Sunday, January 9, 2011

THE HITMAN DIARIES-CHARLIE VALENTINE: GRITTY GANGSTERS

Most of the time Hollywood produces films about gangsters awash in glitz and glitter, prone to living in the fanciest of houses and always attempting to either go legit or at least try and do something for their community. But this has little to do with reality. If you don’t believe that read WISEGUY by Nick Pileggi. The life of a mobster is never as glamorous as they would have you believe and their sole focus is themselves.

But there is the rare occasion when the seamier side of the gangster life is portrayed. And it usually is done so due to lack of money and time given a film maker. Such is the case with the film THE HITMAN DIARIES: CHARLIE VALENTINE directed and written by Jesse Johnson.

The story revolves around Charlie Valentine (Raymond J. Barry), a low level mobster looking at old age and the possibility of getting out of the game. To do so he’ll have to make one last monumental score. His choice is to rob Rocco (James Russo), one of the top mob members. When the robbery goes bad and his men are all killed, Charlie hits the road in Rocco’s prized possession, a classic Cobra.

With no one on the east coast to help him Charlie heads to the only place he thinks he’ll be safe, his son’s home in Los Angeles. Danny (Michael Weatherly) is doing okay for himself. Having beat drug addiction and a bad stint in prison with the help of the woman in his life, Jenny (Maxine Bahns), he’s getting by on parole and working as help in a local strip joint. When Charlie shows at his doorstep, he’s glad to see him.

Charlie was the man he always dreamed of being. Plenty of gorgeous women around and never tied to one, money always at hand and the “good life” always being enjoyed. While his parents separated early on, Danny always wanted to be like Charlie. And with his arrival, he now thinks he has the chance.

At first charmed by Charlie, Jenny realizes the damage he could do and leaves. Charlie begins teaching Danny the tricks of the trade. What Danny doesn’t realize at first is that while the good life seemed good, there is always a price to pay. The true viciousness that lies beneath the calm exterior of Charlie Valentine is later revealed and Danny must make the decision, does he really want to be like Charlie or not?

All roads lead back to the beginning and Rocco and his men are hot on Charlie’s trail. After Charlie convinces Danny to rob Danny’s boss Ferucci (Steven Bauer) the walls begin to close in and bring the entire story around to a gripping conclusion.

The film plays like a number of film noir classics with a flawed character that is a bad guy on the surface but with a touch of humanity in his soul. This is not a person you would want to socialize with perhaps, but when in a jam he’s the one you want in your corner and not opposing you. And like those classic films, no one comes out at the end without a certain amount of damage.

The film does have that look of a low budget film but the budget is well used and doesn’t suffer for it. The sets look solid and realistic and the photography is well done. And the acting comes through from the name players to those less well known.

Barry is a familiar face that you’ve seen countless times, but this role is something totally different for him. He’s romantic to the women he beds, he’s in the face of men twice his size when confronted in a fight, he’s caring when he thinks of his ex-wife and son and he’s a cold blooded killer when the need arises. This character feels more real than most mobsters seen on film that are at one end or the other rather than in between.

The rest of the cast does equally well. Weatherly turns in a fine performance that shows a range from a man in charge of his life to the father worshipping son to the battered man about to face his maker at the hands of men much more brutal than he is. Bauer does a great job as a slimy strip club owner and low level mobster who considers himself above his station in life. Sad to say those who see Tom Berenger’s picture on the cover of this DVD will be disappointed as his role amounts to little more than 2 minutes as Charlie’s parole officer.

Filled with plenty of gory fight sequences and gunplay and tons of exposed female flesh, this is definitely not a movie for kids. It might even offend some adults. But if you’re looking for a mob movie that shows a different light than most, this may suit the bill.

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