Boy Wonder

I must admit: I'm a huge fan of thrillers…the only problem is I'm often disappointed by the weak story plots and cliché endings that plague most of the new suspense films that are being dished out by Hollywood fools lately. That being said, I didn't expect much when I went to see Boy Wonder at the Thrill Spy Fest in D.C. Michael Morrissey's Boy Wonder sets itself apart from the senseless crap out there today. It keeps you guessing the whole way through, and just when you think you figured out the ending, you're proved wrong. The film is a classic man vs. man revenge plot, with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. For an indie film, I was pretty surprised by the writing and acting. This director is definitely going places. The lead guy who played Caleb was awesome too. He definitely has that troubled method actor type quality to him. Expect to see him around in the future. Not sure whether or not this is going straight to DVD or if it will stay in the festival circuit for awhile, but if you have the opportunity to see Boy Wonder, you won't be disappointed.

I am something of a film festival nerd. I saw Boy Wonder screen at the Sedona Film festival and was impressed with the film there. I knew there was something to be said for the crazy fight scenes and realistic nature of it all. I was in Chicago visiting friends this past weekend and they wanted to go to the C2E2 thing there for the day...and of course knowing it was going on while I was in town meant that we were for sure gonna go. I stumbled upon the Boy Wonder booth and realized that I was going not only get to see the movie again but that I could give my friends the pleasure of seeing it as well. Being in the comic book environment almost gave this film a whole new meaning. The audience was just as impressed with the realness of the film as I was. I've been waiting for someone to do a film like this for a long time..one that stays true to what comic books are really about. While I didn't get into Teresa Ames too much the character of Sean blew me away even the second time around. This movie is legit and not legit like Hollywood put a bunch of money into something and marketed the hell out of it..its legit like had a low budget made a good looking film and has quality story and characters. If you get a chance see this movie when it comes near you your time wont be wasted..even if you are one of those only see movies with major players in it kind of person....you should go anyway..expand your horizons. Anyway I usually don't take the time to write reviews but when a good indie film comes around and I think people should know about it...I give up some of my time for the cause.

The teenager Sean Donovan (Caleb Steinmeyer) is a brilliant but shy student that lives with his father Terry Donovan (Bill Sage) in Brooklyn. Sean has a trauma since he has witnessed the murder of his mother in a carjack nine years ago. Sean frequently goes to the precinct to see criminal photos expecting to identify the killer of his mother and he is an amateurish boxer. During the night, Sean secretly is a vigilante, seeking out brutal criminals based on the police files to eliminate them.

The efficient police lieutenant Teresa Ames (Zulay Henao) has been just promoted after capturing the notorious gangster Larry Childs (James Russo) and transferred to work in the Homicide Department in the precinct where Sean uses to go. When Sean helps Teresa to change her flat tire, she befriends Sean and leans his traumatic story. But when she notes that Sean was searching in the computer of the police department the pimp that was murdered, she suspects that the troubled teenager might be the vigilante that is killing in New York City.

The unknown "Wonder Boy" is a dramatic thriller with a complex and well developed story of revenge. The characters are perfectly developed and Caleb Steinmeyer and Zulay Henao have great performances. The awesome conclusion shocks and shows how dangerous it to judge based on suppositions. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Garoto Prodígio" ("Boy Prodigy")

This is a good movie with a solid plot but I can't help but feel that it could have been so much more. I looked to see how far through the movie I was and was surprised that it was almost over when it really hadn't built up any climax for the ending. It's a cool, gritty movie and certainly worth the watch but there wasn't much of a progressive story and the timing seemed a little undesirable. The acting was pretty good, the action scenes were exciting but didn't last long. I'm disappointed that there was really no 'boss fight', I feel that the last 20-30 minutes could have been really thrilling if the ending was written better. Although if you treat this as a drama rather than a crime thriller the actual end scenes were pretty cool and clever.

Overall I'd give this movie a 7 out of 10, it's above average but not exactly on the end of your seat thrilling or something you'd want to watch over and over again.

I went to screening of Boy Wonder and was expecting nothing good. I was really surprised, this film is shot beautifully and they got some great performances, the kid playing Sean, Caleb something, was great. This movie is a puzzle and the way the story is told keeps you thinking all the way through. THE ENDING IS AWESOME!!!! This is not really an action movie but there are some great fight scenes. The fights are really quick and brutal and realistic in my opinion. I was approached to screen the film because I work in a comic book store and the director is into comic books. The movie does have a graphic novel feel to it. Like old school Frank Miller/ Klaus Jansen Daredevil. Not a hokey superhero story but more dark avenger, flawed hero (really flawed). It's not about Dick Grayson by the way.