Steel City (2006)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Brian Jun

Writer:

Brian Jun (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A father behind bars. A secret that would change everything.

Plot:

During a Midwestern winter, two working-class brothers must cope with their recently incarcerated father.

Plot Keywords:

Blue Collar | Confession | Busboy | Police | Tattoo

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jamie Anne Allman	...	Maria Lee (as Jamie Anne Brown)
Raymond J. Barry	...	Vic Lee
Kristian Best	...	Michael Karns
Michael Cowan	...	Carpenter at Fire Job
Clayne Crawford	...	Ben Lee
James DeBello	...	Danny
America Ferrera	...	Amy Barnes
Celesta Gentelin	...	Baby Jenny at 1
Rusty Gray	...	Marcus
Tom Guiry	...	PJ Lee
Ricardo Gutierrez	...	Ralph
John Heard	...	Carl Lee
James R. Hentrich	...	Charlie Haskel
Richard Hoffman Jr.	...	Carl Lee's attorney
Amy Holland	...	Distrought Woman
Ian Ivkovich	...	Young PJ Lee
Charlie Keshner	...	Carl's Jail Officer
BJ Lange	...	Diner Scene Patron (as Gerald J. Lange Jr.)
Dennis Lebby	...	Jimmy
Heather McComb	...	Lucy James
James McDaniel	...	Randall Karn
Laurie Metcalf	...	Marianne Karn
Si Osborne	...	Detective Brady
James Simpson	...	Carpenter at Fire Job (as James 'Bumper' Simpson)
George Stumpf	...	Young Carl Lee
Jani Vorwerk	...	Young Marianne Karn
Carly Weiss	...	Jenny at age 2
Robert Wood	...	Casey

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief drug use.

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alton, Illinois, USA

Company:

Steel City Productions LLC

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene where PJ and Lucy are smoking a single blunt in the basement of the bar, one shot shows PJ about to take a hit as he asks Lucy a questions, and then the scene immediately cuts to Lucy answering as she finishes taking a rip from the joint.

Quotes:

Vic Lee: There's something in life called respect, and you earn it.

great performances and a heartfelt story

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.