At Close Range

AT CLOSE RANGE (1986) *** Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Millie Perkins, Eileen Ryan, Tracey Walter, Crispin Glover, R.D. Call, J.C. Quinn, Candy Clark, David Strathairn, Jake Denzel, Stephen Geoffreys, Kiefer Sutherland. Excellent casting of Penn and Walken as son and father sharing two generations of crime with some modulated tense moments and violence perfectly calculated with a fine ensemble character actor cast. Walken is indelibly chilling. Excellent use of light and shadows in cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchia's choices and excellently directed by James Foley.

A very good film that I recommend highly if you are in the right frame of mind to view truly evil subject matter. The acting by Walken, Penn, Penn and Masterson is brilliant. Espescially the last few minutes. Sean Penn's performance is my favourite acting moment of all time. Even writing this makes me take a deep exhale.

At Close Range is a sadly forgotten crime drama from the 80's that is ripe for re watching and praise from new generations. It's a diobolically suspenseful cautionary tale about sins of the father, burying the past, and the violent, tragic things that can happen when you don't leave it buried. Sean Penn plays Brad Whitewood, an aimless young man who along with his brother (Chris Penn, Sean's real life sibling) tries to reconnect with his estranged father, Brad Sr. (Christopher Walken). Brad Sr. is a a charming, hospitable and all together evil son of a bitch, a small time rural crime lord who makes do by hijacking expensive farming equipment. Brad Jr. is enticed by his father's easygoing alpha male aura, and takes up keep with him, if for nothing else than because he has nothing better to do. Big, big mistake. Walken turns out to be a sociopathic monster, coldly turning on his two hapless sons quicker than a venomous cobra. In fact I was reminded of the scorpion and the rabbit story while observing his character. Here is a man so evil that no matter how familiar or close a person is to him, he Wil turn sadistic and destructive on them at the drop of a hat, simply because it is his nature. Walken is a demon daddy in the role, turning a character that could have fallen into clichéd melodrama into a nuanced, intriguing fiend. The Penn brothers, still very young here are tragic and realistically relatable. The supporting cast is also fantastic, with Kiefer Sutherland, Crispin Glover and Mary Stuart Masterson all diving excellent turns. Films this prolific, provocative and tragically entertaining shouldn't get overlooked, especially deadly, downbeat, serious minded scorcher of a thriller like this. Highly recommended.

1986 had so many great movies The Hitcher, Aliens, Top gun, stand by me, platoon, then came at close range a terrific movie that was well made and acted. Sean Penn gave his best performance and this film had alot of heart. Based on a true story this will always remain a classic from the 80's.

Having recently purchased this movie on DVD and viewed it again, I feel compelled to amend my prior comments. On the most recent viewing, I watched the movie much more carefully than on prior viewings, and can now see the motivations of the character(s) more clearly, and how the 'situation' portrayed in the film spiralled out of control (click on my username to read my prior review for "At Close Range," in which I questioned the actions of the villain). On more careful viewing, the whole thing makes a lot more sense.

I want to revise my prior comment -- this is a superb film, and I've voted again and now give this film 9/10. If you haven't seen it, now's a great chance. Great acting by *everyone*, especially Sean Penn and Christopher Walken (this is one of Walken's best parts ever).

The DVD version of the film just came out (I had it on preorder and received it yesterday), and I have to say how impressed I am with the transfer. Absolutely superlative, clear picture quality, although I can't evaluate the sound because I have only stereo speakers, no dolby surround. But the video transfer itself is one of the best I've seen for a movie this old, looking like the film might just have been made six months ago. It appears that quite a bit of work went into restoration. If you have a DVD player, you owe it to yourself to get this film on DVD, although the only 'special feature' is the original theatrical trailer. The film is offered in both widescreen and pan-and-scan formats (two-sided single-layer).

Revised Review: 9/10