NARROWS, THE - DVD review

By combining a complex relationship between father and son, a young man's inner desire to do something more with his life, a commitment to the criminal underworld, a romance with one woman behind another's back and a struggle to get to know an old friend, director Francois A. Velle has created "The Narrows," a release from Image Entertainment. The film and its screenplay are inspired by the novel Heart of the Old Country by Tim McLoughlin, and pull multiple complicated life happenings all together for one character.

Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers) is a Brooklyn native who's never made it out. He's a nice enough kid, still living at home with his father Vinny (Vincent D'Onofrio) and caught between where he's from and where he'd like to be. Mike is basically a glorified taxi driver working for Big Lou (Tony Cucci), and one day gets an offer from Big Lou's older brother Tony (Titus Welliver) to drive back and forth across the city once a week, picking up and delivering a single package. Needing money to help fund an expensive college education, Mike takes the job.

There's always an opportunity cost associated with anything, and for Mike, it comes from several directions. His girlfriend Gina (Monica Keena) keeps bugging him to get married, and his father verbally and physically lashes out once he hears about Mike's new gig, stating that Tony "owns you now." Plus, Mike vouches for Nicky Shades (Eddie Cahill), a childhood friend who was that kid everyone wanted to be while the two were growing up together. A stellar football player in his youth, Nicky chose instead to enlist in the Army and go overseas, returning only after physical injury and emotional wears took their toll. Nicky comes looking for a job at Big Lou's, and brings along some hidden baggage Mike doesn't learn about until after he's given his word.

Early on, what may have been a simple story about mob ties or growing up from one's humble beginnings has multiple plot lines running through it. The film doesn't over complicate these themes, and instead keeps everything centered on Mike and his path over, around and through these obstacles. The supporting cast members help reinforce that this is Mike's story by providing pretty stereotypical performances, and while textbook, they open the window into Mike's character that much wider.

Here's what I mean by stereotypical. Mike's co-workers all sit around a table playing poker and smoking while they wait for Big Lou to assign their next pick-up. Nicky is cocky and overconfident, but that's just a cover to his really insecure self (he's engaged, complete with a pregnant fiancée, and has a morphine addiction). Tony usually sits in the background, but gives orders sternly, and all are obeyed without discussion. Gina is physically attractive, yet pushy and irritable when she doesn't get her way. Mike's father Vinny wants what's best for his son, but is cautious about how a college experience could sever the bond between his upbringing, his family and his roots. They're all predictable behaviors, and all aim targets at Mike.

The supporting cast isn't bad, but they lack the same unconventional nature Mike has. It's likely done intentionally, as a way to further present Mike's character in a forward light, but still the traditional stereotypes you'd expect take center stage. They're effective and add to the experience, but don't enhance it as they could have. Most feel too one-dimensional and planned, except for Kathy Popovich (Sophia Bush).

Mike's received a partial scholarship to his expensive, prestigious university thanks to a photography portfolio he submitted. Early in the film, he goes to visit Professor Reyerson (Roger Rees) and informs him he won't be able to attend classes. It's there he meets Kathy, who is elegant and stunningly attractive. Mike takes an immediate liking to her, despite his commitment to Gina, and after an impromptu meeting, he follows her to a sociology class and enrolls. Thanks to the money from Tony, he's able to pay his tuition and take classes, but quickly focuses on Kathy above all else.

Between working for Big Lou, running his weekly errand for Tony, spending time with his father, getting reacquainted with Nicky, tolerating Gina and being a college student, Mike manages to entice Kathy. She's attracted to something about him, and the two become romantically involved. It doesn't last long, as one day Mike is jumped coming back to drop off the weekly package and goes into hiding from a gunshot wound. When he stops coming to class, Kathy comes to see him and gets dragged into his crumbling world. To save her, he's forced to come clean with his other relationship and his real life in the criminal underworld.

Bush's character is begging to be analyzed. She's young, super beautiful and has all her ducks in a row (including a really nice high rise apartment in Manhattan that every early twenties college student lives in, right?) Like so many female characters within these genres, she wants to succeed but can't stop wishing to be around the bad boy who gets into bar fights and carries a gun in his glove compartment. Despite the strong, independent exterior she puts out in the beginning, she melts into Mike's world. What's amazing is the hypocrisy she exudes later on. She slaps Mike for not being honest with her about his girlfriend and "real" life, but I didn't remember her ever asking those questions (she was too busy falling for him, you see). She gets very unhappy that all he wanted her for was sex, but didn't exactly seem reserved and conservative after Mike threatened to beat up another student who bumped into him after class one day (this was apparently very macho, as in the very next scene after this incident the two are in bed together).

In that sense, Mike and Kathy are made for each other. Both have inner demons they're wrestling with: Mike needing to figure his life out, Kathy soul searching for her life's calling in college. Both are hypocrites and feel betrayal from the other, yet manage to hold out hope they'll find a way to be together. She gets through to him, but not well enough to keep him from the life he thinks he needs to sustain himself.

Things get pretty tense as the film's climax comes and goes, and we learn that despite Vinny's advice early on to stay away from men like Tony, he does have his son's well being in mind throughout. It's a tough love from father to his son, but it's all Mike knows, and it's what he needs. There's violence, bloodshed and murder juxtaposed with sex, family matters and higher education. It's almost too much, but thankfully "The Narrows" doesn't even run two hours.

As with most films where the criminal underworld slams into everyday life, no character leaves without some mark, scar or battle wound. Every single one has some guilt or agony they will carry with them, and it's good we aren't really made to feel sorry for anyone. Desperate people will do desperate things, and those things tend to have more negative consequences than anything else. Mike finds this out the hard way, jeopardizing his family, his love life and education all at once.

The film is entertaining, but it feels slightly too artificial. New York doesn't overwhelm as it could, and the supporting cast doesn't support as well as it should. The multiple plot lines are kept simple enough so you won't lose track, but they also need high quality acting from additional players to really expand and enhance the experience. Since that doesn't come, we're left to rely on Zegers, Bush and D'Onofrio exclusively. Zegers is good, D'Onofrio gets the job done and Bush, while emotional, physically attractive and convincing, is a cluster. It's a good film that's frustrating to watch because there's so much untapped potential.

Video:
"The Narrows" looks very sharp in its original 1.78:1 theatrical aspect ratio. The picture remains pretty clear throughout, and minimal grain appears. There's more darkness throughout this DVD than anything else, and the film is well lit enough that despite the one sided imbalance you don't feel overwhelmed. New York looks gritty and real, but not nearly as populated or messy as other films make it seem. The characters look slightly too clean from beginning to end, but the high quality transfer makes them appear vivid and eye-catching.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio track has its highs and lows. Sure, the yelling and violence can be heard no problem, but the normal volume conversations sound like they cut in and out. Occasionally, you can hear the characters whisper better than the typical volume conversations. The background noises, including gunshots, cell phone ringtones and car engines, all can be heard without difficulty and don't distract from any sound or action in the foreground. The film has English and Spanish subtitles should you want or need them. Despite the volume issues with dialogue, the surround sound is nice, especially for an organized crime film.

Extras:
Nothing super enthralling to be found. You can watch "The Narrows" with an audio commentary from director Velle and screenwriter Tatiana Blackington, or check out some behind the scenes interviews. Plus, you have the theatrical trailer. Considering the film is based on a book, I'd like to see an author's interview to unpack the similarities and differences between the two. But, ‘tis not to be.

A Final Word:
As an unconventional coming of age tale, "The Narrows" works. As a mob and crime drama, it functions. As a love story, it's average. As a whole package, it's just above average. Zegers gives a strong performance in the lead role, while Bush and D'Onofrio back him up adequately. The film is gritty and realistic, but feels too scripted and stereotypical. It's worth watching for its entertainment factor, but isn't well made enough to rank among other high quality titles in its genre.