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Just perfect...

Best movie of this year hands down!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Long ago, in the days when the Fast and the Furious was still just an old Roger Corman B-Movie, and nobody thought a franchise could be spun out with a title as limp as The Chronicles of Riddick, Vin Diesel was just another struggling actor, earning his crust selling light bulbs as a telemarketer. With admirable verve, the shiny headed one set out going his own way - writing, producing, directing and starring in his own pet project. The resultant work was selected for Sundance in 1997, and, whilst hardly causing a sensation, was obviously seen by enough of the right kind of people to set its maker off on his path to stardom. Little seen in the intervening years, the film, Strays, is finally finding a wider audience on DVD.The film follows Rick (Diesel) a part-time dope dealer and general lay- about wishing to transcend his social status and become… well, that isn't entirely clear. But something.  Surrounded by friends even more gormless than himself it is little wonder Rick sees himself as something special. Tired of the daily bump 'n grind, he looks for true love with the middle class girl next door, but his innate dimwittedness always seems to get the better of him. Strays examines the lives of the buff, rather brutish, none too sharp yet somehow vaguely existential young male. Pasolini made a couple of masterpieces with such material, Scorsese got some pretty decent mileage too. Diesel, sadly, offers up a tepid, plodding insult to intelligence.The first half of the film actually holds some interest with its ham- fisted dissection of male narcissism and the pleasing attendant whiff of homoeroticism. Disappointingly Diesel rejects this fruitful avenue for a remarkably inane progression into soppy romance, with the Pantene-fresh Heather (Lanza) falling for Rick's dubious charms (he likes mint choc chip ice cream and - shockingly - all the words to the Tin Man song from the Wizard of Oz.) Diesel's acting range is showcased in all its glory: witness the occasions in which his character will offer some pithy advice to his no-good friends first in a low voice, AND THEN SHOUTING IT AS LOAD AS HE CAN. Rick has mother issues, which apparently excuses his all-round prickishness. And anyway, IF EVERYONE WOULD JUST LISTEN TO WHAT HE IS SAYING VERY LOADLY things would probably be OK. The improvisational style aims for Cassavettes but hits some way wide of the mark. The Pacifier had more soul than this.

Strays is brutally honest and... beautifully executed. It uses harsh words and harsher actions to portray a lifestyle that is real and not sugar coated for the audience. It does not apologize for this but instead asks us to understand the truth being portrayed. A war without blood would not be accurate. These lives without the brutal language would be false and would strip the movie of its commitment to honesty.The acting, directing, and writing in this movie was done with absolute attention to detail. I deeply enjoyed this movie. It was fresh and new and at times so real and raw I felt like a voyeur. Rick's life unfolds before us and we are taken along on a journey through his emotional awakening. Gracefully it allows us to experience the lives of its characters without judgment.This in turn gives us the freedom to feel and grow along with them. It evokes emotion and dialogue and is in my opinion a great work of art.

Vin Diesel. He can write, he can direct, and he can act. The movie is a macho man version of a chick flick, and he and a great supporting cast (Joey Dedio in particular) completely pull it off. Do yourself a favor and read the children's book "The Story of Ferdinand" before you see this movie. It will take all of 5 minutes. Rick, the main character, has a huge drawing of Ferdinand on the wall of his Bank St. apartment, and the book has had a significant impact on his life (besides the fact that an illustrated bull has been just about the only male role model he has ever had). If you don't know the story, you won't see the (rather obvious) parallels between Ferdinand and Rick, such as: what you look like on the outside doesn't always translate into what you are like on the inside, "life is a matador" and we all know what happens to the bull if he takes the bait and fights, just because you are a bull doesn't mean you have to act like one, and if you make the right choices and stay true to yourself, you can survive and ultimately be happy. The dialogue between Rick and his posse rings so true that it comes across as unscripted. It's completely natural, as is the acting. The cast genuinely makes you forget that you are watching a movie. Some of the uncensored conversations his friends have amongst themselves are downright hilarious and truthful at the same time. I was genuinely surprised to learn that some of the male cast members had not known each other before auditioning for this movie. The bond between them came across as genuine.Stereotypes abound, but each and every one is someone most people can relate to knowing or having known. The acting is so good that you forget they are indeed acting and begin to wonder exactly how much of this was drawn from real experiences and conversations. Rick is hot, broke, street-smart and sought after by women who think that getting him into their body will somehow get them into his heart in return. The only problem is that Rick has begun to mature and change, and he is gradually becoming aware of the fact that his life has no real meaning. He has taken care of his body but not his spirit. He desperately wants to show who he really is on the inside, and watching him take each uncertain step towards that goal is poignant.The blank looks that two of Rick's friend's (Joey Dedio and Valentino Morales) give him when he explodes after hearing them laugh over something truly reprehensible that one has done to his girl, and the pivotal self-realization that Rick experiences as a result of witnessing the callous and clueless responses of his friends is painful to watch, as it should be. Rick, while gradually introspective, is clearly not fully prepared for the regrets and emotional upheaval that true self-examination brings. Watching Rick make choices that go against everything he (and his life so far) have conditioned him into believing are all that matters combined with the realization that he truly is all on his own, is touching without being sappy. The true extent of his vulnerability becomes apparent in a scene where one of his friends brings up a conversation he and his mother had about Rick. Rick's eyes and face express just how troubled he is over an unresolved situation with his own mother, and it becomes clear to him how this has immobilized him in other areas of his life. He conveys all of this without speaking a single word. Watching Vin Diesel emote is something most people aren't used to, but he does do it well. Witnessing Rick slowly but surely allow himself to become increasingly emotionally vulnerable and hopeful of the possibilities that may result from doing so, even with an unsure outcome, is moving. The movie's low budget works entirely in its favor as far as realism goes. Shot entirely on location, everything from Rick's apartment with the bathroom in the hallway to the street scenes around the Bank/11th/Hudson/Bleeker area along with all the West Village locations is a real visual treat. It's Rick's life, and not all prettied up Hollywood style. Rick is a small-time drug dealer, and he doesn't have an unrealistic seven grand a month "Friends" style apartment. Everything on-screen is authentic and real. I loved it.

STRAYS (or DOORMEN as his script was initially titled) marks the entry of Vin Diesel (AKA Mark Sinclair Vincent) into the film world in a very small budget (under $50,000.), independent 1997 movie he wrote, directed and acted the major role. To appreciate this very realistic, modest, slice of New York life the film presents, it helps to watch the features added to the DVD (the film is released to the public for the first time): interviews with the cast and with Diesel give a sensitive and heartwarming background that enhances the movie experience. Though Diesel studied acting and worked in theater in New York prior to this film, it was not until he made his own film that he captured the attention of the people who make things happen. And now that Vin Diesel is a major Hollywood presence it is fascinating to see this initial opener.The plot is simple enough: Rick (Diesel) is a minor drug dealer who also works as a bouncer with his buddy Tony (F. Valentino Morales), and hangs with Fred (Joey Dedio) and his 'brother' (Mike Epps, in his first role in film). The guys live mainly for easy sex and camaraderie - all of the have been raised by mothers without knowing their fathers (thus, are 'strays'). As Rick matures he grows tired of his shallow lifestyle, misses the connection with his mother he never developed, and is prime bait for a relationship. Into his life steps Heather (Suzanne Lanza), a wholesome Midwestern girl, the two have a mutual attraction, but as their courtship dance progresses Heather disapproves of Rick's at times gang-like behavior and his drug dealing. They come together in an extended park bench conversation (excellent writing) during which they realize they each have repairs to do on their previous lives before they can enter a serious relationship.One aspect of this little film that makes it a cut above the many others like it is the quality of natural acting Diesel draws from his cast: uncredited female actors who provide the sex interest for the men are variably excellent, and Morales, Dedio and Lanza are particularly strong in their commitment to ensemble acting. The script is fairly strong, though the barrage of expletives becomes tiresome after a while. Yet in the end, Diesel establishes his skills as a serious actor and as a fine director and writer, and for the chance to see one of Hollywood's major talents in his nascent stage, this film is well worth watching. Grady Harp