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Eliciting fine performances from an unknown cast, as most of these actors were when the film was made in 1997, is challenging, yet I found that most of the performances in this low-budget excellently directed independent feature film were uniformly outstanding! Brad Pagano who I understand never acted before, gives a very moving performance as Irish-American Michael, a bigoted alcoholic corrupt politician hitting bottom, trying to prevent his son from repeating his mistakes, and trying to make amends to his long suffering wife Brenda (excellently acted by Rebecca Clemons) when it's really almost too late; I say almost because I sensed that they still love each other beneath the layers of pain, and somehow we get a feeling that they may back together even though the split is very definitive in the film. For a film that explores such dark family relationship issues - effects an alcoholic has on his family, and a devout Catholic woman seeking liberty from a 25 year abusive marriage by breaking away from her religious values, the film is surprisingly amusing and at times bitterly funny as my wife and I found ourselves laughing, especially as the bigot dares utter outrageous Archie Bunker style phrases, i.e., calling his brother's black fiancée "Shaka Zulu's daughter". Over all, I and my wife - who was riveted by this "chick-flick" that can actually be shared and enjoyed by males as well, loved it, story, characters...shot very realistically in 35mm film (rare these days for indie films), almost in documentary style, with one great long scene pitting the women in the family against each other, shot almost entirely with a hand held camera, giving us an urgent being there feeling, as though we're eavesdropping on the characters and their secret conflicts being exposed for the first time perhaps. The film features a terrific performance by Vince De Pasquele (aka Vince Duval, a young Robert De Niro lookalike) playing a tormented Viet Nam veteran whose black fiancée had helped heal and is now on the spiritual path having gotten over his addictions. The great Celtic rock band The Young Dubliners perform rousing Irish rebel music during the finale wedding scene, leaving us with the hope that despite the hardships in all family relationships, there is always the possibility for forgiveness, redemption, and a new start when facilitated by love.

I happen to have read the original draft of the script and in all fairness to the screenwriter (who always get blamed when a movie is bad), the screenplay was very good even though he had to write the script around stock footage of Apache helicopter action scenes from other movies. Despite the fact that the director initially fought for the script to be the best possible in terms of story and character development, once the filmmakers went on location in Bulgaria the script was drastically changed, and coupled with bad acting choices, hack directing (one cannot blame a director when saddled with an 18 day shooting schedule and an impossible budget - considering John Woo had 192 days to shoot Hard Boiled, 35 days just for the hospital action scene alone) the result on the screen became a compromised excuse for a movie showing no one really cared. Sadly, the shell-shocked writer confided in me that he should have taken his name of the film, but unfortunately it was too late by the time he was allowed to see it. At no time during the shooting was he ever consulted regarding any of the changes, but alas, such is the fate of most Hollywood writers, powerless unless they get lucky and blessed to have their scripts directed by a writer-friendly director (i.e, the Rob Reiner, Peter Weir, Ron Howard, Edward Zwig, Martin Campbell, etc.) who not only are able to deliver the vision of a script as written, but often enhance on it with brilliant directing, casting, eliciting excellent performances from their actors, and if allowed enough time, sizzling action.