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Virgil Bliss (2002)
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Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 12
Rotten:5
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Theatrical Release:Jun 12, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: After serving twelve years in prison, an ex convict tries to start a "normal life" while on parole. Virgil Bliss (Clint Jordan) decides to find a good job, get married, and start a family. The only... After serving twelve years in prison, an ex convict tries to start a "normal life" while on parole. Virgil Bliss (Clint Jordan) decides to find a good job, get married, and start a family. The only problem is that he's living in a halfway house and doesn't know any women. His roommate Manny Alvarez (Anthony Gorman), a hood with a chip on his shoulder, introduces Virgil to a prostitute named Ruby (Kirsten Russell). Virgil immediately falls for the hard-bitten and vulnerable woman and moves in with her after his release from the halfway house. He gets a job as a janitor and begins a straight life, but Ruby, a damaged junkie, denies him his dreams of normalcy. When Manny gets out of the halfway house, he shows up at Virgil's door, trying to pull Virgil back into a life a crime. To make matters worse, Ruby's pusher gives Virgil trouble, forcing him to make some tough decisions about his values and the lifestyle that he wants so badly. Kirsten Russell and Clint Jordan are heartbreaking as two damaged people trying to make it in this debut film by Joe Maggio. [More]
Starring: Clint Jordan, Kristen Russell, Anthony Gorman, John Hagemann
Starring: Clint Jordan, Kristen Russell, Anthony Gorman, John Hagemann
Director: Joe Maggio
Director: Joe Maggio
Screenwriter: Joe Maggio
Producer: John Maggio, Joe Maggio
Composer: Greta Gaines, Chris Jordan, Anthony Gorman
Studio: First Run Features
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Reviews for Virgil Bliss
Proof that a newcomer indie filmmaker can infuse some new life into the Downtrodden Loser Character Study.
Although some of the secondary roles are awkwardly acted, the leads are impressive.
An overly familiar scenario is made fresh by an intelligent screenplay and gripping performances in this low-budget, video-shot, debut indie effort.
You've seen it before: the ex-con who stumbles while striving to assimilate back into society. But writer-director Joe Maggio and his able cast makes you care about this man's sorry journey in Virgil Bliss.
Shows moments of promise but ultimately succumbs to cliches and pat storytelling.
Virgil's naïveté isn't entirely believable, but his essential goodness is, thanks to a solid performance by Jordan, and that's really what makes this modern urban tragedy unusually affecting.
Shot largely in small rooms, the film has a gentle, unforced intimacy that never becomes claustrophobic.
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