Steel City (2006)

Director:

Brian Jun

Writer:

Brian Jun

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:

Jail | Police | Interracial Relationship | Place Name In Title | Confession

Awards:

3 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	...	Maria's Brother
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 Jones
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
Veronica Garcia	...	Extra (uncredited)
Brad Myers	...	Paramedic (uncredited)
Candace Nicol	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Kevin Stroup	...	Prosecutor (uncredited)
Abbey Jo Wallace	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian Jun

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Brian Jun

Produced by
Eric Arlt	....	executive producer
Mark Covington	....	executive producer
Mike Gandy	....	executive producer
Rusty Gray	....	producer
Ryan Harper	....	producer
John Heard	....	associate producer
Josh R. Jaggars	....	associate producer
Marisa Johnston	....	associate producer
Brian Jun	....	producer
P.J. Jun	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mark Geary

Cinematography by
Ryan Samul

Film Editing by
Brian Jun

Casting by
Emily Schweber

Production Design by
Jack Thomas

Art Direction by
April Glover

Costume Design by
Meredith J. Murray

Makeup Department
Lisa Brockman-Kalz	....	makeup department head
Theresa Miller	....	hair stylist
Kentaro Yano	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Maria Terziski	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Corrado	....	first assistant director
Charles Leslie	....	second assistant director
Brennan Madden	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Kelsey Lapoint	....	set dresser
Frank Newton	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Eric Lalicata	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Lalicata	....	supervising sound editor
Klint Macro	....	commentary re-recordist
Mike McGrath	....	boom operator
Bartek Swiatek	....	sound
Steve Walter	....	foley artist
Mandell Winter	....	foley mixer

Special Effects by
Matthew Stratton	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Hong Kim	....	digital artist: Digital Dream

Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Baney	....	gaffer
Ben Burke	....	first assistant camera
Autumn Eakin	....	camera intern
David Garcia	....	still photographer
Dan Gartner	....	electrician
Nicholas Gartner	....	best boy electric
Tim Hawn	....	best boy grip
Jack Heard	....	still photographer
Keith Hueffmeier	....	electric swing
Keith Hueffmeier	....	grip
Keith Hueffmeier	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Aaron Judlowe	....	second assistant camera
Steve Kozel	....	electrician
Dave Kube	....	key dolly grip
Dave Kube	....	key grip
Bill Parmentier	....	grip
Devon Schwab	....	grip
Jeremy Settles	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Melissa Kostenbauder	....	casting assistant

Transportation Department
Carlos Rodriguez	....	driver
Willie Tipp	....	driver (as William Tipp)
Ernest von Hauff	....	transportation captain
Robert Wood	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Thuraya Ai-Taei	....	craft service
Mark Andrew Clark	....	acquisitions executive
Carol A. Compton	....	script clearance
Andrew Dignan	....	assistant to producers
Joe Farmer	....	production assistant
Amy R. Johnson	....	production coordinator
Dave Jun	....	production assistant
Walter McElroy	....	production assistant
Melina Paez	....	production coordinator
Bill Parmentier	....	production assistant
Al Pearlman	....	weapons handler
Sarah Schooley	....	script supervisor
Devon Schwab	....	production assistant
Jason Schwegel	....	production assistant
Akil Simmons	....	production assistant
Michael Weiss	....	production attorney
Michael D. Witman	....	key production assistant
Abbey Jo Wallace	....	intern production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Steel City Productions LLC
• Your Half Pictures

Distributors

• Blue Sky Media (2007) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Blue Sky Media (2007) (Slovakia) (all media)
• New Films International (2006) (non-USA) (theatrical)
• Truly Indie (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Peace Arch Entertainment Group (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Pehade Beheer BV (BBI) (2008) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Pehade Beheer BV (BBI) (2008) (Netherlands) (video)
• Your Half Media Group (2008) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• Got Films  camera equipment provided by (world premier)
• IndieClear  script clearance
• Line 21 Media Services Ltd.  combined dialogue, continuity & spotting list
• Your Half Pictures  world sales

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief drug use

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Granite City, Illinois, USA

Company:

Steel City Productions LLC

Trivia:

Actors Tom Guiry and John Heard who play father and son in this movie previously played father and son in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the episode Disappearing Acts.

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.

Soundtrack:

Volunteer

Fatherhood, Remorse and Redemption

After a tragic accident caused by the truck of the middle-aged Carl Lee (John Heard) where a woman dies with a crushed stern, he is arrested and sent to the county jail. His son PJ (Thomas Guiry), who works washing dishes and cleaning tables in a restaurant, feels lost, without financial support to keep his father's house, and is fired from his job and evicted from his house. His older brother Ben (Clayne Crawford) is a harder worker in a mill with a little daughter and cheats his wife with a bartender. Ben has open wounds in his relationship with his father and does not visit him in the jail. Carl's brother Vic Lee (Raymond J. Barry) helps PJ bringing him home but demanding discipline and respect. PJ's mother has just left her husband and is living with a policeman. On Christmas, the remorseful Carl forces PJ to keep an overwhelming secret that bonds them.

"Steel City" is a low-budget movie that seems to be a very personal family drama, supported by magnificent performances and solid, simple and credible screenplay about people not well succeeded – losers indeed. A father with remorse for leaving his family has a second chance to redeem himself in behalf of his young son and he sacrifices his freedom to compensate his absence in his childhood and adolescence. Therefore this is a beautiful tale of redemption but never being corny or commercial. On the contrary, most of the characters are not nice, and I dare to say that they are unpleasant with their rude behaviors. Nevertheless "Steel City" is a worthy movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Atrás das Grades" ("Behind Bars")