At Close Range (1986)

Best movie ever!

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

....I see things that can move...anything that can move has got my name on it" says Brad Whitewood Sr. (played by Christopher Walken) to his son, Brad Jr. (played by Sean Penn) as he drives his son through the Chester County countryside in SE Pennsylvania. The sociopathic / psychopathic Brad Sr. runs a burglary ring that steals lots of things but primarily farm equipment, all things that can "move" with a ready market via a "fence." He readily flashes his money around his son and "obtains" a car for him that comes "mostly with 'borrowed' parts, but the registration is legal", so Brad Jr. is happy that he can impress his new girlfriend. Brad Jr. is an aimless youth with what would appear to be poor prospects; his character is largely morally flawed, given his admiration for his father, but it's not completely formed yet, and his girlfriend has the potential for helping him shape his character in a positive way. The interaction between father and son, between a career criminal and a young man on the fringes of criminality, and the son's evolving perception of his dad from admiration to doubt to fear, is the focal point of this film.The film is based on the Johnston gang that ran wild through the rural parts of SE Pennsylvania in the '60s and '70s. Some reviewers have described it as "loosely" based on that family gang, but I'm from this part of Pennsylvania and I vividly remember reading about their crimes during this period, and this film seems to have most of the important details correct. I well know the rural road where some of the young gang members were killed and buried. The Johnston gang were hillbillies from NE Tennessee who moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania in the '60s, developed a multi-million burglary ring, taunted the local police, and when sloppy young gangmember "wannabes" started to get subpoenas, they viciously closed ranks and killed five teenagers and buried their bodies in the countryside. What's so horrific is that Bruce Johnston Sr., the model for the film's Brad Sr., killed his stepson, killed his son's girlfriend (days after raping her), and had his son (unsuccessfully) targeted for death although he did receive two bullet shots to the head. While in prison, he was accused of murdering an inmate by burning his cell.Walken does a marvelous job of portraying this monster. He displays both the charisma he undoubtedly had and that made his brothers readily accept his leadership and cunning, as well as attracted his sons, nephews, and their friends to a life of crime, as well as the pure evil he apparently was born with. Walken's performance is one of the best in portraying a truly wicked man that I've seen outside of film noir. Sean Penn's Brad Jr. realizes he may have bit on too much when he sees his father have a police informant drowned, but he's trapped in the gang and at the mercy of his father.This is not a film for everyone; it's a dark film without much redeeming virtue being displayed, even the women seem to be passive enablers. But I give it a 7 for its depiction of amoral greed and murderous self-protection.

The song Live To Tell by Madonna originated from this film, and intrigued by it's lyrical content, I decided to watch the movie it came from. It turns out the words of the hit record have little to do with the plot, which is a rather dull account of a family of criminals in America who go around stealing tractors. It has a very good cast, but this counts for naught when the script is stuck in second gear, with lots of tough guy posturing going on but little in the way of action.Oh, there's a few shocks near the end, but by then it's too little too late and all the drinking, smoking and swearing we see fails to create the foreboding atmosphere the director is striving for. It's just a passable 100 minutes of macho fluff, with elements of parental tragedy tacked on. It may strive to be Shakespeare, but somehow I can't see anyone studying this as part of their Key Stage coursework. 5/10

At Close Range is a wonderfully perfected movie. A tour de masterpiece of potent scenes, some truly unforgettable, dramatic, shocking, a little thanks to Madonna's hit "Live To tell" that plays at different instrumental speeds throughout the film. The lyrics of this song, stand true to it's story, which itself, is shockingly true. In my opinion, At Close Range, was one of the best films of 1986, a big year for vengeance movies in Adelaide. Another shocking fact, was that this movie only ran for twelve days, which I think in one sense is criminal. Real life brothers, Sean and Christopher play the Whitewood brothers. Their scumbag of a father and a master thief, known as Brad Whitewood Senior (Christopher Walken in a brilliant and menacing performance) who left them long ago, has just stepped back into the picture. The dialogue between son and the returning father is bizarre. He even has to consult with his son, if the other son, is the guy flopped out on his couch, which he isn't. Wanting to escape his dead, small town existence, Brad Junior (Penn) and his friends join up with his father's gang. This gang consists of some real scary types from A level actors who each bring something to the table. You even get to see how this professional gang of thieves operate on some jobs, one including Penn on his first job, alone with the guys, before he brings his mates in. Later on, when him and his mates stuff up, and are arrested, jeopardizing his father's operation, Brad Senior has them picked off, one after the other, in consecutive scenes, while Brad Junior remains in lockup. They all die in the same location, which I found haunting. The father's an absolute piece of s**t. A great use of scene atmosphere is at a cockfight, with Walken talking with a shady acquaintance, about arranging the killings. There's also of course, a love interest, Penn's new girlfriend, Terri (Mary Stuart Masterson) one of those impressive young actresses of the eighties. What the hell happened to her? Sadly for Terri, her fate meets with tragic ends in a arranged execution, that Penn remarkably survives. Directed by James Foley, a guy who knows how to make films, ACR is just another one of his, I loved. It's wonderfully shot and brilliantly acted. Each actor brings a totally different character to other ones they play, and I'm talking mainly Walken's gang and some others. They're heavyweights who've created real, human character performances. They should all be bloody commended. In fact At Close Range should also be known as a budding actors handbook. To finish this movie off, with a cherry on the top, we're treated to Madonna's version of Live To Tell as the end credits come up. Put this one on your eightie's movies to see. Please!

"At Close Range" is a tough movie to watch, primarily because of all the violence in it. What makes it worth seeing, though, are the performances by its two leads, Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, as father and son, respectively. The violence, I think, is essential to the plot because it's not so much "blood and guts" as it is about the measures people are willing to take to keep people, even family members, from jeopardizing their own lifestyle and freedom.Sean Penn, who is fantastic as a young actor, plays Brad Whitewood, Junior, a kid who is not really a criminal by nature, but having grown in up in a blue collar family that was always scraping to get by, wants a taste of the good life, even if it means resorting to crime. When he sees what his father has from his profession as a thief: the beautiful wife, nice car, well-kept home, and money, he becomes obsessed with embracing the same lifestyle and material things. He wants in. Christopher Walken is brilliant as Brad Whitewood, Senior. He is very subtle in his ways as an actor, but in this film, he was cast perfectly. He is able to transition, not only quickly, but also very smoothly, from being charismatic to downright malicious and evil. There are a lot of scenes he plays perfectly with his eyes. One minute they can have a smile in them, the next, they're cold and dead. This is, perhaps the most valuable characteristic of a master criminal, a brilliant con artist who can persuade anyone into doing anything, then kill them at the opportune moment. I think it's safe to say that this may just be his best performance. Brad, Sr is reluctant to take his son under his wing to teach him how to be a professional thief, but eventually does so, perhaps out of love. Later, when the junior Brad gets a real taste of the criminal life, and witnesses a murder that may not have been necessary, he begins to have second thoughts. Although he no longer wants to be a part of his father's gang, he becomes overly confident, thinking that he can be a professional thief on this own. "...all you know is how to steel, you're too f---in' dumb to do that by yourself!" "Oh, you think so?" "I know so!" This is a harsh reality of criminal life that is perhaps the most painful, and difficult to swallow: once you're in (and if you are, you're usually in over your head) there is no turning back. At this point, everything starts getting bad. Brad, Jr and his "kiddy gang" get caught in the act at the tail end of a tractor theft, and Brad, Sr's gang knows it's just a matter of time until someone talks. Brad, Jr is sitting in jail while all this is happening, because his bail has been set higher than the others. The authorities know that he'll be hunted by his father's gang and he may just be valuable enough to turn against them and testify.It takes some time, actually too late, for the son to see how truly evil his father really is, because of his greed, desperation, and naiveté. Although this is definitely not a suitable film for young viewers, and extremely violent (including a series of shootings, and a rape), I think it is an excellent portrayal of how far some people are willing to go to get and stay ahead, because they believe that no matter how hard they work, for them there is no other way."At Close Range" was based on the true story of Bruce Johnston, Sr, who was an organized crime leader in the Amish country of Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the 1960's and 70's. The movie does not, as most true crime films, use real names, presumably for fear of libel suits. The movie events take place in 1978, which, history tells us, is the time that the Johnston gang was taken away after Bruce Johnston, Jr, took the stand against them.Although Christopher Walken's character steals everything including the show, Sean Penn's performance is very good, too. He is very believable and makes clever choices as an actor. Penn is brilliant and persuasive playing a kid who is puzzled, greedy, hurt, angry and later vengeful. Like Walken, perhaps his best work is in his facial expressions, especially in the scenes where he's trying to figure what his father is up to and why. It's interesting to watch his transition from naive to finally understanding everything. The soundtrack of the 70's songs, instrumental score, and most of all Madonna's "Live to Tell" really enhances the movie. The photography, and shots of rural Pennsylvania, are scenic and beautiful. The acting is very convincing, and the screenplay is very good, with a suspenseful, yet somewhat unexpected, ending. Most of all, and most importantly, "At Close Range" is an interesting portrayal of a different and overlooked criminal aspect of our society.