Just saw this film for the first time, 8-Jan-06. It conveys to me why I like Boys in the Hood and New Jack City. As a self described movie person, who only learned and saw the film maker's art through the lens of the boob tube beginning in the 1960s, I would like to recommend this movie. When the movie opened up, I just assumed a mid USA rust belt city that could be any one of thousand places. Chicago, Gary Indiana, Cleveland, etc. The ending surprised me , in that the cops from NYC showed up at their parents house. The last scenes action did not.The first half of the film I just could not stop watching. We all grow up with dreams. We all think things will be like they are in the movies. At least the famous ones. The Classics. The reality of Boys in the Hood, New Jack City and The Best Years of Our Lives, later on in the film slaps you in the face. The ending did not do it for me. Every thing leading up the ending was believable. Going back home to the old neighborhood after getting out. Getting hooked up with family. Seeing people moving on, moving to their same end. The girl who was left back and was about to by hooked up to a violent looser like Loraine's 1st husband. Diane marrying a nice quiet boy, like she thought Joey was. Joey looking around and seeing the life he thought he would have. I just could not watch the strip scene with Loraine. The last good scene was Joey and Loraine in the car talking.I would like to hope the ending was forced on the director because of perceived market forces.

spoilers hereinTim Roth shows once more he can really act. In No Way Home he enters the stage as a prisoner-on-parole, who is determined never to go back again. As we learn he suffered mental damage resulting from having had an accident while playing as a kid, after which he went in a coma for a while. Though not a retard, he comes across a bit slow. He doesn't overdo this trait, very subtle acting I think! He is kind and softspoken without being sweet and innocent or mushy. He stays with his brother Tommy (Russo) and his wife Lorraine (Unger) who have a far from happy marriage. The film brings across the problems he faces as an ex-convict. His former fiance, turns out to have left him for another man, has kids even. From her we learn he spent his time in jail for a crime his brother committed for which he scapegoated voluntarily. Too bad the director switches halfway through from the dramatic angle -this motif really works, and especially Unger and Roth's emerging friendship deserves more celluloid- to the typical theatrical crime-action approach. That part isn't at all bad, and the flick has a reasonable plot but the power of this movie was in the character-developments and family-relationships if you ask me (you didn't). Gladly no simple happy ending.Worth mentioning also is the brief and utterly unimportant sex scene between Russo and Heather Gottlieb. Although not too depictive in nature I thought it was the best steamy erotic scene I've seen in ages in a 'regular' movie. Gottlieb is a stunning beaut too by the way. I think we'll see more of her.Definitely a film worth watching, unless you like Reservoir Dogs style (Would it be a coincidence Roth was in that as well ?) blood and gore be prepared to look away by the time you reach the end. (8/10)

An ex-con is released from the pen and returns home determined to go straight. He moves in with his brother and sister-in-law and learns of his brother's troubles with a local crime organization. The brother's problems excalate to the breaking point when the thugs demand more money than he has. This was a good show, however it had several flaws; namely the gunfire sounded like underpowered fireworks, and some of the kicks and punches were obviously not connecting. Extremely violent, with buckets of blood.

This is a good story of a man trying to get back in to the real world after a few years in prison. Tim Roth and Deborah Unger are both good and it might have been a better movie if this revolved around their characters than Roth and James Russo, who play brothers. Russo takes this movie from a 7 out of 10 to a 6. He wasn't a very good bad guy.