Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Claudio Carvalho In Staten Island, New York, Parmie Tarzo (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a powerful mobster boss. The family man Sully Halverson (Ethan Hawke) is septic tank cleaner married with Mary Halverson (Julianne Nicholson) and they are trying to have a baby. The deaf and dumb Jasper "Jas" Sabiano (Seymour Cassel) is the slicer of deli meat in a market and also works for Parmie Tarzo slicing the bodies of his victims. Jas likes Sully and expects to win the horse races. One day, Sully that is not a bright man decides to heist the house of Parmie Tarzo, expecting to artificially inseminate Mary with a better sperm than his in an expensive clinic. Meanwhile Jas wins the horse race and there is an attempt on Tarzo's life and he finds that his gangsters have planned it. The lives of the three residents are entwined with tragic consequences."Staten Island" is a movie that blends different genres – comedy, crime and drama – in an uneven way. The screenplay is not linear and Parmie Tarzo on the top of the tree is boring and silly. The best segment is the drama of Sully, and the motives of Jas are not clear. "Staten Island" entertains but is not special. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): Not Available

perry-cook This film is one of the only movies that could be considered an action movie that I like - Its funny in parts, often ironic, contains exiting action and shooting scenes while has such a deep message that comes out in the ending that it is one of the only films that almost made me cry! I think this is because partly because it sticks to reality - there's nothing in it that could never happen or is to much of a 'happy ending' to be unrealistic - while the ending certainly isn't a let down either. The film has some important messages about life that all of us should see, and in my opinion should be much more well known than it is, watch it!

Frederick Smith This is delightful comedy where the mobsters all get their just desserts, but only after a series of really dumb moves by all concerned. Vincent D'Onofrio, who for years has played the role of Detective Goran in Law and Order: Criminal Intent, shows us his ability to completely change persona and delve into the mind of a small time hood with delusions of grandeur. Ethan Hawke delivers an excellent performance as the guy who cleans septic tanks for a living and wants a better life for his kid. Julianne Nicholson, who was also on Criminal Intent for a season across from Chris Noth, shows us an interesting character as Hawke's wife. And Seymour Cassel is excellent as the deaf mute counterman who secretly assists the mob in some of their more nefarious endeavors. The film is shot with the three perspectives merging into one, so the entire plot comes together in a very cohesive manner. One of the better Indies I have seen. Be forewarned it is a Russian Comedy, which is to say everyone dies, but they all die happy....well, not everyone. Rated R for violence and language, I highly recommend this one as a great rental. Collectible? Not particularly, but definitely a must see.

MBunge This tale of the tangentially connected lives of three Staten Islanders is well acted, well written and well directed, but would likely have been much better as three separate films. It has three very different tones, a plot device that belongs in a sci-fi flick and an ending that makes you wonder what the point of the whole exercise was.Parmie Tarzo (Vincent D'Onfrio) is a pudgy, bespectacled mobster who dreams of taking over the Staten Island underworld with his three thugs. He also dreams of setting the world record for holding his breath underwater and of finding the men who broke into his home and shot his elderly mother in the shoulder.Sully Halverson (Ethan Hawke) is a septic tank cleaner who's very self-conscious about his lack of intellect. When he and his wife decide to have a baby, Sully becomes consumed with the idea of having his kid genetically engineered to be smarter than he is and thinks he can get the money for it by breaking into Parmie's home and stealing from his safe.Jasper Sabiano (Seymour Cassel) is an old deaf-mute who slices meat for a living at a deli. He also plays the trifecta at the track, hoping for that one big win, is friends by Sully and cuts up the bodies brought to him by Parmie's gang for disposal.The stories of these three men are told in order, Parmie-Sully-Jasper, as they all intersect at the deli one day. Parmie ends up dressed like Mr. Rourke and sitting in a tree. Sully gets nabbed by the mob. Jasper winds up whimsically seeking a violent redemption for his sins. Their lives come together a final time and all of them get what they want, but only one of them survives.There's a lot to like about Staten Island. Unfortunately, it's doomed as a piece of entertainment by its three incongruous story lines. Parmie's section is clearly comedic, sometimes overtly and sometimes darkly, but never really serious. Then Sully comes in and his life is all serious, except with this over-the-top genetic redesign of his unborn son plopped into the middle of it all. I mean, come on! It's like watching Goodfellas and having Henry Hill decide he wants to have a sex change. And then Jasper life takes over the narrative with a distinctly fairy tale quality, like a modern fable of New York City's forgotten borough. All three separate tones are swirled together at the conclusion, but it takes like peppermint, ravioli and spinach.It's too bad because Vincent D'Onofrio gives another outstanding performance as a gangster who gets beyond all the clichés, even the ones he indulges. Writer/director James DeMonaco also came up with some good stuff, like the chaos at the robbery of Parmie's home and the souvenirs Jasper takes from the corpses he dismembers. Even the rapport between Sully and his wife manages to feel real and interesting, though we see little of it.You could any of these stories and make a movie of it. Putting them all together and giving each a dissimilar sensibility? It doesn't really work. Staten Island certainly isn't terrible. It's just not good enough to deserve to be watched instead of something else.