Boardwalk Poets

I was privy to a screening of this film at the Syracuse Film Festival on April 29th, 2005.

"Poets" is a gritty drama about an aging mobster, who tries to steer his headstrong, but good-willed nephew towards a better life. The debut film from director John Bevilacqua, I enjoyed the film and the performances from Daniel Baldwin, and in particular, Bree Walker - whose turn as the young surfer, Bleu, was particularly touching.

The film's visual style calls to mind such gritty directors as DePalma and Scorsese - director of photography Richard Salazar worked to create a dark, hushed tone for the usually vibrantly filmed Venice Beach, dropping the idyllic sheen that the scenery has encompassed in other films. This dusty and used look adds to the sense of urgency of Baldwin's fading gangster.

An impressive film, considering it's budget, this one is not to be missed by lovers of drama and crime stories.

The personal enthusiasm of Mr. Bevilacqua was evident as he and Mr. Baldwin fielded many questions in a Q&A session afterwords - the love that went into this project is evident in the final product. I expect to see more in the future from the film's two young leads, James Oliver and Bree Michael Warner.