The problem with this movie is not the performances Jack Nicholson is great in whatever you put him in and David Morse is good too but it seems to me that Sean Penn doesn't know what Drama is he has some very good scenes with dramatic values and some others that destroy the whole movie like having Nicholson going to a Strip Club every 30 minutes or even Robin Wright that should help Morse's character instead of dancing like crazy the actors are great but the script and direction haven't been written really that well although it is good to say that the ending was pretty good since both men have done mistakes and they accept them. The Crossing Guard is a beautiful movie that tries a lot to find the drama that it needs threw out it's story but the confusing direction and some pretty bad scenes and dialogue tear apart the movie i give it a 7/10.

Cannot say enough about this film. Never even knew it existed until it popped up on Netflix and I could not believe a Jack Nicholson film existed that I had not watched at least once. Wife and I watched this at home without interruption and really enjoyed it since we both had recently lost parents, friends and our dog, Scooter. But I never thought a movie could blend such emotion , suspense and action in such a way as "The Crossing Guard". And I admit I am quite a movie snob when it comes to quality movies. Just a great movie all around but you do need to be in the mood for a real actor's movie and not looking for a crash bang thing. I would highly recommend for anyone over 16.

I have to take exception to what seems the be the majority view that this is an excellent film. The whole thing is contrived and phony. Throughout, there are innumerable points in the action where people do things and behave in ways completely contrary to what real people would do. The dialogue, too, is contrived. And one could have asked some more subtlety. As it is, it is clear from the get go that the vengeful father is the "bad" guy and the repentant killer is the "good" guy. Things are rarely so black and white. There is one scene further on in the film where Nicholson's character, in a conversation with his ex-wife, portrays some genuine grief and pain, but his portrayal up to that point completely belies that. And the many observations by viewers about the excessive and gratuitous nudity are on the mark. The completely contrived and unbelievable ending brings to mind Oscar Wilde's quote that "one would have to have a heart of stone not to dissolve into tears ...of laughter." Sean Penn should stick to his day job of acting and stay away from writing and directing.

Freddy Gale (Three Time Oscar-Winner:Jack Nicholson) is a sad, lonely man. Who spin his time at the strip bar with this so-called friends and strippers. He owns an small jewelry business, divorced from his wife (Angelica Huston) and he's not an father to his two twin sons after the death of his daughter. She was killed by a drunk driver by the name of John Booth (David Morse). Which John recently got out of prison after five long years. Freddy is giving John... three says to live before Freddy kills him. While these two men are searching for some kind of redemption before the day comes.Written and Directed by Sean Penn (The Indian Runner, Into the Wild, The Pledge) made an intriguing moody drama. Nicholson and Morse are both good in their roles. This film only came out in limited release in theaters back in 1995. Still, there's not many people heard of this film yet.DVD has an fine non-anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an good Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD's only special feature is a running commentary track by writer/director:Penn, playwright:David Rabe, Cinematographer:Vilmos Zsigmond and actors:Huston & Morse. "The Crossing Guard" is heavy handed at times, although the ending is predictable... it manages to be quite touching. Still, Penn's second film is good but it's no breakthrough like his recent new movie "Into the Wild". (*** ½/*****).