Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
At Close Range (1985)
Director: James Foley
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
After young Penn is thrown out by his stepfather, he encounters his real father (Walken), who impresses the lad with his life as a successful outlaw in the Pennsylvania backwoods. He trains up the boy in stealing anything that moves, and life seems very jolly and fulfilled in a hillbilly sort of way. Then Walken is slowly revealed to the boy's eyes as a murderer and rapist; and when the boy and his friends decide to blow the whistle, the guns are turned inwards on the family. Foley has opted for a mixture of documentary 'realism' and set pieces which have clearly escaped from over-lit pop promos. Mingle this with Penn and Walken going heavily over the top in usual Method fashion, and the brew is less than intoxicating. CPea.Author: CPea
User reviews of this film
-
- ray said...
- Posted on Aug 01 2009 08:50 CPea has obviously been watching too many cartoons because he or she can't distinguish a great movie when it hits him or her between the eyes. Cpea should read Roger Ebert's review to understand what an adult thinks about this outstanding film.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: James Foley
Producer: Elliot Lewitt, Don Guest
Cast: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Millie Perkins, Eileen Ryan, Chris Penn full cast
Duration: 115 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 50 greatest monster movies
As Joe Johnston’s long-awaited reinvention of Universal’s howl-at-the-moon classic ‘The Wolfman’ hits cinemas, Time Out lists our 50 favourite cinematic stalkers, growlers, slashers and biters.
Mark Kermode: A life in film
Dave Calhoun chats to Britain's most outspoken film critic and pundit ahead of the release of his memoirs
Has Ricky Gervais gone all serious?
The trailer to 'Cemetery Junction' suggests that its writer-director is suppressing his funny bone.
The genius of Roman Polanski
Ahead of his new film, 'The Ghost', we must forget the media circus and remember the artist pleads Wally Hammond
Oscars 2010: The nominees
Tom Huddleston offers his acute analysis on the list of nominees for the 2010 Academy Awards
Rotterdam 2010: Geoff Andrew's report
Geoff Andrew finds rich leftfield pickings at the 2010 Rotterdam Film Festival
Can Tom Ford cut it as a director?
After ten years as creative head of Gucci, Tom Ford has directed his first movie. Nina Caplan meets him
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
So here it is… Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this.
2009: The year in film
We look back at the best movies of 2009 and pick out some of our favourite lists, features and interviews.











What do you think?
Post your review now