The Narrows

The Narrows is a film that never truly takes off. From start to finish, it feels like you're watching several different movies stitched together, each competing for attention but never blending into something cohesive. Instead of pulling me in, it left me completely lost-and, more importantly, completely bored.

The setup tries to be sophisticated and clever, bouncing between the "neighborhood life" the main character grew up in and the new world he's exposed to while off at college. On paper, that duality should create tension and depth. In execution, it just feels jumbled and disjointed, never finding its footing or establishing a rhythm.

The screenplay is the film's biggest downfall. The writing drags, stumbles, and circles back on itself to the point where I found myself dozing off-literally. I had to rewind multiple times, hoping it would finally click, but it never did. Instead, it settled into a nonchalant tone that kept the story flat and lifeless.

At the end of the day, The Narrows isn't gripping, it isn't sharp, and it certainly isn't entertaining. It's a slow, unfocused drama that thinks it's more profound than it actually is, and the result is a forgettable, dragging experience that I wouldn't recommend.

Most gangster, mob, mafia films portray the dominance of that life, squashing and absorbing the protagonist. The Narrows flips that script with subtlety without reducing the tension. The story, script, direction and cast were all spot on. Typically, directors like Scorsese and De Palma bash you in the face with the reality of that life. I love every second of their films. Having seen their films allows this film to shine. WATCH THIS MOVIE!!

Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers) lives with his father Vinny (Vincent D'Onofrio) in Brooklyn. His friend Nicky Shades (Eddie Cahill) returns from war with a dark edge. Mike's photography gets him a partial scholarship to NYU. He falls for fellow student Kathy Popovich (Sophia Bush) despite having neighborhood girlfriend Gina Abruzzi (Monica Keena). He starts doing odd jobs driving for local mob guy Tony (Titus Welliver). His father is angry with him working for Tony.

This is reminiscent of well-used material from better movies. It's an indie in need of better cinematic style and better music. It's more in the line of a good-looking TV movie. Zegers is a perfectly functional young leading man. He has just enough charisma and Bush is a hottie. However the story meanders without much tension. It takes a long time for the movie to raise the danger level. The dialog is a bit lackluster except when D'Onofrio shows up. It tries to go to a darker place but it never shocks. The whole movie needs to be tightened up a bit and concentrate on the father son relationship. More D'Onofrio would really help.

It would have been better had they casted a different lead in this movie. The story is way too soapish and too straight-to-DVD - everything is so typical and predictable that it's boring. It's a 6 because of the father's acting, and perhaps the mob boss as well. He's so much better than in "Law and Order", which really is insulting his talent as an actor. The son probably is the only actor that really fits this movie - a straight to DVD/soap opera type of role with matching talent for it - too obvious, too superficial, and too enthusiastically played out. I completely disagree with the other reviewer - I won't miss this guy's acting in the future at all.

Try The Bronx Story by De Niro et al. Now that's a worthy movie with real interesting story to tell.

Watched this only because I saw that Titus Welliver was in it, but his part was very small. Yet another terrible mafia film knockoff. A lot of wasted talent here.