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Don't listen to the negative reviews

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Although the plot may be a familiar one, the fine acting on display here raises this film from the doldrums into being a pretty effective and taut thriller. The ever-dependable Harvey Keitel, who's always a presence whichever film he's in, stars as an American cop who comes to London after chasing a particularly nasty piece of work, a drug dealer. Once in London he discovers that while the city may be different, the crimes and people inhabiting it are the same, from the world-weary cops to the old-time criminals who just want peace to the young thugs who would murder you in the blink of an eye.The supporting cast of British actors is packed with familiar faces, and everybody gives a good performance in this film. Particularly affecting is Craig Kelly, who plays a young informant who gets puts in grave danger as the film progresses. Kelly's performance is a realistic and touching one, not least with his believable relationship with a very young-looking Thandie Newton, who of course would go on to appear in many films. Elsewhere, Terence Rigby is also very good as a criminal who wants to help the police get the murderers, and Keith Allen puts in a thoroughly evil performance as a frighteningly nasty piece of work who bumps off those he doesn't like. His comeuppance is well deserved.Touching on the seedier side of London, complete with drug-fuelled nightclubs, and murders being committed in dark alleys, this feels very much like a typical American thriller, except that the odd setting makes it perhaps more interesting to watch. Director Danny Cannon mixes in the mystery aspects of the film with some shocking bursts of violence, leading up to the inevitable bloody death-filled finale. What surprises most is that his drama is character-based instead of style-fixated, which is often the case with some of these more recent crime thrillers they're throwing at us. Saying that, there are some good bits of cinematography, including an inspired tracking shot which transforms the London underground into a place of isolation and foreboding like never before! Although THE YOUNG Americans doesn't give much in the way that's new and has an obviously low budget, a good cast and well-sketched, realistic characters give this thriller an added edge over your typical run-of-the-mill fare. Highly recommended.

Violent organized crime is overwhelming the ill-prepared London police. Bodies are piling up. American Carl Frazer (Viggo Mortensen) has recruited young men to be violent ruthless thugs. American cop John Harris (Harvey Keitel) arrives to assist the police in catching the bad guys.Harvey Keitel is great. Viggo isn't in this enough. There are some good British actors. Thandie Newton plays the girlfriend role. The movie relies on some unknown kids, mostly Craig Kelly. He's a blank fresh-faced newbie. He can't be the leading man in this movie and yet he is. It leaves the movie a bit scattered and hollow in the center. The intensity isn't really up to American standards. This is function TV crime drama... sorta.

Films, no matter low-budget, high-budget, no-budget need to have one essential element to ensure that the time dedicated to the characters, emotions, and themes is not futile. That, singular strong moment, has to be story. Whether it is a horror film, a sci-fi film, or even a Bergman avant-garde film, there needs to be at least a small strain of story carrying the viewer from point A to point B, if that is missing – the entire structure of the film will collapse. Characters you can ignore, emotion can be faked, and the themes can be murky, but without that central story – your film will ultimately be found in the dollar bin at the nearest retail chop shop. Despite Harvey Keitel, Viggo Mortensen, Thandie Newton, and a slew of British accents – that is why "The Young Americans" failed. Absolutely it was a dark crime noir, a family retribution, and a love story, but the story in "The Young Americans" was so weak, that getting to the different point, the different scenes, felt rushed, unfamiliar, and murky. This jumbled, muddled mess of a film boasts cheapness from every angle, but due to the missing story – "The Young Americans" fails to be anything more than a random Harvey Keitel stumble at the store, or a cheap recommendation because you rented "Reservoir Dogs".With the sound of raves in the background, the viewer is pulled right into the youth of Britain circa mid-90s. Dance parties, gangs, and late nights plague the screen as groups of genuine unknowns get killed in the night. This should have been an indication of what the remainder of the film would be like, but I trudged onward – and definitely not upward. After the brutal killings, we are swooped into the world of Harvey Keitel, or anti-antagonist (seemingly blending together every cop cliché/genre) John Harris. Brought in to help with a murder, we soon learn that there is a secondary motive in play – something that has to do with a very young, an extremely overacted, Viggo Mortensen. As we jump from one frame to another, one initial drawback are the dark, character building scenes … literally, there is the concept of symbolic lighting to set the tone … but director Danny Cannon used so much darkness some scenes are blank on the screen. Missing more than a fourth of the film, we are forced to follow an unknown path between Keitel, Mortensen, love-interest Thandie Newton, and relative newbie Craig Kelly. It is his story that transfers the power from Keitel, but is equally as unappetizing. After the death of a family member, Kelly's Christian decides to turn against the crew that did it, becoming a powerful tool for Keitel, but the whos, whats, wheres, whens, and whys are never answered – still giving us nothing but quick scenes, literally teleporting us from point A to point B, without reason or consequence.As mentioned, the story is the ultimate failure of the film. There were actions made by our characters that did not seem to fit within the realm that Danny Cannon had created, but he continued to push through. Nothing was answered, situations were randomly created, and why was Viggo Mortensen's character so underdeveloped, yet so vital to the story? Who knows. That question became the downtrodden central theme to this film, and a reason why "The Young Americans" will never see success. With our story a clustered mess, how did the rest fair beneath the control of Cannon? Not surprisingly, the British were believable and grounded. The minor characters, perhaps outside of Craig Kelly, felt like real police and the setting (due to extensive British TV watching) felt like Britain 1993, but the influx of the American presence just ruined the rest. Keitel could have been Steven Seagul or JCVD, he was not cunning, nothing brilliant, just an American cop-dislocated and fighting against the shadow of a drug dealer. The entire subplot with his ex-wife was nothing short of embarrassing. Used to build his character, it just felt more like a cheap trick instead of honest emotion. The same can be said with Viggo Mortensen, who with choppy editing by Danny Cannon, never quite developed past the notion of "creepy guy". With a voice that sounded like a Lynch character, an unknown occupation, and a purpose to be in Britain (let's not forget his peculiarity towards young men), Mortensen felt more like a placemat than a villain. On the other side of this film, Newton read her lines well, and Craig Kelly attempted to work around Cannon and David Hilton's catastrophe of a script. It was obvious the actors were found, the script was heavily edited, and the final product was a rushed pile of poorly constructed LEGOs. One flick of your finger, it will all go crumbling down.Overall, in case it hasn't been noticed, this was an abomination of a film. From the darkly lit scenes (you have to watch to believe how dark this film was), to the atrocious acting, to the story that went nowhere but somehow ended up at the final credits, "The Young Americans" was a direct to video release for a reason. Shot in 38 days, this film felt rushed and incomplete. Mortensen's character is the one I struggle with the most, as the ending leads us to believe that this was supposed to be a different film than the one we began or watched. There were too many wild-cards (see Jack Doyle) that muddled the main story. It is a murky mess that is easily forgotten and should be avoided. Danny Cannon may have given us "CSI" and "Judge Dredd", but this is an incompetent film that will appeal to nobody and fails miserably.Grade: * out of *****

You HAVE to remember that he made this at a young age and little examples of first class directing shine through. The Cinematrography is also of a high standard. The subject matter is of the dark world of London and what it holds for young Britains. For some enjoyment and a way of living is achieved through working for an American crime lord who has taken to living in London. Our hero has to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of his own father's past and accept a secure life of working for the American or to change tune and try something different. Those who have seen it and enjoyed it should check out his earlier film "Play Dead". It's probably "Young Americans" with more money and more experience