A film about homelessness seemed like a depressing movie to watch, but the New York Times blurb on the video case along with Danny Glover's presence tipped the balance. It wasn't depressing. I was glad to see it. My wife rated it 10 out of 10. I'd give it 8 out of 10. Many scenes are heart-touching, without being over-sentimental. The acting and script are super, making it very believable. This isn't the usual 'shoot-em-up / car chase' movie. It is a story about life, about the reality for so many. You do not have to be homeless, or even close to it, in order to relate to this movie. All of us have had similar experiences of despair and bad luck. And just who is the saint ? Watch and find out...
22 Reviews
An extraordinary movie
besherat27 June 2018
" The Saint of Fort Washington " is a shocking, life film, which leaves nobody indifferent. Tells the story of the homeless, the helpless and the sick people, who wear their tragedy with optimism and faith in better life.
Both of main actors, Danny Glover and Matt Dillon,are masterfully played their roles. All recommendations to watched this exceptional drama.
Great Movie for a rainy day
rev6610 March 2011
I encountered this movie on a dreary, rainy day and after watching it for about 10 minutes, it thoroughly sucked me in. It is fascinating portrayal of the plight of the homeless. a problem that effects nearly a million people in this country. If you really are concerned about humanity, I strongly suggest it. It seems that there is a "void" in Hollywood to tackle social problems, but this attempt hits the nail on the head. It gave me the thought that we take so much for granted in our lives, while we ignore many issues which profoundly effect others. It doesn't pull any punches, and there are few, if any, cliché's.... Danny Glover, Matt Dillon and a strong supporting cast are superb, and the location shooting is impressive. Don't pass this one up.
The search is over!
sdelaney17 September 2002
I saw this film about 5 years ago on TV and then spent the next 5 years trying to find out what it was called. This film is a true masterpiece it really is. The acting from the two stars is fantastic(Matt Dillon is always fantastic probably one of the most underrated actors along with Kevin Bacon). The direction is fantastic and the all round feel of the film is great, it draws you in and you really feel for the charactersand you really will them on, then it hits you hard at the end not giving you a hollywood happy ending. Hollywood always seems to tiptoe around films like this and unfortunately a mass audience never gets to see them, mainly because some d**k h**d reviewer calls them a sentimental tear jerker. The film is a real gem and if you're reading this you probably agree.Get the word out to the people no-one should miss this classic.
The daily life of the homeless trying to get by
deloudelouvain7 February 2021
The Saint Of Fort Washington isn't a bad movie. Do I need to watch it a second time in the future? No, not really, but it' certainly worth a watch. The best thing about this movie is the acting, certainly from Danny Glover who did a great job. Matt Dillon wasn't bad either but to me it's Danny Glover that carries this movie. The plot is realistic, exactly how I can imagine homeless people try to get by in a big city. There are a couple of dramatic events that weren't really necessary in the story though. the movie could have done without those scenes, the message would have been the same.
as another user said, miss this and you're missing a real gem.
moggy-45 September 2000
just watched this again, and again found it moving, real, touching, sad, funny, and so many more of the emotions that make up real life; in this case, the lives of 2 homeless men. Danny Glover is perfect, as usual, and Matt Diillon *is* his character;now realize what an excellent actor he is.Couldn't stop watching, even though I knew it had no fairy tale ending. After you see this- and don't miss it- you will never again see a homeless person without seeing him/her as a *person* , not just a faceless ""problem".
Great acting, Sociology 101 discussion topic
HotToastyRag23 October 2021
There's really no middle-ground when it comes to movies about the homeless: you either always watch them or you never do. If you always watch them, you've probably seen The Soloist, Cardboard Boxer, Shelter, Being Flynn, Same Kind of Different as Me, Stone Pillow, Time Out of Mind, No Place Like Home, The Lady in the Van, and of course, The Saint of Fort Washington. This one is pretty well known, especially if you grew up in the 1990s and watched a bunch of Danny Glover or Matt Dillon movies.
Being a fan of both actors, I rented this movie during Danny Glover's week on Hot Toasty Rag, only to remember halfway through that I'd already seen it! I guess I've seen too many of these movies, and they all started to blend together in my memory. If you're new to the genre, this is a good one to start with because it feels like Sociology 101. Danny Glover plays a Vietnam veteran, and Matt Dillon plays a man with schizophrenia. In case you didn't know, there are lots of veterans on the street as well as (ever since President Regan closed the mental hospitals) lots of people who are mentally ill. The 101 students might wonder, "Why don't those people go to a homeless shelter?" The purpose of this movie is to answer that question. The shelter Fort Washington is a very large facility with metal detectors, guards, and hundreds of cots. While technically, these men (homeless shelters must be segregated) have a roof over their heads for the night, it's far from the safety us homeowners imagine it to be. Danny shows his new friend Matt how to survive in Fort Washington: anchor your shoes under the bed frame posts and store anything you want to keep in your underwear. There are dangerous, violent people who are let in shelters, and they rob, emotionally harass, beat up, and sometimes murder other men. This movie shows a representative of that type, played by Ving Rhames.
During the daytime, Danny tries to make a living by washing car windows during traffic jams (another representative). He teaches Matt the ropes on that trade, like making jokes and complimenting the drivers for a bigger tip. Obviously, you're going to see some great acting in this movie. Matt really convinces you that his focus isn't "all there", and Danny is completely believable as a homeless man. You can tell he's lived through horrors, but he's completely accepted that his life will never get any better.
However, if you're really not in the mood to learn about such a terrible way of life, I wouldn't recommend it. There are lots of people who enjoy watching these movies, so they can talk about how awful the homeless problem is and how "someone" should do something about it; then, they step around the carboard boxes in the street. If you really, really think about how terrible it is that men who have risked their lives for our country are living under freeways, or that people who should be in mental hospitals are left to fend for themselves on the street, it's unbearable. It's too painful to really, really think, though. But if you can, try to be a little nicer to the guy who washes your window in a traffic jam.
Being a fan of both actors, I rented this movie during Danny Glover's week on Hot Toasty Rag, only to remember halfway through that I'd already seen it! I guess I've seen too many of these movies, and they all started to blend together in my memory. If you're new to the genre, this is a good one to start with because it feels like Sociology 101. Danny Glover plays a Vietnam veteran, and Matt Dillon plays a man with schizophrenia. In case you didn't know, there are lots of veterans on the street as well as (ever since President Regan closed the mental hospitals) lots of people who are mentally ill. The 101 students might wonder, "Why don't those people go to a homeless shelter?" The purpose of this movie is to answer that question. The shelter Fort Washington is a very large facility with metal detectors, guards, and hundreds of cots. While technically, these men (homeless shelters must be segregated) have a roof over their heads for the night, it's far from the safety us homeowners imagine it to be. Danny shows his new friend Matt how to survive in Fort Washington: anchor your shoes under the bed frame posts and store anything you want to keep in your underwear. There are dangerous, violent people who are let in shelters, and they rob, emotionally harass, beat up, and sometimes murder other men. This movie shows a representative of that type, played by Ving Rhames.
During the daytime, Danny tries to make a living by washing car windows during traffic jams (another representative). He teaches Matt the ropes on that trade, like making jokes and complimenting the drivers for a bigger tip. Obviously, you're going to see some great acting in this movie. Matt really convinces you that his focus isn't "all there", and Danny is completely believable as a homeless man. You can tell he's lived through horrors, but he's completely accepted that his life will never get any better.
However, if you're really not in the mood to learn about such a terrible way of life, I wouldn't recommend it. There are lots of people who enjoy watching these movies, so they can talk about how awful the homeless problem is and how "someone" should do something about it; then, they step around the carboard boxes in the street. If you really, really think about how terrible it is that men who have risked their lives for our country are living under freeways, or that people who should be in mental hospitals are left to fend for themselves on the street, it's unbearable. It's too painful to really, really think, though. But if you can, try to be a little nicer to the guy who washes your window in a traffic jam.
Painful to watch ....too realistic of the lives and deaths of the homeless
alicecbr3 November 2006
You and I can usually put the homeless out of our minds. It is said that if you truly felt the misery of the homeless, you would go mad. I could not watch this movie all the way through at one sitting, but had to take it in increments. You know tragedy will occur, as though the wasted lives of the hundreds of vagabonds, mentally ill and veterans on the street isn't itself a crime.
As someone who sometimes serves the homeless at the Arlington Street Church in Boston, I know these people. They act like the software engineers I work with 'so long as they are on their 'meds''. That we are so savage a society that we no longer take upon ourselves the obligation to do good to the helpless, to house them as we did in a more civilized time, that's just one of the many signs of our downfall as a society.
No preaching in this movie, however. Danny Glover's and Matt Dillon's eyes tell it all. I think one reason we have so many humanitarian actors is because they have to play the roles of the downtrodden and in doing so, become empathetic with them. Since many writers, musicians, actors were blacklisted or attacked for their heroic stands, they know the hurt of the mob or bullying police themselves.
Dillon and Glover went out on the streets and lived among these denizens of the sewers, these reminders that we have regressed to Dickens' time. The complicity of the Shelter police in the beating and murder is something that will make you retch, as the sharks of the night rob the other homeless of their pennies, armed with knives that somehow get through the metal detectors. You have no reason NOT to believe the various anecdotes that emerge, from the retarded couple and their pregnancy to the old man with the arthritic fingers, sharing his soup to the Vietnam vet with shrapnel still in his knees, screaming in pain when his drugs give out. The sharing of the homeless with the others in the same state is something that few of us in the 'burbs will ever do,
You keep thinking something beatific will happen as the boy has visions of a happy life in glorious Technicolor, but the drab colors of the mean streets of New York remind you that it's all in his head. YOu will never pass up another street hustler with his roses on Mass Ave., trying for a few bucks to ease whatever horrors brought him to this place in life. YOu will want to open wide your home to every vagrant in the Pine Street Inn.. Yet fear will stop you: fear that some will be as the murderous hustlers of the night in those shelters. You understand why some of those you serve dinner to won't be caught dead in a shelter, for fear they WILL be.
The city of New York aided in filming this important movie, which should be shown to every HIstory class, every Sociology class and to every recruit thinking he will return to Glory when his time in Iraq is over. They're already joining the Vietnam vets in homelessness, as this movie shows.
The most horrible scene is the movie however, shown so poignantly and understatedly by Dillon, is when he tries to return home after his slum apartment is razed. His mother has moved to Florida, and left the key with a neighbor who refuses to let him in his 'family home' in the Bronx. You have no understanding for how a mother can desert her mentally ill child......the joke is made painfully real. "My folks left while I was out and left no forwarding address." For the first time in my long life, I visit a Potter's Field and am told "There is no funeral." They are buried in a mass grave, each in a wooden box. Even as we are shown the box, the photos left as a memorial blow away, leaving no trace of that human being's individuality, his genius. Having met many intelligent, well-educated homeless whose shell is too brittle to bear the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune', I wonder how we in this country dare call ourselves 'civilized'. Yet I remember the admonishment in my training in Clearwater, when i volunteered to help out at a church's homeless shelter: "Don't ever think you can change them, can make their lives right again. You can only serve them where they are." This movie makes even more clear why the homeless man snapped at me, as I whistled while cleaning up the mats in the morning: "What are you so happy about?" Maybe he knew what I didn't: I was whistling because I wasn't him. Great movie, but for God's sake, don't ignore what you take from it. Dillon and Glover punch up the point: There but for the grace of God go I. No wonder this movie wasn't 'popular'. It points the finger right at you and me, for the injustice we do to these, the helpless.
As someone who sometimes serves the homeless at the Arlington Street Church in Boston, I know these people. They act like the software engineers I work with 'so long as they are on their 'meds''. That we are so savage a society that we no longer take upon ourselves the obligation to do good to the helpless, to house them as we did in a more civilized time, that's just one of the many signs of our downfall as a society.
No preaching in this movie, however. Danny Glover's and Matt Dillon's eyes tell it all. I think one reason we have so many humanitarian actors is because they have to play the roles of the downtrodden and in doing so, become empathetic with them. Since many writers, musicians, actors were blacklisted or attacked for their heroic stands, they know the hurt of the mob or bullying police themselves.
Dillon and Glover went out on the streets and lived among these denizens of the sewers, these reminders that we have regressed to Dickens' time. The complicity of the Shelter police in the beating and murder is something that will make you retch, as the sharks of the night rob the other homeless of their pennies, armed with knives that somehow get through the metal detectors. You have no reason NOT to believe the various anecdotes that emerge, from the retarded couple and their pregnancy to the old man with the arthritic fingers, sharing his soup to the Vietnam vet with shrapnel still in his knees, screaming in pain when his drugs give out. The sharing of the homeless with the others in the same state is something that few of us in the 'burbs will ever do,
You keep thinking something beatific will happen as the boy has visions of a happy life in glorious Technicolor, but the drab colors of the mean streets of New York remind you that it's all in his head. YOu will never pass up another street hustler with his roses on Mass Ave., trying for a few bucks to ease whatever horrors brought him to this place in life. YOu will want to open wide your home to every vagrant in the Pine Street Inn.. Yet fear will stop you: fear that some will be as the murderous hustlers of the night in those shelters. You understand why some of those you serve dinner to won't be caught dead in a shelter, for fear they WILL be.
The city of New York aided in filming this important movie, which should be shown to every HIstory class, every Sociology class and to every recruit thinking he will return to Glory when his time in Iraq is over. They're already joining the Vietnam vets in homelessness, as this movie shows.
The most horrible scene is the movie however, shown so poignantly and understatedly by Dillon, is when he tries to return home after his slum apartment is razed. His mother has moved to Florida, and left the key with a neighbor who refuses to let him in his 'family home' in the Bronx. You have no understanding for how a mother can desert her mentally ill child......the joke is made painfully real. "My folks left while I was out and left no forwarding address." For the first time in my long life, I visit a Potter's Field and am told "There is no funeral." They are buried in a mass grave, each in a wooden box. Even as we are shown the box, the photos left as a memorial blow away, leaving no trace of that human being's individuality, his genius. Having met many intelligent, well-educated homeless whose shell is too brittle to bear the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune', I wonder how we in this country dare call ourselves 'civilized'. Yet I remember the admonishment in my training in Clearwater, when i volunteered to help out at a church's homeless shelter: "Don't ever think you can change them, can make their lives right again. You can only serve them where they are." This movie makes even more clear why the homeless man snapped at me, as I whistled while cleaning up the mats in the morning: "What are you so happy about?" Maybe he knew what I didn't: I was whistling because I wasn't him. Great movie, but for God's sake, don't ignore what you take from it. Dillon and Glover punch up the point: There but for the grace of God go I. No wonder this movie wasn't 'popular'. It points the finger right at you and me, for the injustice we do to these, the helpless.
Danny Glover's best performance
maccas-5636719 July 2021
Amazed this was released in 1993. It felt every bit like a gritty film from the 70s.
Definitely one of Danny Glover's best performances. Matt Dillon is strong too and they share a really great chemistry. The bond and friendship that develops between the two men is the high point.
I felt it captured homelessness accurately. It made me feel like I was on the streets with them. Authentic would be a great way to describe it.
The soundtrack was often abrupt and out of place and dates the film terribly. The film quality of what I watched was poor at times too, though this didn't really detract from my enjoyment of it.
While I knew this film wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows, I also didn't expect it to be woefully depressing and basically void of all hope by the end. Left me feeling a bit flat and the latter half definitely gets a bit caught up in its own misery.
Despite the ending and other things, it's still a strong film with worthy performances - just not one I'll revisit.
Definitely one of Danny Glover's best performances. Matt Dillon is strong too and they share a really great chemistry. The bond and friendship that develops between the two men is the high point.
I felt it captured homelessness accurately. It made me feel like I was on the streets with them. Authentic would be a great way to describe it.
The soundtrack was often abrupt and out of place and dates the film terribly. The film quality of what I watched was poor at times too, though this didn't really detract from my enjoyment of it.
While I knew this film wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows, I also didn't expect it to be woefully depressing and basically void of all hope by the end. Left me feeling a bit flat and the latter half definitely gets a bit caught up in its own misery.
Despite the ending and other things, it's still a strong film with worthy performances - just not one I'll revisit.
Makes you wonder how Russell Crowe got an Oscar before Matt Dillon.
elgatony23 January 2003
I first saw this movie on late night cable several years ago and found myself riveted to the point where I decided to tape it and now, 10 years later still find myself unable to record over it. It's just that good!! Matt Dillon and Danny Glover deliver performances subtle but powerful enough to make you forget they are actors. The New York locales add to the feeling of authenticity and makes you wonder if mayors past and present (including "America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani) are barking up the wrong tree in attacking squeegie men trying to make a buck rather than concentrating on more important things.
Anyhow, back to the film: Ving Rhames appears as a thug our duo just can't seem to escape for as hard as they try to achieve their dreams, they are constantly forced to spend the night in a shelter with him. In seeing this film you also will be unable to shake feelings of frustration we all meet at one time or another at the hands of bureaucracy. Matt Dillon's character can't receive a check because he has no ID, Danny Glover can't mourn at a paupers cemetery because it's against regulations, etc.
This film is about trying to maintain hope, beauty, humor, dignity and caring when homeless and if this just sounds like your typical tear-jerker, just remember, as Glover's character points out when condescended by a yuppie: "three missed checks and that guy's living on the streets just like us." It's a powerful message when you begin to see just how hard it is to climb out of the pit once in it. Rent this film, you'll be be glad you did. This is a gem despite Leonard Maltin's half-assed review. This film deserves to be recognized more than it has been for Dillon proves he can act any of our "stars" under the table with just a filmless camera. You may need a hanky though. I can sit through the bloodiest of movies while eating yet this film moved me. I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!
Anyhow, back to the film: Ving Rhames appears as a thug our duo just can't seem to escape for as hard as they try to achieve their dreams, they are constantly forced to spend the night in a shelter with him. In seeing this film you also will be unable to shake feelings of frustration we all meet at one time or another at the hands of bureaucracy. Matt Dillon's character can't receive a check because he has no ID, Danny Glover can't mourn at a paupers cemetery because it's against regulations, etc.
This film is about trying to maintain hope, beauty, humor, dignity and caring when homeless and if this just sounds like your typical tear-jerker, just remember, as Glover's character points out when condescended by a yuppie: "three missed checks and that guy's living on the streets just like us." It's a powerful message when you begin to see just how hard it is to climb out of the pit once in it. Rent this film, you'll be be glad you did. This is a gem despite Leonard Maltin's half-assed review. This film deserves to be recognized more than it has been for Dillon proves he can act any of our "stars" under the table with just a filmless camera. You may need a hanky though. I can sit through the bloodiest of movies while eating yet this film moved me. I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!
Forgettable film with notable acting performances
akoaytao123410 September 2023
When a photographer is forced out of his home, he goes to Fort Washington and met fellow homeless and tries to move forward with his predicament. Its very standard uplifting work.
Its pretty much anchored by great acting. Dillon' and Glover's noble performance as two homeless people who find themselves in each others arms. They were just in the role. Dillon plays the weird and quirky photgrapher Matthew and Glover's Jerry is delightfully wonderful as his counterpart - the more experienced homeless of the two. The script did get too sentimental at times BUT those two was able to tune out those problems and lift the material. Dillon proves to be one of the most underrated actor of that decade.
Also, great cinematography. Apparently, made by that guy that worked with a lot of great filmmakers of the era - specifically, Jim Jarmusch(Down by Law) and David Lynch(Eraserhead).
Overall, a forgettable film with notable acting performances.
Its pretty much anchored by great acting. Dillon' and Glover's noble performance as two homeless people who find themselves in each others arms. They were just in the role. Dillon plays the weird and quirky photgrapher Matthew and Glover's Jerry is delightfully wonderful as his counterpart - the more experienced homeless of the two. The script did get too sentimental at times BUT those two was able to tune out those problems and lift the material. Dillon proves to be one of the most underrated actor of that decade.
Also, great cinematography. Apparently, made by that guy that worked with a lot of great filmmakers of the era - specifically, Jim Jarmusch(Down by Law) and David Lynch(Eraserhead).
Overall, a forgettable film with notable acting performances.
Homelessness is a mental prison
Dr_Coulardeau13 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
They could say it is one more film on the homeless in New York. Right. It is. And yet it has a depth that most films on the subject don't have because it shows too well that homelessness is in the minds of the people concerned. They are, somewhere deep in themselves, convinced that they are responsible for their fate, either by being sick, or lazy, or a-social, or whatever. And that's the worse part of it all, as long as they are convinced the fault is inside them or their mind they will never get out, never recover, never escape that fate. The real question then is to know how and why they got convinced of their "shortcoming". The second question is about what we do to reintegrate them in society or to keep them apart from society, invisible. There we get into the system of shelters that are controlled by some network of exploiters, some wardens, some residents, and they exploit their weaker fellows, fellow inmates maybe, and it is incredible the amount of money they can make by just preying on these poor abandoned people who have no faith in themselves, and no faith in a society that has more or less abandoned them. And imagine what it can be in New York when you need an address to get Medicare and welfare. But do not imagine it could be better in some other countries. Any human society produces in a way or another a certain percentage of people who cannot integrate the flock or herd and have to remain on the side, marginal forever. It is sad but alas true enough and that can happen to anyone, in anyone's life: a sad episode of any type, a disease or a traumatic shock can burn a couple of fuses and there you are lost in the limbos between here and there, earth and the other side of reality. The film is showing how these people have to find some kind of motivation in themselves to take the upper road that leads out of the bogs. But gosh, how difficult it is to find that compass that will lead you to the sunshine that does not shine only for those who have a two-storied house and a station wagon. But is there an upper road of any kind, is there a road leading to the sunshine when you are lost in perpetual darkness? Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
So realistic it's scary!
giatime2 June 2004
As a former NYPD officer I can tell you this film is so realistic it's scary. the terrifying homeless shelters of NY are one step above Dante's Inferno. Potters field on Hart's island is also portrayed exactly as it is.
This Matt Dillon is some kind of actor. How do actors like this get passed over while morons like Sandler and Stiller are so highly praised? This world is just a little upside down. I have a feeling we wont be seeing many more movies like the saint of fort washington now that shrek 2 has busted all previous box office records. Like I said this world is just a little upside down! Danny Glover is also great in his role. So sad that we can spend 200 billion in Iraq and not provide proper facilities for our own mentally disturbed people.
This Matt Dillon is some kind of actor. How do actors like this get passed over while morons like Sandler and Stiller are so highly praised? This world is just a little upside down. I have a feeling we wont be seeing many more movies like the saint of fort washington now that shrek 2 has busted all previous box office records. Like I said this world is just a little upside down! Danny Glover is also great in his role. So sad that we can spend 200 billion in Iraq and not provide proper facilities for our own mentally disturbed people.
you're more likely to be homeless than you are to be a millionaire
lee_eisenberg1 July 2020
Not enough movies focus on homelessness. One that does is "The Saint of Fort Washington", starring Matt Dillon and Danny Glover as indigents who meet up in a shelter and form a bond. The movie depicts the gritty existence of these men, forced to wash windshields for money while a tough guy (Ving Rhames) threatens them in the shelter.
The coronavirus has forced homelessness back into our consciousness (crises do tend to lay the unpleasant things bare). With many out of work for an extended time, they can't pay rent and face evictions.
Anyway, it's a good movie. Also appearing are Rick Aviles (Willy Lopez in "Ghost"), Nina Siemaszko and Joe Seneca (the scientist in "The Blob").
The coronavirus has forced homelessness back into our consciousness (crises do tend to lay the unpleasant things bare). With many out of work for an extended time, they can't pay rent and face evictions.
Anyway, it's a good movie. Also appearing are Rick Aviles (Willy Lopez in "Ghost"), Nina Siemaszko and Joe Seneca (the scientist in "The Blob").
A Patch of the Blues.
mark.waltz20 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
You'd have to have a heart made out of volcanic lava not to feel some emotions in this tale of an unexpected friendship. Like "Midnight Cowboy" and "A Patch of Blue", this friendship concerns two opposites, each with different problems. Danny Glover is a homeless man whose wife took his two daughters and left him for another man, and because of the failure of his business and a handicap because of the Vietnam War, he has been unable to make a living.
Matt Dillon is a schizophrenic man whose SRO (Single Room Only) apartment was razed by the city, and he cannot get public assistance to understand he can't locate the owner to prove his claim so he can get a new apartment. Walking around the city taking pictures in a camera without film, he snaps one of Glover, who confronts him for the alleged insensitivity, but soon learns the truth about him. They become acquaintances, with Glover protecting the vulnerable Dillon at the Ft. Washington Men's Shelter from the lascivious eyes of the evil Ving Rhames.
At one point, when it appears as if Rhames is about to rape Dillon, Glover defends him, breaking Rhames' arm, and the two escape from the dangerous shelter. On the streets, Glover teaches Dillon how to make some quick cash by washing the windows of drivers waiting to get on the city's many bridges, with the goal that they will combine their proceeds to get off the street and share a room together. They end up briefly in an abandoned apartment building where a friend of Glover gladly takes them in, sharing everything he has and showing more humanity than most people who are successfully making a living in the Naked City.
The cold world of HRA, the New York City Shelter System, and the police who cruelly harass the basically harmless homeless on the streets is explored brutally, but with much tenderness and compassion rising like an angel over these two almost mystical creatures who find a type of love in each other, a brotherhood that not even death can dissolve. There are many moments that really make you think.
For me, the strongest moment came when the sweet natured Rick Aviles (the brutal killer of "Ghost") is verbally assaulted on the street by a driver who spouts at him to go out and get a real job. The pain in his eyes goes beyond typical human pride, entering him like a knife into his soul. I can't think of anybody who would not explode in that situation, especially since the loving Aviles is anxiously awaiting the birth of a baby from the woman (Nina Siemaszko) he adores more than life itself. While you can put the blame on the politicians in New York City at the time for allowing such cruelties and human indignities to go unresolved, you also have to admire them for even allowing this movie to be made. That acknowledges the fact that they are aware that a serious problem is afoot, even if they don't go out of their way to do anything because of it.
On a personal note, I have spent time in the New York City shelter system, and I can say that 15 years after this movie took place, being out on the street is a better option for some people rather than deal with violent characters (like Rhames, who is outstanding as a modern day Bill Sikes), unsanitary conditions and uncaring employees and security guards. The scene of two security guards rushing to stop Rhames is exactly like what goes on in the system today; Characters like him are not put out or arrested, but left to walk around and exploit the weak, sometimes for the security guard's own amusement and sometimes for shared profit. This is a very important movie that has not diminished its impact with time. Every young person venturing into New York City or any other big metropolis on their own should view it as a forewarning. Like the poor innocent black kid that Dillon steps up for towards the end, the results can be catastrophic. Be prepared for a huge shock at the end that resonates in our world to this day.
Matt Dillon is a schizophrenic man whose SRO (Single Room Only) apartment was razed by the city, and he cannot get public assistance to understand he can't locate the owner to prove his claim so he can get a new apartment. Walking around the city taking pictures in a camera without film, he snaps one of Glover, who confronts him for the alleged insensitivity, but soon learns the truth about him. They become acquaintances, with Glover protecting the vulnerable Dillon at the Ft. Washington Men's Shelter from the lascivious eyes of the evil Ving Rhames.
At one point, when it appears as if Rhames is about to rape Dillon, Glover defends him, breaking Rhames' arm, and the two escape from the dangerous shelter. On the streets, Glover teaches Dillon how to make some quick cash by washing the windows of drivers waiting to get on the city's many bridges, with the goal that they will combine their proceeds to get off the street and share a room together. They end up briefly in an abandoned apartment building where a friend of Glover gladly takes them in, sharing everything he has and showing more humanity than most people who are successfully making a living in the Naked City.
The cold world of HRA, the New York City Shelter System, and the police who cruelly harass the basically harmless homeless on the streets is explored brutally, but with much tenderness and compassion rising like an angel over these two almost mystical creatures who find a type of love in each other, a brotherhood that not even death can dissolve. There are many moments that really make you think.
For me, the strongest moment came when the sweet natured Rick Aviles (the brutal killer of "Ghost") is verbally assaulted on the street by a driver who spouts at him to go out and get a real job. The pain in his eyes goes beyond typical human pride, entering him like a knife into his soul. I can't think of anybody who would not explode in that situation, especially since the loving Aviles is anxiously awaiting the birth of a baby from the woman (Nina Siemaszko) he adores more than life itself. While you can put the blame on the politicians in New York City at the time for allowing such cruelties and human indignities to go unresolved, you also have to admire them for even allowing this movie to be made. That acknowledges the fact that they are aware that a serious problem is afoot, even if they don't go out of their way to do anything because of it.
On a personal note, I have spent time in the New York City shelter system, and I can say that 15 years after this movie took place, being out on the street is a better option for some people rather than deal with violent characters (like Rhames, who is outstanding as a modern day Bill Sikes), unsanitary conditions and uncaring employees and security guards. The scene of two security guards rushing to stop Rhames is exactly like what goes on in the system today; Characters like him are not put out or arrested, but left to walk around and exploit the weak, sometimes for the security guard's own amusement and sometimes for shared profit. This is a very important movie that has not diminished its impact with time. Every young person venturing into New York City or any other big metropolis on their own should view it as a forewarning. Like the poor innocent black kid that Dillon steps up for towards the end, the results can be catastrophic. Be prepared for a huge shock at the end that resonates in our world to this day.
I will treasure this film in my heart and soul, above all others, till the day I die....
Vivekmaru453 September 2010
This is the film which I cherish above all others and one which I will never forget.
A look into the lives of the destitute people in the street and in the the shelters made for them, particularly the Fort Washington Shelter for Men.
The story is told through the eyes of its principle narrator Jerry (Danny Glover). The story is about Matthew (Matt Dillon), a young schizophrenic, who finds himself evicted when his apartment building is torn down.
He tries to ask for his welfare money but is told to go elsewhere to a non-existent address. He eventually ends up outside the the Fort Washington Shelter for Men, where he first encounters Jerry. He attempts to take a photo of Jerry with his camera, which offends Jerry. Matthew however tells Jerry that the camera is empty and that his hobby is photography. Jerry begins to take an interest in Matthew.
He is threatened in the bathroom by Little Leroy, a much feared thug, who preys upon the weaker members of the Fort Washington Shelter for Men. But however he is timely rescued by Jerry who breaks Leroy's arm in the process. Leroy swears his vengeance against both Jerry and Matthew.
Jerry, a streetwise combat veteran, takes Matthew under his wing. The relationship between these two men grows as they attempt to conquer the numbing isolation of homelessness.
Jerry earns some money by cleaning the windows of cars as the pass through a busy part of the street. He teaches Matthew this profession, whop speedily masters it. Matthew soon begins to save up some money. Jerry buys Matthew some film so that he can start taking some photos.
Jerry tells Matthew more about his personal life. He advises Mathew that to escape from the shelters they have only to save enough money to rent an apartment and so escape the Fort Washington shelter. He also tells Matthew about his dream of selling fruits and vegetables from the back of a car to make fast and easy money.
The two men now begin to have a goal in life: to rent an apartment and start a business for themselves.
Will they achieve their dreams? It is up to you to watch the film and see what happens next.
An outstanding performance by both Danny Glover and Matt Dillon and both are deserving of an Oscar. As well as an Oscar for the director Tim Hunter. Ving Rhames is also brilliant in his role as Little Leroy. The cinematography is good showing the busy city life and the packed Fort Washington Shelter.
Overall 10/10. A film you will remember of the rest of your life.
A look into the lives of the destitute people in the street and in the the shelters made for them, particularly the Fort Washington Shelter for Men.
The story is told through the eyes of its principle narrator Jerry (Danny Glover). The story is about Matthew (Matt Dillon), a young schizophrenic, who finds himself evicted when his apartment building is torn down.
He tries to ask for his welfare money but is told to go elsewhere to a non-existent address. He eventually ends up outside the the Fort Washington Shelter for Men, where he first encounters Jerry. He attempts to take a photo of Jerry with his camera, which offends Jerry. Matthew however tells Jerry that the camera is empty and that his hobby is photography. Jerry begins to take an interest in Matthew.
He is threatened in the bathroom by Little Leroy, a much feared thug, who preys upon the weaker members of the Fort Washington Shelter for Men. But however he is timely rescued by Jerry who breaks Leroy's arm in the process. Leroy swears his vengeance against both Jerry and Matthew.
Jerry, a streetwise combat veteran, takes Matthew under his wing. The relationship between these two men grows as they attempt to conquer the numbing isolation of homelessness.
Jerry earns some money by cleaning the windows of cars as the pass through a busy part of the street. He teaches Matthew this profession, whop speedily masters it. Matthew soon begins to save up some money. Jerry buys Matthew some film so that he can start taking some photos.
Jerry tells Matthew more about his personal life. He advises Mathew that to escape from the shelters they have only to save enough money to rent an apartment and so escape the Fort Washington shelter. He also tells Matthew about his dream of selling fruits and vegetables from the back of a car to make fast and easy money.
The two men now begin to have a goal in life: to rent an apartment and start a business for themselves.
Will they achieve their dreams? It is up to you to watch the film and see what happens next.
An outstanding performance by both Danny Glover and Matt Dillon and both are deserving of an Oscar. As well as an Oscar for the director Tim Hunter. Ving Rhames is also brilliant in his role as Little Leroy. The cinematography is good showing the busy city life and the packed Fort Washington Shelter.
Overall 10/10. A film you will remember of the rest of your life.
Excellent movie!!
greentrimmer31 January 2011
This is a very inspirational movie and very heartfelt as well. You will laugh and cry along with the actors as they go through the struggles of living on the streets. It is a very hard life and the movie is increasingly honest about living in poverty and trying to get back up after being knocked down. The actors in this movie, Danny Glover and Matt Dillon offer, maybe, their best performances ever! The imagery is very true to life and cinematography is stellar as these two try to make ends meet. You won't be sorry to see this movie and I believe it will change how you look at homeless people, it did me! Very strongly encourage you and all of your friends to see this movie!
One shot from the lives of the others
melihrustu4 October 2004
It was one of my finest movie experiences to watch that movie. I only had the chance to watch this masterpiece once on TV a few years ago, but I can say that I can't forget the effect it made on me. Especially, the scene where Danny Glover was wiping the car windows waiting for the green light for some cash. The way he was getting his job seriously and the drivers who were not even looking at him. A wonderful human film which shows what we are. I am still confused when those red light people come over my car and try to sell something and realizing that I am too is afraid of looking into their faces. Are they there or just we don't care them.
A "look" to disadvantaged
inioi18 November 2015
Excellent movie.
This film shows that people who lives in the underworld of poverty in big cities.
But it does so from a realistic and dramatic view. The characters are well portrayed.The plot is simple, and unfortunately close to reality.
One of the virtues of the movie is that it is not overloaded with elements to increase the drama. life is shown as it is.
Good direction, The soundtrack score by J.Newton Howard fits perfectly to the film .
The acting is also at good level with Danny Glover and Matt Dillon
8/10
This film shows that people who lives in the underworld of poverty in big cities.
But it does so from a realistic and dramatic view. The characters are well portrayed.The plot is simple, and unfortunately close to reality.
One of the virtues of the movie is that it is not overloaded with elements to increase the drama. life is shown as it is.
Good direction, The soundtrack score by J.Newton Howard fits perfectly to the film .
The acting is also at good level with Danny Glover and Matt Dillon
8/10
My Masterpiece number 45!!!
elo-equipamentos6 October 2022
Here we are dealing with the real human nature, a blind society, the excluded of the system for endless reasons, that includes so many variables whose for some mishaps felt into street as homeless, underscoring in bold letters that the picture wasn't a big production of major proportions, just a small picture that dared to expose how the mankind tries out sweep underneath the carpet to hidden the garbage.
Anchored in two strong actors as Matt Dillon and Danny Glover which gave to the picture the needful greatness to catch the audience, Matthew (Matt Dillon) a young guy who suffer of the ill schizophrenia, just out of sanatorium without a proper support of his mother, stayed adrift, then he meets with Jerry (Danny Glover) a veteran soldier at Homeless's shelter Fort Washington in New York, soon realizes that Matthew needs a help to carry on alive due his hard illness, Jerry a former mid class worker who went bankrupt due his old partner spent all money on horse races ends up in the gutter and also lost your wife and children.
Jerry proposes to Matthew a partnership in a business to sell vegetables at street soon they could rent a small cheap apartment, so they must work so hard as car's windscreen wiper at traffic street to gathering some enough money ta take ahead this smaller enterprise, it's what they dream glimpse for the near future, however the real life is cruel, many troubles crossing their footsteps, black shadows is coming.
The Director Tim Hunter with the writer Lyle Kessler sets out a humanist point of view for those that don't see these invisibles people whose are part of the urban landscape, shedding light in this constant issue that we can't ignore, this picture is pure poetry for the people's lowly heart, as a read somewhere " If this don't change your feelings, nothing will", also the official DVD available in Brazil sadly have a poor image, needing a proper restauration for next release, I'm praying for due the greatness this movie means for me, an authentic and forgotten masterpiece!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 1995 / Source: TV-DVD / How many: 3 / Rating: 10.
Anchored in two strong actors as Matt Dillon and Danny Glover which gave to the picture the needful greatness to catch the audience, Matthew (Matt Dillon) a young guy who suffer of the ill schizophrenia, just out of sanatorium without a proper support of his mother, stayed adrift, then he meets with Jerry (Danny Glover) a veteran soldier at Homeless's shelter Fort Washington in New York, soon realizes that Matthew needs a help to carry on alive due his hard illness, Jerry a former mid class worker who went bankrupt due his old partner spent all money on horse races ends up in the gutter and also lost your wife and children.
Jerry proposes to Matthew a partnership in a business to sell vegetables at street soon they could rent a small cheap apartment, so they must work so hard as car's windscreen wiper at traffic street to gathering some enough money ta take ahead this smaller enterprise, it's what they dream glimpse for the near future, however the real life is cruel, many troubles crossing their footsteps, black shadows is coming.
The Director Tim Hunter with the writer Lyle Kessler sets out a humanist point of view for those that don't see these invisibles people whose are part of the urban landscape, shedding light in this constant issue that we can't ignore, this picture is pure poetry for the people's lowly heart, as a read somewhere " If this don't change your feelings, nothing will", also the official DVD available in Brazil sadly have a poor image, needing a proper restauration for next release, I'm praying for due the greatness this movie means for me, an authentic and forgotten masterpiece!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 1995 / Source: TV-DVD / How many: 3 / Rating: 10.
A credible, wonderful film.
DOLANGLO22 June 2004
One of the movies you will remember always. Matt Dillon is just riveting in his role as Matthew. If you don't think much of him as an actor, then this is a must see. Not playing a misguided teen in this one, but a sad person you want to see win in a world you can't win in. Danny glover is as always great and together they're a real team.
Do yourself a favor, and watch this moving sweet film. Don't forget to tell others about it. I will watch it again. I think you will too.
Do yourself a favor, and watch this moving sweet film. Don't forget to tell others about it. I will watch it again. I think you will too.
USA - what a disgrace!
karlericsson23 December 2001
There are some people, who don't manage to make the american dream, because they are not 'good' enough when it comes to cheating your fellow man of his money or somehow lie yourself to the top. In old Germany there was a saying: "And even if the business is ever so small it still gives you more than honest work."
And then there are some people who find market economy offensive, find all business offensive and deeply immoral and who therefor are unable in 'making it'.
And then there are some who have gifts, which are of a kind, that they simply do not fit in in this abomination we call the 'free world' and that world hits down on them real hard and it seems that world wants to rot out every bit of decency that is left amongst mankind.
A society is not measured by how it treats it most rich and powerful people. If so, there would be no difference between countries, since the most rich and powerful are having a fine time in any society today.
A society is measured by how it treats its misfits, the most powerless and poor.
Take a look in the mirror that this picture shows and 'SHAME ON YOU' if you ever mingle carefree and clueless amongst the idle rich.
This picture you see in the mirror of this film can only lead to shame amongst all of us, who are lucky enough not to belong to these miserable people. No place for fancy rationalizations here. Those who do not want or cannot belong to our sick world of business, we have no right to treat this way. A minimum of decency should be given everyone. Are we so sure, that we can do without them? Is it not so, that there is more chance to find somebody amongst them, who can lead us out from this graveyard we are digging, than there is a chance to find that somebody in the likes of the present president? Is there not more truth amongst these homeless than you will find on any dinner-party?
I just ask.
And then there are some people who find market economy offensive, find all business offensive and deeply immoral and who therefor are unable in 'making it'.
And then there are some who have gifts, which are of a kind, that they simply do not fit in in this abomination we call the 'free world' and that world hits down on them real hard and it seems that world wants to rot out every bit of decency that is left amongst mankind.
A society is not measured by how it treats it most rich and powerful people. If so, there would be no difference between countries, since the most rich and powerful are having a fine time in any society today.
A society is measured by how it treats its misfits, the most powerless and poor.
Take a look in the mirror that this picture shows and 'SHAME ON YOU' if you ever mingle carefree and clueless amongst the idle rich.
This picture you see in the mirror of this film can only lead to shame amongst all of us, who are lucky enough not to belong to these miserable people. No place for fancy rationalizations here. Those who do not want or cannot belong to our sick world of business, we have no right to treat this way. A minimum of decency should be given everyone. Are we so sure, that we can do without them? Is it not so, that there is more chance to find somebody amongst them, who can lead us out from this graveyard we are digging, than there is a chance to find that somebody in the likes of the present president? Is there not more truth amongst these homeless than you will find on any dinner-party?
I just ask.
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