don2507 ....I see things that can move...anything that can move has got my name on it" says Brad Whitewood Sr. (played by Christopher Walken) to his son, Brad Jr. (played by Sean Penn) as he drives his son through the Chester County countryside in SE Pennsylvania. The sociopathic / psychopathic Brad Sr. runs a burglary ring that steals lots of things but primarily farm equipment, all things that can "move" with a ready market via a "fence." He readily flashes his money around his son and "obtains" a car for him that comes "mostly with 'borrowed' parts, but the registration is legal", so Brad Jr. is happy that he can impress his new girlfriend. Brad Jr. is an aimless youth with what would appear to be poor prospects; his character is largely morally flawed, given his admiration for his father, but it's not completely formed yet, and his girlfriend has the potential for helping him shape his character in a positive way. The interaction between father and son, between a career criminal and a young man on the fringes of criminality, and the son's evolving perception of his dad from admiration to doubt to fear, is the focal point of this film.The film is based on the Johnston gang that ran wild through the rural parts of SE Pennsylvania in the '60s and '70s. Some reviewers have described it as "loosely" based on that family gang, but I'm from this part of Pennsylvania and I vividly remember reading about their crimes during this period, and this film seems to have most of the important details correct. I well know the rural road where some of the young gang members were killed and buried. The Johnston gang were hillbillies from NE Tennessee who moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania in the '60s, developed a multi-million burglary ring, taunted the local police, and when sloppy young gangmember "wannabes" started to get subpoenas, they viciously closed ranks and killed five teenagers and buried their bodies in the countryside. What's so horrific is that Bruce Johnston Sr., the model for the film's Brad Sr., killed his stepson, killed his son's girlfriend (days after raping her), and had his son (unsuccessfully) targeted for death although he did receive two bullet shots to the head. While in prison, he was accused of murdering an inmate by burning his cell.Walken does a marvelous job of portraying this monster. He displays both the charisma he undoubtedly had and that made his brothers readily accept his leadership and cunning, as well as attracted his sons, nephews, and their friends to a life of crime, as well as the pure evil he apparently was born with. Walken's performance is one of the best in portraying a truly wicked man that I've seen outside of film noir. Sean Penn's Brad Jr. realizes he may have bit on too much when he sees his father have a police informant drowned, but he's trapped in the gang and at the mercy of his father.This is not a film for everyone; it's a dark film without much redeeming virtue being displayed, even the women seem to be passive enablers. But I give it a 7 for its depiction of amoral greed and murderous self-protection.

SnoopyStyle It's 1978 in rural Pennsylvania. Brad Whitewood Jr. (Sean Penn) is an angry young man. He lives with his brother Tommy (Chris Penn), his mother, grandma, and her mother's boyfriend for the last few months. They can best be described as white trash. He has an eye for Terry (Mary Stuart Masterson). His absentee father (Christopher Walken) runs a crime family and drops by to give the family money once in awhile. After a fight with his mother's boyfriend, he goes away to his father.The first thing one notices is the great Madonna song. It gives the movie the perfect mood. There is a desolation and a sense of impending doom running all throughout this movie. Its bleak tone fits the based-on-a-true-story movie. The acting is close to perfect. The story doesn't have a good flow but its randomness feels like a true story.

AaronCapenBanner Christopher Walken and Sean Penn play Brad Whitewood Sr. & Jr., father and son who are reunited after the fathers long absence. The father belongs to a criminal gang specializing in theft, and his son(along with his friends, and other brother Tommy) want to join the gang, without realizing what a bad role model he really is, since he counts his ties to the gang far tighter than his family, which they will learn to their regret, as they get involved deeper into the stealing of farm equipment.Though well acted by the leads, with intense direction by James Foley, any emotional involvement is utterly muted, since the viewer is kept at arms length throughout, and it is difficult to care about any of them; you'll just want to see them arrested...

flackjacket This "movie" was recently aired on a local station. I tried to stay with it till the end considering the big name actors thinking it eventually would be worth watching. But after being bored to death, I switched the channel and just looked up the movie online to see how it eventually ended.My search resulted in bringing me here, where most of the reviews raved about what a great movie it was, best performances ever, etc. So I joined specifically to post a review of this pathetic film.This movie is completely uneventful. The slowest moving movie I've ever watched, painfully slow. The characters are totally unbelievable, especially Walken, who looks like he went to the makeup artist for the Brady Bunch and Penn with the totally fake bleached blonde hair.As if the slow uneventful script and bad acting wasn't enough, they top it all off with a cheesy 80's synthesizer soundtrack. The cherry on top of this steaming pile of boredom is Madonna's "Live to Tell".I find it hard to believe anyone would enjoy this film, was amazed at the positive reviews, found this film unbearable.