Southie (1998)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

John Shea

Writers:

Jimmy Cummings (writer)
Dave McLaughlin (writer)

Release Date:

28 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

The toughest thing about South Boston is coming back

Plot:

South Boston Irish bad boy Danny Quinn returns back home from New York and gets stuck between his pals...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Irish American | Boston Massachusetts | South Boston Massachusetts | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Donnie Wahlberg	...	Danny Quinn
Rose McGowan	...	Kathy Quinn
Jimmy Cummings	...	Joey Ward
Anne Meara	...	Mrs. Quinn
Lawrence Tierney	...	Colie Powers
John Shea	...	Peter Bardini
Will Arnett	...	Whitey
Amanda Peet	...	Marianne Silva
Jere Shea	...	Martin Powers
Josh Marchette	...	Will
Steven Kozlowski	...	Jimmy Quinn
Ericson Balcita	...	Marco
Jeffery Cook	...	Chuckie Boyle (as Jeff Cook)
Robert Wahlberg	...	Davey Quinn
David Fitzgerald	...	Butchie Ward

Also Known As:

Brass Ring (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Germany:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Prophecy Pictures Ltd.

Trivia:

Some members of the film crew were arrested for trespassing while filming the train sequence at the beginning of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When they stop Danny's bus leaving Southie to tell him Whitey's dead, it's broad daylight, however, when he get to the body, not that far away, it's night time.

Quotes:

Mrs. Quinn: You're a good boy, Danny.
Danny Quinn: But being a good boy's not enough, you know. It's not gonna pay the bills.
Mrs. Quinn: Sweetheart, you've done enough. Don't worry.

Movie Connections:

References Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)

Soundtrack:

Long Time a Comin'

Which South Boston are some of you from?

... the Southie that tried so hard from the Garrity era on down to portray themselves as Just Another Heart Of Gold (all-white) Community, or the one that really exists?

This isn't a great movie. The production values are spotty, such plot as exists is threadbare, sound fades in and out, and you won't put the tape back in the box having learned much of anything.

But paintings don't tell stories either; they're evocative mood-setting pieces, and so is this movie. Wahlberg doesn't put phony speeches in the characters' mouths, he doesn't have a happy ending, nothing much is resolved, and no one is any less of a mess than at the beginning. He presents you a moving image of a profane, drunken, violent environment that is a side of Southie the residents and the city of Boston would prefer you not see. It's there nonetheless.

6/10.