"Five Corners" is a dark comedy about a man (John Turturro) recently released from prison who seeks revenge on the people who caused him to be arrested. They are: the woman (Jodie Foster) he tried to rape; her boyfriend (Todd Graff) and the hero's situation (Tim Robbins), who saved the woman's life, and probably used of a lot of force to detain the rapist (nothing is shown so we have to deduce), since now he's peace-keeper who doesn't trust violence at all after this life changing incidentThis marked as being John Patrick Shanley's first script ever filmed, separated by a few months of the other one that brought him some recognition and the Oscar, the acclaimed "Moonstruck". Never elegant or brilliant like his most successful screenplay, "Five Corners" is something to be seen because Shanley knows how to create good moments one after another with knowledge of cause (he lived similar experiences as the ones showed here), some odd humor and makes you feel interested even when the story goes on a random rampage of sequences and characters that doesn't seem to fit a purpose in the plot - the young kids having a good time all around, including a memorable ride on the top of elevators. They have a purpose actually, but it takes too long to get there.But, like "Moonstruck", he has on his disposal and director Tony Bill, a good ensemble casting (the difference is that most of the actors in this film were relatively unknown at the time of its release while Norman Jewison's film had an stellar casting already famous). Foster and Robbins are fine together, very comfortable in their roles (Tim's best scene involves a small monologue about why he wants to join the Civil Rights Movement); Graff, unforgettable as the comic relief in 99,9% of "The Abyss", is quite annoying as the goofy boyfriend who always seem to ruin the day for everyone. Top quality performance of this comes from the terrorizing psychotic character of Turturro, his coldest and scariest character I've seen since John Shooter in "Secret Window". The drama? Engaging. The suspense? Good with some violent moments, but predictable at many parts (the ending was quite strange though, who could have thought of that happening?). And the comedy? Hardly work I must say. First of all, there's too much randomness included in this, the parts should be put together in a better way and the dialogs should go under a deep construction - that's why the Coen's succeed so much in doing funny and dark tales. OK, not just dialogs, but also in developing believable, sustainable situations. This goes beyond ridiculous when the girl decides to meet the psychopath, completely alone on a park at midnight. Who does that? All in all, presentable, watchable and manageable. A good little flick, probably more known these days because of the cast, which is the main reason why you should see it. 8/10

Five Corners" concerns several people living in a Bronx neighborhood in 1964 .There are two independent plots ,one involving two girls who look like if they were part of girls group of the era ,the Ronettes,the Crystals or most likely the Shangri Las .The merit of this period piece is to be able to create an atmosphere without using the oldies but goldies of the time (the girls group's classics for instance).The only songs we hear are the Beatles ' "in my life" which 1) is British 2)was released late 1965 and is a bit irrelevant as the movie is not treated as a flashback and a brief excerpt of Dylan's "the times they are a changing" ,which makes sense since the hero (Tim Robbins)wants to help his black brothers (it was the Civil Rights time ,and Luther King was the Man of hope)who,on the other hand, are not that much excited by his "help" .A psychotic (John Turturro) ,released from jail ,scares a young girl (Jodie Foster) he tried to rape before.Both Robbins' and Turturro's are present:the former is a widow -her husband was a policeman killed in a riot- who does not want her son to commit himself (to fighting for causes she does not believe in anyway:for her,black people are still n......) ,the latter is an extravagant woman ,who seems to live in another world,who seems interested only in her ludicrous hairdo .In 1964,before Flower Power ,bed-ins and peace and love hippies ,the question which must be asked after watching "Five Corners" would be :is non-violence the solution?The movie would tend to prove that it isn't.

This is an intriguing movie. The cast is mainly budding superstars. Their performances here are in keeping with their march up the ladder to A-list status. Tim Robbins especially connects with an ex-ruffian that has found his conscience. He wants in to a trip to Mississippi, to join MLK's freedom fighters. His explanation to a Malcom X type recruiter in Harlem, is heartfelt and well delivered. The rest perform their quirky roles well, thru some very quirky situations. The movie is very..... quirky.But....the writer, who went on to Oscar consideration later in life, has really stretched stuff to fit the plot. The mood change is radical, sub-plots are diverting, but unnecessary. And the worst to me was Jodie being "slugged" and knocked out. She remains knocked out while, carried from the subway, a car theft, a police shootout, a car crash, a 3rd floor Mom/Son confrontation, a climb to a rooftop and a 3 way struggle on the roof. Then she wakes up, reasonably clear headed!?!?! Hmmm! Too much for me. The "inept" police approach was good comedy and again, the cast showed the promise of bigger things to come!! Worth a watch! (in fact, watch the credits roll for a laugh out loud moment!)

...were the couple in the convertible--really don't see what the actual point of their subplot was, and the fact that the big dramatic ending scene relies on the premise that in 1964, cops had yet to figure out how to climb stairs--leaving them helplessly watching from the street wondering "How did they get up there?"Tim Robbins and Jodi Foster are worth a look--if for nothing more than historical interest, and I think they were going for almost a "Fargo"-like approach (yes, I know this predates Fargo) to some of the mayhem like the cop in the phone booth's fate and the mother of the psycho's final reward.