Yet another quintessential Boston tale that takes place in South Boston where Irish guys turn to crime as a means of making ends meet. In this, Paulie (Ethan Hawke) and Brian (Mark Ruffalo) are best friends whose choices and consequences affect their families, their friends and their outcomes. The best thing about this movie is the casting. Ruffalo is the perfect choice for a likable bad guy who shows gentle to angry range outside of his usual roles. For the first half of the film he’s hateful but then we’re completing pulling for him as he comes to term with his inner conflicts. His wife (Amanda Peet) is surprising in her performance – a typical “Southie” wife – in-love, determined and feisty. Her park-the-car accent isn’t bad either. The rest of the faces will look familiar too – often cast in past similar movies like Ted Demme’s “Monument Ave” or John Shea’s “Southie.” Donnie Walhberg – the ultimate Boston boy – plays the cop. It’s a smart simple little film that captures the true essence of inner Beantown, but will unfortunately get lost in the Oscar shuffle of year end films. Two and a half tiaras
