Like in most of my reviews, I don't get too heavily invested in talking "plot". I know that sounds counter intuitive, but everybody gives you the plot, it's all over the Internet, it's all the trailers, the previews, the talk shows.... everywhere. So the plot is not too hard to find. What I do is get a little bit more into the technical aspects of the film and I think that's because I tend to watch films a bit more analytically than other people. This is unfortunate for me because while other people are enjoying a usually good movie, I'm sitting there thinking that couldn't be done because of this, or that's not realistic because of that, etc. Just watch "Speed", it's an homage to cinematic frustration for me, along with many others. Anyway this movie briefly is obviously about a 20-something (Director Steve James who plays himself, as does everyone else) who, at the urging others, befriends a young child Stevie (Steven Fielding - the identical first names was painful for me for some reason) in a "big brother" type of relationship, with honestly the best intentions in mind. Several years later the James, now also a film maker, returns to glean what he can about what ever happened to little Stevie from years ago, only to find out he's lived a life of crime; everything from innocuous to petty to questionable to downright disturbing. The viewer, though it is not verbalized, is left to wonder whether James feels as though his imprint on this young life did in some manner negatively affect it. It couldn't have. James and his wife are obviously wonderful people. Regardless, It's no secret that about halfway through the movie Stevie, the one time little brother, gets arrested for sexually assaulting his female little cousin. Now normally I don't get into this in this forum, but it seems appropriate here. Anyway, I normally tend to be a bit more liberal in cases such as this, however I simply don't get the outcry for leniency and compassion for this offender with myriad, wide ranging crimes spanning a lifetime despite a loving fiancé and supportive family (despite issues that were Dmittedly ghastly when he was a baby involving parenting-by-absentia etc. He admitted what he did, of course recanted but did so after a good amount of time had passed. After he subsequently told James that he wasn't going to prison, nor would he ever register as a sex offender (the implication being that he would kill himself before either of these two whatever occur), James had to fight valiantly to hold this thing together - and it was going down quickly. I don't mean in terms of quality of the movie, i just mean in the "tough-guy" rhetoric of the real-life players. Look, these guys are probably great fellows (one even boasts to be the head of the Aryan Brotherhood. Yup, the HEAD and everything! Now that can't be all bad, can it?) As I was saying, as far as career criminal sexually deviant incestuous child molesters and heads of Aryan Brotherhoods go, these guys are probably good neighbors. But I'm not in to guys who brag about striking women (particularly family members), I don't think the phrase "That's what she said" it's funny anymore, besides I bet she never said it to him anyway. These guys are big talkers and I'm just not interested in big talkers. They bore me. Like my dad says, one of his best ever, they never seem to have anything interesting to say, and they're always the loudest ones in the room. It's the same thing over and over and over again that everyone pretends to laugh at like it's the first time they heard it - that's what you're watching when you watch this. It's painful. Like I said, it's well-made I have no problems or issues there . It's the subject matter, it's the content, it's the irascible and obnoxiousness of the characters. Stevie gets his in the end and James makes a difficult to watch film if, like me, you're not into big talkers. But on rainy Sunday afternoon when your team has a bye, it's probably worth a watch, albeit 30 minutes too long. That's the most endorsements I can give this one.

The synopsis does sound terrible, however if you are willing to challenge your behalves and conceptions you'll get to see a film which is, with no better words to put it, simply unbelievable. And yes, it does require some open mind to really appreciate it, but hi, doesn't all great art does? This film will open your heart in a way you couldn't anticipate, regardless of how strongly you feel about child abuse. Stevie himself was abused and raped over and over again, from one abusing family to another. There's a commentator here that claims she knows lots of people who had it worse, well, I don't know where she's coming from but this is one horrible childhood. But like a genuine work of art this film doesn't come to advocate a man who did a terrible crime, he just trying to follow the road that was broken from the first brick. One of the greatest cinematic works of our time that has yet to receive its recognition.

This film does not offer easy answers to the problem that is Stevie. It is a scarry sobering look at how on every level, the system and people that should have looked out for this young man failed. It is not a comfortable story and it does not have a happy ending. The people in this mans life should feel guilty for deserting him. But, when should we begin to hold Stephen accountable for his actions and the crime he committed. When does it stop being everyone elses fault. This is an invaluable DVD to add to anyones collection. No longer will you be able to label criminals as animals without thinking first, about what lead to their actions.

This film is about a kid named Stevie from rural southern Illinois who was abused, neglected, and bounced around between various homes as a child. As an adult, he acts as we might predict: he is unstable, has a skewed moral compass, is child-like, and commits serious crimes. The filmmaker was a mentor to Stevie while at college and returns to catch up with him years later. He finds out that Stevie has been indicted with a serious crime and faces a long prison sentence. He uses this film as a way to investigate the root causes of Stevie's current behavior and to alleviate some guilt about not 'being there' for Stevie - after college, he moved to Chicago and didn't have contact with Stevie for many years. This film is a discussion-starter and brings up many questions about how children are raised and how a child's upbringing will affect his/her life. The editing job is mediocre and I think the film starts to get long-winded and boring toward the middle. Also, I can't help but feel that the director's somewhat warped, voyeuristic vision of what the film is or what it will do is ethically questionable. However, the film is honest and straight-forward and will elicit good discussion afterwards, even if you do end up pretty depressed. 6 out of 10