Down on his luck ex-con Frank Walker (a fine and credible performance by writer/director Tom Ryan) has his life take a drastic turn for the worse after he befriends obnoxious loudmouth drunk Charlie Downey (well played with winning aplomb by Paul Gmittor).
Ryan firmly grounds the rather familiar, yet still effective and engrossing premise in a plausibly grim'n'gritty working class reality (Frank has great difficulty in securing a job and has fallen behind on paying the rent for his apartment), makes highly inventive use of sound, keeps the stark and compelling story moving at a brisk pace, and maintains a tough downbeat tone throughout. The excellent acting by the tip-top cast holds the picture together, with especially stand-out work from Edward X. Young as hard-nosed shipping tycoon Henry Benson, Deana Demko as sweet and smitten neighbor Beth, Joe Parascand as the distraught Detective Jack Donnelly, Caroline Pozycki as perky barmaid Connie, and Tom Schorr as gruff landlord Jose. Christian Santiago's moody cinematography and Andrew LaBruno's brooding score further add to the overall gloomy atmosphere. Moreover, Ryan deserves extra praise for avoiding certain clichés intrinsic to the genre (for example, there's no hackneyed back story for Frank revealing that he's the toxic product of past abuse) as well as for ending everything on a genuinely surprising and unexpected note. Basically a dark and disturbing character study of a lonely and troubled soul, this one packs quite a fierce punch.
Ryan firmly grounds the rather familiar, yet still effective and engrossing premise in a plausibly grim'n'gritty working class reality (Frank has great difficulty in securing a job and has fallen behind on paying the rent for his apartment), makes highly inventive use of sound, keeps the stark and compelling story moving at a brisk pace, and maintains a tough downbeat tone throughout. The excellent acting by the tip-top cast holds the picture together, with especially stand-out work from Edward X. Young as hard-nosed shipping tycoon Henry Benson, Deana Demko as sweet and smitten neighbor Beth, Joe Parascand as the distraught Detective Jack Donnelly, Caroline Pozycki as perky barmaid Connie, and Tom Schorr as gruff landlord Jose. Christian Santiago's moody cinematography and Andrew LaBruno's brooding score further add to the overall gloomy atmosphere. Moreover, Ryan deserves extra praise for avoiding certain clichés intrinsic to the genre (for example, there's no hackneyed back story for Frank revealing that he's the toxic product of past abuse) as well as for ending everything on a genuinely surprising and unexpected note. Basically a dark and disturbing character study of a lonely and troubled soul, this one packs quite a fierce punch.