Borough of Kings / Brooklyn Sonnet (2000)

Cheesy Gangster Film #3 

Synopsis: Aspiring actor accidentally attends appalling assassination, actualizing alertness, anxiety and angst. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Jimmy O’Conner’s life ambition is to get out of Brooklyn and avoid the criminal lifestyle that has seduced his friend Tommy. He finally gets his chance, but leaving the ‘hood alive becomes almost impossible when he stumbles upon a brutal murder committed by a psychotic gangster.” 

What Did I Learn?: Always carry a thick wad of papers in your coat’s breast pocket – you never know when somebody may try to stab you in the heart with an ice pick. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know what it's like to witness something horrible in a neighbour's bathroom.

 

Really?: 1) You know, I’m pretty that if I were a gangster, and I just whacked somebody in my friend’s apartment, I would lock the door immediately afterward. I realize the plot hinges on this one mistake, but it really isn’t very believable. 2) So, Moosehead rats out his own crew regarding an impending armed robbery? What happens after he gets caught, and subsequently released by the cops? How does he explain this to his fellow gangsters? 3) At one point, Jimmy dons a terrible disguise as a Hasidic Jew. What is this, a Pink Panther movie? 4) Funny how the sub-plot about Jimmy’s family wanting him to become a fireman gets more-or-less buried, isn’t it? 

Rating: I really wanted to like Borough of Kings. It’s a small, independent film that’s marred by a highly contrived plot (see: “Really?”) and some less-than-stellar acting. I cannot recommend this movie. 4/10 stars. 

Would it Work for A Bad Movie Night?: Maybe – take a drink every time Jimmy announces that he really, really, really wants to leave Brooklyn. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187761/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1