Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Scott Kalvert
Written by	Paul Kimatian; Christopher Gambale
Produced by	Michael Cerenzie; Willi Baer; Fred Caruso; Paul Kimatian
Starring	Stephen Dorff; Brad Renfro; Fairuza Balk; Vincent Pastore; Frankie Muniz; Balthazar Getty; Matt Dillon; Norman Reedus
Cinematography	John A. Alonzo
Edited by	Michael R. Miller
Music by	Stewart Copeland
Production; companies	CineWild; Eternity Pictures; The Antonia Company
Distributed by	United Artists; MGM Distribution Co.
Release date	May 3, 2002;
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$6,282,446

Deuces Wild is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Scott Kalvert and written by Paul Kimatian and Christopher Gambale, who also created the story. It stars Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, James Franco, Matt Dillon, and Fairuza Balk amongst others. The film is set in 1958 Brooklyn, New York City. Martin Scorsese was originally the executive producer (as a favor to Paul Kimatian), but he eventually removed his name from this film in the United States version. International releases still bear Scorsese's name on all promotional materials.

As the tagline states, there is very little firearm violence; most of the fighting is hand-to-hand, in keeping with the 1958 setting. The original screenplay written solely by Gambale was a very different movie and reflected the true gang era of 1950's Brooklyn. Due to personal issues with Paul Kimatian, who shared the writers fee due to dire financial issues (and ultimately credit due to a flawed Writers Guild arbitration), both "writers" were not permitted to see the film to principal photography. A non-union writer was secretly brought on the film, a young woman with zero talent and no knowledge of the genre, and transformed what was called by many "a masterpiece" into a stereotypical "Happy Days with knives", based on what little research, if any, she did. The original film is very dark, almost noir, brutal and graphic and ends with Leon (who was originally supposed to be half-black) murdering Marco in the church, by overdosing him on heroin on the altar as a sacrifice and repayment for his little brother's OD. I worked for the original writer and frequently distribute the original screenplay to "fans" or curious viewers as this is a prime example of a inept director demolishing a terrific screenplay. The director, Scott Kalvert eventually committed suicide and joined fellow Deuces "alumni", Brad Renfro, Paul Kimatian and John Alonzo to their deaths. Some have called this film cursed.

Plot

Leon (Stephen Dorff) and Bobby (Brad Renfro) are brothers and members of the Deuces, a Brooklyn street gang. Ever since the death of their other brother Alphonse "Allie Boy" from a drug overdose at the hands of Marco (Norman Reedus), they keep drugs off their block. This puts them in opposition to the Vipers, another local gang headed by Marco who want to sell drugs in the neighborhood. On the eve of Marco's return from a three-year stint in prison, a gang war seems imminent. Marco plans revenge against Leon, whom he believes ratted him out to the police.

Bobby falls for a new girl who moves in across the street, Annie (Fairuza Balk), the younger sister of Jimmy "Pockets", a Vipers member and heroin dealer. Their attraction for each other complicates the gang rivalry. Marco attacks the block and Bobby before beating and raping Betsy (Leon's girlfriend) in order to push him over the edge. After a series of skirmishes between the Vipers and Deuces, neighborhood Mafioso Fritzy (Matt Dillon) orders Leon and Marco to make amends hours before the climactic rumble (he previously declined Marco's request to kill Leon). Leon disobeys this order in a fight at the docks where Marco is killed along with Jimmy Pockets, leaving Bobby and Annie free to take her mother to Los Angeles. Leon is shot and killed by one of Fritzy's men in retaliation for ignoring his orders. Before leaving, Bobby drops a wheelbarrow full of cinder blocks on Fritzy's car, presumably killing him.

Cast

Stephen Dorff as Leon
Brad Renfro as Bobby
Fairuza Balk as Annie
Vincent Pastore as Father Aldo
Frankie Muniz as Scooch
Balthazar Getty as Jimmy "Pockets"
Matt Dillon as Fritzy
Norman Reedus as Marco
Max Perlich as Freddie
Drea de Matteo as Betsy
Louis Lombardi as Philly Babe
Deborah Harry as Wendy
James Franco as Tino Verona
Josh Leonard as Punchy
Johnny Knoxville as Vinnie Fish
George Georgiadis as Willie
Jackie Tohn as Mary Ann

Reception

The film received negative reviews and currently holds a 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[1]

References

^ "Deuces Wild". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-03-12.

External links

[1] "Deuces Wild". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-03-12.

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