The Narrows [Blu-ray]
Brooklyn native Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers, Transamerica, Dawn of the Dead) has a dream-but he’s got to risk his life to make it come true. To afford tuition at a prestigious Manhattan university, Mike takes a job with the local mob boss (Titus Welliver, Gone Baby Gone, TV’s Deadwood). But as his assignments grow more dangerous, he learns the true meaning of loyalty when he gets some help from a very unlikely source. Featuring Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill), THE NARROWS is a gritty, real-life portrait of a young man torn between his traditional Italian-American neighborhood and the elite Manhattan world just across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Stills from The Narrows (Click for larger image)
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I am a fan of D’Onofrio and was hoping to see something different for Zegers than those last two dark outings in Gardens of the Night and Normal – and was pleasantly surprised by the time the credits rolled.
The story follows our twentysomething (Zegers) as he lives with his crippled dad (D’Onofrio) in Brooklyn while working for a car service run by a small-time mobster. The only significant difference between this and the Heart of the Old Country (The Narrows) would be he has the added aspiration of being a photographer, which in itself sets the style of film making. That being lots of picture work being still-shot into the storyline and multiple lens colorings/scene changes, including black & white, sepia, chroma, yellow and a few others. The line follows his struggles with his dad, being owned by the mob, finding love, finding his art in photography – and staying alive.
The BD quality is excellent at times, mediocre in other sequences, but that lens change and digital camera feel were on purpose so I do not fault it with a lower rating. The opening CGI sequence of shifting from a bullet to a football looked pristine – nice reference point right off. The DTS worked fine but gets used very little to the outer channels. The amount of clarity degradations would normally make me rate this Blu lower, but it all serves a purpose and the majority of sequences show NY in excellent 1080. The supplements are thorough for a character film and include:
* 43 minute interview with the director and writer. Gives you some good insight into how this came to be – nice connection between the screenwriter and the book author (went to writing school together).
* 11 minute interview with Zegers. Seems like a good kid with a heart in this.
* 21 minute interview with Sophia Bush.
* 7 minute interview with D’Onofrio. Would have expected a longer cut but I realize he is all about the work speaking for itself.
* 7 minute interview with McGloughlin (author). Not his best location interview.
* Commentary with writer and director. ESL for Francois but he provides a decent narration.
All of the supplements are lodef and play individually (no play all).
Four stars for the film content and clarity, one for the supplements. Hope you enjoy a solid performance piece from everyone involved.
Hey Mikey. He friggin Likes It! – Born2Late – New York, USA
I don’t write spoilers. This is a nice, little story. It’s a bit low budget. That’s OK, though. It’s nice to see people working w/less. Yeah, there’s a couple of flaws w/the storyline, but it’s an enjoyable shortish film. This kid has been studying Leo D’Caprio’s face pix a bit too much 
… D’Onfrio has got to be related to the guy who played Animal Mother in FMJ. I don’t care what their stage names are. Good film @a good price. You’ll probably like it, too. Caio.
Something I wouldn’t watch over and over again yet an okan movie – S. Cruz – Boston, MA USA
The only reason why I purchased this DVD was because of the actor Eddie Cahill. His role was small yet significant, and I believe that he actually made the movie worth watching. He played his role as a veteran very believable and did an excellent performance on screen. The other cast was pretty good too except for Kevin Zegers who was in the leading role. He did a horrible job, and was totally wrong for the part. His body language and figure were extremely irritating too. I believe the perfect actor for this role would have been Leonardo DiCaprio, but since it was a low budget movie you had to get those that weren’t that expensive. So my resume would be that it was a very dry yet realistic kept movie that was pretty well done for a low budget.
Definitely add this one to your D’Onofrio collection! – E. Wagner – SouthCarolina
Got this film because I’m a huge Vincent D’Onofrio fan. The movie stays amazingly true to the book “Heart of the Old Country.” All of the actors turn in solid performances and the story has a good twist. Kevin Zegers carries off his part as a young man searching for something more in life. The father-son relationship is well played. D’Onofrio once again brings a third dimension to his role. Good movie. Great Vincent.
Add comment March 4th, 2010
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