| Credited cast: | |||
| Jamie Anne Allman | ... |
Maria Lee
(as Jamie Anne Brown)
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| Raymond J. Barry | ... | ||
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Kristian Best | ... |
Michael Karns
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Michael Cowan | ... |
Carpenter at Fire Job
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| Clayne Crawford | ... |
Ben Lee
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| James DeBello | ... |
Maria's Brother
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| America Ferrera | ... |
Amy Barnes
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Celesta Gentelin | ... |
Baby Jenny at 1
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Rusty Gray | ... |
Marcus
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| Tom Guiry | ... |
PJ Lee
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Ricardo Gutierrez | ... |
Ralph
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| John Heard | ... |
Carl Lee
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James R. Hentrich | ... |
Charlie Haskel
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| Richard Hoffman Jr. | ... |
Carl Lee's attorney
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| Amy Holland | ... |
Distrought Woman
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Steel City is a stirring family drama from the heartland of America about pride, remorse and forgiveness. When Carl Lee is involved in a fatal car accident he finds himself behind bars, cut off from his life and alienated by his family. His youngest son PJ, confused by life without his dad, is the only person to visit him. While PJ's girlfriend stays lovingly by his side and his Uncle Vic extends a helping hand, a belligerent older brother and the reality of being on his own force PJ to grow up faster than he'd like. It's not until a devastating secret is revealed that the family reunites and a regretful father learns that you can never take back the past, but you can let go of it. Written by Anonymous
I can't remember seeing such a heartfelt depiction of blue collar America since The Last Picture Show. It's a story that spoke very personally to me-- a very simple story about fathers and sons. And the crumbling life of one young man, dealing with his father in jail.
And while the plot of the movie is very simple, the emotions within are complex, and played with such sincerity. From the opening shot Tom Guiry delivers such a great performance; watching the movie I couldn't help but think about all the people I know from my small hometown, who are just like him.
The whole film, in the dialogue and casting, all just felt incredibly natural. And the film never goes for any forced or cheap dramatic moments. The cast of the whole family-- they all LOOKED like they could related as well, which is one of my pet peeves when watching a film.
It made me think about my own family; my relationship to my own father. And the sacrifices that people make for each other-- even though they may not like each other, just because they are tied by blood.
If you're looking for the next hippest flashy film, this is by far not that. If you're looking for an honest emotional experience that hits close to the bone, go see Steel City. I can only hope it comes out in my town so that I can take my father to see it.