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Movies / On DVD / Steel City
Steel City

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Steel City (2006)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:25

Rotten:4

Average Rating:6.8/10

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Family Interaction, Independent, Brothers, Fathers And Sons

Synopsis: Films about complex relationships among men are few and far between; even rarer are films about complex relationships among working-class men. Steel City tells the psychologically rich story of a... Films about complex relationships among men are few and far between; even rarer are films about complex relationships among working-class men. Steel City tells the psychologically rich story of a dysfunctional family of men in a depressed midwestern steel town who have been torn apart by years of mistrust, anger, and irresponsibility. In the wake of his father's incarceration for killing a woman, 20-something PJ Lee drifts aimlessly, losing one job, then another, scuffling with his tough, philandering brother, and halfheartedly pursuing a girl from work. Evicted from his house, he accepts an offer to live with his estranged, bossy uncle, Vic. But Vic demands a level of accountability and communication that overwhelms PJ, and, like all the men in his family, he bolts. Just when things seem as intractable as the Illinois winter ice, subtle shifts allow each member of the Lee clan to inch together into a new kind of maturity. What makes Steel City extraordinary are its intelligence and penetrating honesty about human behavior. First-timer Brian Jun never confines his characters or story to neat little formulas; rather, he soulfully embraces the nuances and complications of family, love, and circumstance. Raw performances by a talented and focused cast; an authentic, textured sense of place; and crisp camerawork all make this an exquisite, emotionally satisfying debut. --© Sundance Film Festival [More]

Starring: John Heard, Tom Guiry, America Ferrera, Raymond J. Barry

Starring: John Heard, Tom Guiry, America Ferrera, Raymond J. Barry, Laurie Metcalf

Director: Brian Jun

Director: Brian Jun

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Release:

May 6, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • When PJ Lee's (Tom Guiry) father (John Heard) is arrested for vehicular manslaughter, it's just the icing on the cake for a teen whose life is already difficult, thanks to a broken home and dysfunctional relationships. In short order, PJ gets fired, has a falling out with his girlfriend (America Ferrera) and is kicked out of the family home. Through it all, however, the film -- which earned a Grand Jury nod at the Sundance Film Festival -- manages to strike a hopeful tone.
  • Source: Peace Arch Entertainment
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    Reviews for Steel City

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    05/21/08
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    Awfully low-key yet undeniably engaging...

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    05/13/08
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    06/29/07
    David Edelstein
    David Edelstein
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Steel City is gritty, blue-collar and surprisingly dry-eyed. If it hadn't been a movie, it could have been a song off Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    06/28/07
    Richard Nilsen
    Richard Nilsen
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    06/23/07
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    Many traps await novice filmmakers, but writer-director Jun has bypassed most in his absorbing debut.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/23/07
    Andrea Gronvall
    Andrea Gronvall
    Time Out

    Writer-director Brian Jun makes it clear that Steel City isn't about big events, even crucial inciting ones. It's about day-to-day decisions and how they change and inform relationships.

    Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
    06/16/07
    Tasha Robinson
    Tasha Robinson
    AV Club

    Steel City is a moving look at fathers and sons. [Director] Jun neither romanticizes nor pathologizes blue-collar family life. In this earnest rust belt indie, doing the right thing means tipping the scale of justice.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    06/15/07
    Bill Stamets
    Bill Stamets
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Nearly everything about Steel City is pure Indie Filmmaking 101.

    Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
    06/15/07
    Josh Bell
    Josh Bell
    Las Vegas Weekly

    The phrase 'small, personal film' can sound like an alibi for a trivial and self-indulgent vanity project, but Brian Jun's well-crafted Steel City embodies the highest promise of the term.

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    06/15/07
    Colin Covert
    Colin Covert
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    For big chunks in the middle of the movie, Steel City seems lost and styleless, but it builds a cumulative power as we get closer to learning what's up.

    Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
    06/14/07
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    St. Paul Pioneer Press

    Steel City

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    06/14/07
    Michael Wilmington
    Michael Wilmington
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    While the territory of Steel City is as well-worn as the roads of this tiny town, the people and performances are interesting enough to warrant the detour.

    Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
    06/14/07
    Matt Pais
    Matt Pais
    Metromix.com

    Steel City may be the only movie released this year that's so observant you can hear what the characters aren't saying.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    06/08/07
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The stilted dialogue, relying too heavily on speeches, robs the film of believability -- which disappears completely with its happy ending.

    Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
    06/02/07
    Jane Borden
    Jane Borden
    Time Out New York

    It's not always a success, but the ensemble actors are fine at fleshing out purposely underwritten roles.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    06/01/07
    Ted Fry
    Ted Fry
    Seattle Times

    In writer and director Brian Jun's film, the story isn't set up so neatly, and, at first, the ambiguity builds tension.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    06/01/07
    Justin Berton
    Justin Berton
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Brian Jun makes a strong feature debut with a blue-collar drama rooted in character and community and focused on the everyday over the dramatic flare-ups...

    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    05/31/07
    Sean Axmaker
    Sean Axmaker
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    Excellent performances by a good cast and a fairly authentic look at working-class struggles go only so far in Brian Jun's Steel City, which paints an industrial Minnesota municipality entirely in tones of gray and blue.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    05/25/07
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [Director Jun pounds] out a suitably gritty atmosphere, and there's real chemistry between Ferrera and the excellent, quietly expressive Guiry. He's an actor still looking for his big break; this is a fine time to discover him before everyone else does.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    05/25/07
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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