The (21st Century) Outsiders

I wasn't familiar with the book "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," but the presence of Channing Tatum certainly caught my eye in the movie poster down in the subway station. The film won some awards at Sundance and this write-up by Jason Buchanan in All Movie Guide sounds promising:


The harsh realities of life on the street merge with the universal themes of youthful pain and exhilaration in director Dito Montiel's telling tale of one boy's struggle to escape the grim fate that awaits his aimless, trouble-minded peers. For most of Montiel's friends, the only means of escaping their bleak surroundings were drugs, prison, or death.

In breaking the cycle and making a name for himself as a filmmaker, Montiel showed that there are ways to overcome the urban malaise that consumed the majority of his friends. He couldn't have done it alone, though, and with this film Montiel pays tribute to those he left behind by bringing their story to the screen so that their struggles may give others in similar situations the courage to pursue a more positive, creative means of overcoming their anger.

With Robert Downey Jr. (playing the present-day Montiel); Chazz Palminteri (Dito’s father); Rosario Dawson; Eric Roberts; Channing Tatum (Official site)

Previously: Morning Wood: Channing Tatum