The lives of a septic tank cleaner, an ambitious mob boss, and a deaf-mute deli worker converge in tragedy in this seriocomic crime drama from director/screenwriter James DeMonaco. Blue collar by birth, Sully Halverson (Ethan Hawke) has never amounted to much in life. When Sully finds out he's about to become a father, he schemes to rob Parmie Tarzo (Vincent D'Onifrio), a small-time kingpin who's looking for a way to leave his mark on the world. By saving Staten Island Forest, Parmie surmises,
he can mold an upstanding public persona for himself while quietly eliminating the competition behind closed doors. That's where Jasper Sabiano (Seymour Cassel) comes in. Seymour may not be able to hear or speak, but he's a hard worker who knows where his bread is buttered. When he's not serving up bagels and coffee, Jasper is dispatching bodies for Tarzo -- frequently in Staten Island Forest. But lately Jasper has been growing tired of the game, and he's desperate to find a way out. When Sully sets his plan into motion, all three men find themselves thrust into a volatile situation that threatens to destroy their plans for the future as it quickly spirals out of control. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
DeMonaco deserves credit for wanting to do something different. But what starts out as a witty tweak on tired mobster movies eventually collapses into those very same clichés.
Best is D'Onofrio as a gangster turned environmental activist -- he puts on a white three-piece suit, climbs to the top of a gigantic tree and refuses to come down.
Staten Island is not at all what I expected. I was expecting to see a typical mobster movie and I was totally surprised. I knew within the first 10 minutes that I would really enjoy this flick. It's humorous at times, extremely unpredictable... and doesn't follow a direct linear path like most movies. The film is sort
of setup like 11:14, Crossing Over, or something similar to that sort where it tells multiple stories that are connected in some fashion and have meaning in the end. In my opinion, this movie is more of a revenge thriller. The acting was stellar, the script was decent, and the story was pretty different from the norm.
November 8, 2010
DJ Jackson
It certainly has it?s moments, but it?s also very disjointed and it doesn?t flow well. It has a few too many story lines. They do all connect, but they would have been better off simplifying it more. It can be disturbing at times. It?s an okay movie. Julianne Nicholson and Seymout Cassel stand out in the cast, although
everyone is good.
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