takes them to. The only reference as to how they are connected comes at the beginning of each story when Mr. De Monaco gives the viewer a hint of things to come.Vincent D'Onofrio is an actor that always surprises. His Parmy is an earthy man that enjoys his food, as well as ordering a killing. He is a welcome presence in any film where he is cast. Ethan Hawke plays young Sully, a man with an ambition for his yet to be born son. Seymour Cassel, a veteran actor that always delivers, is one of the best things in "Staten Island". We do not get to see much of Julianne Nicholson, who is also an asset in everything she does.With a cinematography by Chris Norr, and a musical score by Frederic Verneres, the film is enjoyable. Credit should go to Luc Besson, a director himself, who has been backing talent such as Mr. De Monaco and others that need to be seen by discerning audiences.

All three lead characters do excellent jobs, as well as Miss Nicholson, but they cannot rescue this film. The beginning narration is odd and appears to suggest we're going to get a sympathetic and/or humorous take on Staten Islanders and their inferiority complexes. But other than the mobsters being small time, there's nothing in STATEN ISLAND that really distinguishes the people or setting; i.e., they might as well be from any other suburban area.We understand that the ecology vehicle is not to be taken seriously but then it just disappears. We've not enough background on any three of the leads to truly become interested in any of them, though you can see the clumsy attempts to try and "teach" us about them. And the ending is ridiculous as well as unsatisfying.In short its just a mess, despite some quirky funny spots. I'm guessing the makers envisioned something like BLOOD SIMPLE. Definitely STATEN ISLAND is an attempt at Cohen Brothers-like suspense with blood and comedy. But this movie falls short in every category.

This film is about the intersecting lives of a mobster, a septic tank cleaner and a butcher in Staten island, New York.At first I thought "Staten Island" was a mobster film. When scenes concerning a forest start, it became pretty flat and unconventional for a mobster film. After a while, I realised that in fact it wasn't a mobster film. It's actually a touching drama about how people struggle to make ends meet, what people would do to end their misery and what people would do to have a glimmer of hope for a brighter future. I particularly was entranced by the character and the performance of Jasper. His silent world is so well portrayed, that I really feel his world. His deafness parallels his muted suffering, as the mobs make him do atrocious stuff but he could not say no. "Staten Island" is an engaging drama, I hope it will get a wider audience which it deserves.