Illtown

I just watched Illtown on video, 6 years after it came out. Better late than never! I loved Laws of Gravity and wondered what happened to Nick Gomez. I knew he was directing some TV stuff (Oz, the Sopranos) and unfortunately didn't get around to seeing Illtown when it was in the theatres. Nick Gomez's directing style is so unique and powerful, and his sense of color and detail is incredible. Illtown reminded me alot of Soderberg's "The Limey", in its sophisticated sense of space and geography. Gomez's use of the Florida landscape and architecture is just as expressive as the incredible cast of characters he assembled, just as his location of Williamsburg, Brooklyn did in Laws of Gravity. I loved this film, and I encourage anyone who has any taste to see it.

As the title says, I find this to be sort of the 'heroin' version of Scarface though the stories are not identical. The movie features strong actors who can be seen in movies/shows like True Romance, Copland, American Pie, The Sopranos, The Substitute, Ransom, etc.

The movie is trippy/surreal so in some ways it's comparable to David Lynch's directing style. The story revolves around drug dealers and an ex-dealer getting out of prison and trying to reclaim his place in the drug world in Florida. i don't want to give the story away, but you can assume from the aforementioned summary of the plot, that there will be friction, and deaths.

strong movie, obviously from the rating, it's poorly underrated.

After being completely blown away by "Laws of Gravity" and "New Jersey Drive" I had great expectations for this bigger-budget, bigger-talent movie. Unfortunately this effort fails to achieve what Gomez's earlier offerings did so successfully. I think the biggest problem with the film is the pacing. All of the heroin-induced deadpan dialogue just wears the momentum out of the story. The talent here is just wasted in a cloudy disembodied attempt at a realistic portrayal of the world of heroin in Miami. My advice, stick with Gomez's earlier films and hope for future success from this very talented director.

Many people hate movies that skip over the happy endings, or fail to feature any likable characters, but I'm not like that, at all. If you are, you probably won't like this movie.

Most of the characters are unscrupulous, and in some cases, downright despicable. I love that in a movie. Hehe.

It kept my attention all the way through with lots of action, and the final shootout was awesome.

I love Lili Taylor in anything, and she's great here. Also worth noting are the performances of a couple of highly underrated actors....Paul Schulze and Adam Trese. Watching Tony Danza play a gay crimelord is a hoot.

Sure, it's downbeat, gritty, and dreary, but isn't that what gangsters and drug trafficking is all about? Love it!

Sporting an excellent cast and appealing stylistic elements, ILLTOWN visits the theme of what happens when people trapped in a life of crime they began as kids are drawn by the normal maturation process to middle-class values. Like much good storytelling, this film starts with vagueness and confusion but gradually gels into a coherent story. The problem is that it falls apart again in the last third, and we are never sure what really happened to the characters at the end. Still, the film is eminently watchable, and if you can handle the irresolution, I would recommend it for rental.