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Deuces
Wild-- it's not just a title. It really is, and they really are.
Wild, that is. Let's begin now.
Ever since I read "The
Outsiders" (and saw the movie) in the 7th grade, I've had a
little thing for Greaser films-- the 1950's atmosphere, the violence,
the brotherhood, the slickness, oh wait I already said 'Greaser';
well I meant cool.
Some might compare this movie to
another film of this genre such as "West Side Story", but
it'll never be a "West Side Story", and it's not an Outsider
either. It's a "Deuces Wild". Let's leave it at that.
The film starts with Leon Anthony
(Stephen Dorff; who's always cool) carrying his kid brother Alley,
his dead kid brother Alley, home. Leon is the leader of the gang
"The Deuces", of which his other younger brother, Bobby (Brad Renfro) is a
member, as well as about ten other greaser dudes.
Well you see, their gang is in a
little tussle with another gang, "The Vipers", whose leader, Marco
Vendetti (Norman Reedus), is just about to get out of prison. Long
story short, he was put in the big house for selling dope to kids--
specifically Alley.
Other notables in the cast are
Fairuza Balk (who doesn't sound annoying in this role), Balthazar
Getty, Johnny "Bad Ass" Knoxville, and uh, I think that's
it. You've probably never heard of these guys, but man, you will.
Whoa, I forgot about Matt
Dillon. I had no clue he was in the movie but it was sweet that he
was. I mean, his presence just helped set the mood, since he was
excellent in "The Outsiders". His role is small though.
Small but good.
Another small role goes to TV's
"Malcolm in the Middle",
Frankie Muniz. Frankie plays a kid named Scooch, about 12, who looks
up to Leon and Bobby, and the rest of the Deuces. Don't be fooled,
his presence does not make this a kids movie. Too many F-bombs to
count, so don't go taking no pre-teen girls to see this movie...just
the boys, lol. Yeah, this movie is a bit sexist, but hey, that's
life in the 1950's for ya.
Is this movie perfect? No. In fact,
it can be a little clichéd and predictable at times, but the
visceral violence, like in "Fight Club" makes this movie
bad ass. Not 'bad'. Bad ass. It's got a real gritty look and feel to
it too (kudos to John Alonzo, dp), and not once is the illusion
broken-- the illusion that it took place in the 1950's. Every little
50's detail is there, right down to Richie Valens.
Lastly, it's unfortunate that this
film had to open opposite "Spider-Man", as most critics
are bombing it because they're all but going down on the the Spidey.
"Deuces Wild" is quite possibly the first sleeper hit of
the year. It's not a "West Side Story", it's what it is,
and if you don't like it, you probably don't like the genre, so skip
this movie.
But I thought it was extremely bad
ass.
-- James
( 3 1/2 pops out of 4 pops )
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Other Junkie's
opinions.....
Billy Ray ( 0 out of 4 pops )
Hmmmm...gang wars...friendships torn apart...rumbles...doesn't
this sound familiar? Ah yes--it is essentially the same plot
as Francis Ford Coppola's/S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders".
The only difference--this one sucks. Dorff, Renfro, and
Dillon are like sexy, gruff sock puppets and the suspense and
tension is non-existent. I was hoping this film had managed
to avoid completely ripping off "The Outsiders", but I
just kept waiting for Renfro to start reciting the Robert Frost
poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay"--it was that much a work of
plagiarism. I kept waiting and waiting for something
exciting to happen, and was continually disappointed--what else
should I have expected after the first few minutes of nothing and
the following few minutes of shit and redundant dialogue.
This was truly one of the worst films of the year and will
certainly make my list--maybe not top it, but it won't be far
behind. Do yourself a favor--go rent "Bully" or
"Wild Things" if you want to see Brad Renfro and Matt
Dillon all sexed up and buff--don't see this crap-tastic waste of
time and money. It blows.
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