This fascinatingly dark film is a minor gem, teetering on the edge of film noir, a grim tale about a family with more secrets than a sixth grade school kid; as part of the set up, the viewer is lured into thinking this a simple teen angst film, with unhappy. misunderstood Ryan Phillippe gloomy, moody and in need of a girlfriend; close attention, however, reveals much more going on with his dysfunctional family than first appears, with more than one twisted secret to be uncovered--and one is a stunner! Incredibly vivid photography captures the seedy side of trashy lifestyles, a local bar not unlike a joint from Twin Peaks, the squalid insides of unkempt trailers and the edge of a scummy country pond where the kids play; all the actors are especially committed, and two young actors bond in amazingly vivid ways with older brother Jimmy (Phillippe)--this odd film not what one expects, but it delivers some creepy answers to the title's choice: Little Boy Blue.

Anything which invites my intellectual capacity to keep itself geared up and working is well worthwhile, and is precisely where this film scores: you have to be well tuned in, especially in the early stages, to follow where everything is leading. In this respect, this is no ordinary film in what would be called the `noir' or thriller genre. `Little Boy Blue' is too far off the run-of-the-mill productions of this kind, precisely because it delves into psychological aspects of what some may call a dysfunctional family. Under Antonio Tibaldi's taught and intelligent directing both Ryan Phillippe and Nastassja Kinski give the best performances I have ever seen them in. But both are topped by a splendid John Savage, veteran of Viet-Nam and now alcoholic, whose reading of his rôle is simply splendid, well controlled, and in the end very convincing. The mysteriousness which pervades in this thriller is due to it not being a straightforward dishing up of countless other similar stories dreamed up for less exiguous viewers: tactical discontinuity heightens sensibility and forces you to take note of what is going on - or at least, the part of what is going on that the film shows you. Do not get me wrong: there is no incongruity. The telling of the story is practically faultless, such that the directing and interpretation rise to the occasion. One can argue the pros and cons of the plot, probably because the film does not follow simple formulas and models which might well make more than a few viewers lose track, but there is no denying its mysterious intentions. Surprisingly few voters on IMDb, and my vote is a little higher than at present.

This movie is for the adult audience, the actors do a wonderful job portraying each role, I do wish it was a little longer, but it was well thought out and very good.The beginning of the movie is shown to the very end, where a couple in the 70's are heading towards Texas with their baby, and they unfortunately end up picking up a soldier on his way home.Summary: The seemingly normal couple Ray and Kate West live in the outback somewhere in Texas with their 3 sons, the adult son Jimmy is a great baseball player, but doesn't seem to want to do anything in his life except be around the younger boys, who he is extremely protective over. As the movie progresses we see that there are plenty of secrets hidden within the family when Jimmy is forced to have sex with Kate at gunpoint by Ray.At first the impression I got of the movie was that Jimmy would no doubt kill his father one day for putting him through that form of incest, but as the movie continued it started to make more sense that it wasn't entirely incest, but more a very disfunctional family who suffer from Ray's war "wounds" and are paying the price of what he had gone through. Ryan Phillippe does a superb performance as Jimmy, the tortured and hurt young man, who wants to be with his girlfriend, but has deeper issues concerning his family. John Savage, again another excellent performance, after seeing him in Dark Angel I must admit the bad guy routine really suits him, but I wasn't really fond of Natassja Kinski's acting and character. She still ends up being the devoted wife, who loves her husband even though he puts her through hell. How weak. The younger cast, the two sons were great, really good acting! I'd give this movie a fair 8/10 with a question mark, being we live in this day and age wouldn't a mother try to protect her sons even if it means leaving her husband? (Or shooting him? Hello?? He has a gun in the house, doesn't anyone else know how to use one?!)

"Little Boy Blue" is a poorly executed attempt at southern gothic. Set in white-trash Texas, "Little Boy Blue" revels in the stereotypic gothic behaviors; drunkenness, cuckoldry, incest, kidnapping, and general father-induced family violence. And of course, there are the deep, dark, family secrets that slowly ooze their way to the light of day. Sorry to say that the crew making this movie pretty much missed the mark, in my opinion. I know I'm in the minority of other IMDb commentators, but I feel that everything about the movie is sub-par; directing, story, and acting. A possible exception being John Savage in the role of the brutal, scarred father. This plows much of the same ground as "Lone Star" but to much less effect. Granted the plot to "Little Boy Blue" contains many more sordid crimes and secrets, but maybe that's part of the movie's problem. There's certainly better in the genre.