NateWatchesCoolMovies
Brian Jun's Steel City is a fantastic, little heard of indie rust belt drama that deals in choices, consequences, regrets and what it takes to heal, if possible. In the heartlands, a young working class man (Tom Guiry) struggles with pretty much every aspect of his life. His father (an understated John Heard) has been recently incarcerated, and it's tearing him apart, as well as his family. His older brother (Clayne Crawford) is a hotheaded mess. He finds solace when his uncle Vic (Raymond J. Barry, superb) offers him work and sobering life advice in equal doses. He meets a wonderful girl played by America Ferrera, and gradually, bit by bit, his story hits an upswing. This is a small story, revolving around a minuscule faction of the big picture, but that's all it is anyways, thousands of lives unfolding on personal scale, adding up to this mosaic we call humanity. Life goes on for him, and the film is but a small window into one transitionary chapter of his life. Guiry is great, but Ferrera is magic as the kind of girl anyone could only hope to end up with. Barry gives one of the most soulful turns of his storied career as the kind of no nonsense mentor who cares a lot more than is visible behind all that gruff. The kind of life affirming story that finds hope in the oddest of places.
Mike B
This is worth it. If you like a movie with good dialogue and real character interactions then this is for you. The characters are not contrived and unlike a lot of movies this one gets better as it moves along. It's family based (but it's not a Disney family) – father and sons, with girlfriends and ex-girlfriends. Also the movie doesn't lose itself in aimless psychological meanderings.Like most families there are things that are kept hidden – but it's the rivalries and conflicts that come out best in this movie. Although I did like the reconciliations at the end of the movie, perhaps it was a little too smooth?
UnionFighterUnionVoter
This movie caught my eye because I live in a "Steel City"...Granite City, IL. Although the IMDb didn't list it among the original photography sites, many of the scenes that got my attention were from my home town.The shots in Scene 6 on the DVD with the Petri's Cafe and United Steelworkers Local 1063 are places I have driven past on the way to work for the last 36 years. The shots of the large industrial smokestacks at the end of the block are the Granite City Steel works of US Steel. A shot down State St. includes the Commercial Shoe Shop. The shot of the old downtown area that includes the painted advertisement was interesting...the building has been torn down since this film was made.My son is a police officer and was interested to hear about the inclusion of his town (East Alton, IL) in the film.Gritty, greasy, noisy, everything you might imagine two steel towns to be (Alton and Granite City, IL). But I love them both.
mistertopps
I can't remember seeing such a heartfelt depiction of blue collar America since The Last Picture Show. It's a story that spoke very personally to me-- a very simple story about fathers and sons. And the crumbling life of one young man, dealing with his father in jail.And while the plot of the movie is very simple, the emotions within are complex, and played with such sincerity. From the opening shot Tom Guiry delivers such a great performance; watching the movie I couldn't help but think about all the people I know from my small hometown, who are just like him.The whole film, in the dialogue and casting, all just felt incredibly natural. And the film never goes for any forced or cheap dramatic moments. The cast of the whole family-- they all LOOKED like they could related as well, which is one of my pet peeves when watching a film.It made me think about my own family; my relationship to my own father. And the sacrifices that people make for each other-- even though they may not like each other, just because they are tied by blood.If you're looking for the next hippest flashy film, this is by far not that. If you're looking for an honest emotional experience that hits close to the bone, go see Steel City. I can only hope it comes out in my town so that I can take my father to see it.
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