Although this movie seems to be a mob story, the theme of this film is betrayal. Tommy, the protagonist-narrator, had a boyhood hero- his father, who was the first to betray him. So when his father was killed before his eyes, his child-mind figured he had it coming to him. He and his brother, Vinny, now orphans, go to live with his cousin Joey's family, and he saw Joey's mother betray her husband and ultimately her son. The first villain was Uncle Matty, who cuckolded Joey's father, and then killed him, lying to Joey as to who did it. Joey depended on Tommy's friendship, but Tommy's angst propelled him into the Marines, where his government and president betrayed him by not crushing Saddam in the first Iraq war. He winds up in a military prison, faced with long imprisonment. Brian Dennehy's law enforcement "bail-out" was also a lie, because Vinny's involvement in crime was not revealed until it was too late for Tommy to back out of his spying on the family "business" for the FBI, and then he was forced into wearing a "wire."His family welcomes him home, not realizing his dual role of spy and helper in the "business." He is trying to save them, but he's forced to do it in a backward manner. The only loyalty expressed and lived out was that of his simple brother, Vinny, who pays the ultimate price for his loyalty. The only way Tommy can prove himself with Joey, who has begun to suspect him, is to go into a suicidal mission to try to destroy Joey's head mob enemy, and the prize the FBI wants. Joey dies; Tommy survives. His only hope now is to leave the area with his new love and her son; her husband was also a victim of mob betrayal. "What doesn't kill you will leave you stronger" is the final lesson from all this and they leave town, hopefully to start over somewhere else.The acting was universally excellent, marking James Marsden's further display as a serious actor in a serious adult film. Brad Renfro's portrayal of the pathetic younger brother is all the more poignant; he would die not long afterward. Ribisi played his role well. The more famous actors: Dennehy, Hopper, Mihok, and Warren, to name a few, added class and stature to the film. This is my favorite Piper Perabo portrayal: she played a thoughtful and brave and a caring mother, as well as a new bartender in a difficult situation. The direction portrayed moodiness and contrasts of color. One of my favorite scenes was the opera aria, with Ribisi's reaction to it and Marsden trying to keep a straight face. Truly enjoyable file, despite the subject matter.

This is one of those films that gives the impression it is written by someone who is more a fan of the genre than a practitioner. It contains all the usual elements found in these 'tough' and 'gritty' crime dramas – the questionable loyalty between hoods who have grown up together on the mean streets of the city's slums, the psychotic gangster, the tough but vulnerable single mum, the doting mother, the sleazy clubs, the random acts of violence, the pop music soundtrack – but never once comes close to showing any signs of originality.James Marsden – as anonymous a leading man as you are ever likely to find – plays the son of a mobster drummed out of the marines for stealing a jeep and going after Saddam on his own when the US call off the Gulf War on the dictator's doorstep back in '91. He is offered a deal by shady cop Brian Dennehy (looking surprisingly trim but worryingly frail) to help put away a mobster from his old neighbourhood in return for his freedom from military prison. Returning to his old haunts, he falls in with his slightly feeble-minded brother and his cousin – ably played by Giovanni Ribisi – who is about to embark on a gang war with the mobster in question, which leads to the usual conflict of loyalties.After watching this I wondered not only why I bothered watching it through to its inevitable conclusion, but also why anybody bothered putting up the money for it. The script is pedestrian at best, and the storyline never wavers from a path that is as predictable as it is dull. Only the quality of the acting, and especially a blistering performance from Ribisi, make this worth watching at all. Well – that and the unintentionally hilarious death scene of one-legged gangster, Julian.

Reading the cover the story seems un-original but with what seems a quality starring cast I viewed it without expecting much and upon the final scene I was right. First the use of Dennis Hopper and Val Kilmer whose parts totalled no more than five minutes, Val Kilmers character Murtha served absolutely no point what-so-ever and made me realise the only reason for the 2 big names was to give the film some oomph! The acting was good, and characters came across as believable and Giovvani Ribisi cast as a gangster boss broke the normal mafia mold. As for the rest of the film Brian Dennehy looks in his 70's, why would a man this old still be working frontline for the FBI? During the big gunfight no one ever re-loads their gun, Good guys are always winged in the arm or leg but still manage to hobble around in not much pain! Think how much a paper cut hurts not imagine a massive chunck of flesh gets torn away could you stand the pain and keep on going. I know this happens in most films but I'm looking for reality. On the whole average,average,average. Hire or buy Infernal Affairs or Departed instead

I was surprised at how much I liked this film, being that I had never heard of it. The story focuses on Tommy (James Marsden), who has just come home from the army, but he's now undercover (working for Brian Dennehey), to bring down the gangsters he grew up. He comes home to see his brother Vincent (Brad Renfro) and his cousin Joey (Giovanni Ribisi), and the story goes from there. I won't go into any more detail at the sake of not ruining the film, but it's very good. If you enjoy a good gangster film, then this is the one for you. I am giving it an 8 out of 10. Also notice certain celeb cameos, such as Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee, an d Dennis Hopper.