neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Deuces Wild
	Scott Kalvert Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, Fairuza Balk, Matt Dillon, Vincent Pastore, Frankie Muniz, Balthazar Getty 2001		Watching "Deuces Wild," one longs for the passionate, tough-minded inner-city tragedy of another, better film about New York street gangs at war — the movie of the musical "West Side Story." Yes, indeed. Singing, dancing thugs are more believable than the "realistic" teen clods who populate this overcooked drama, set during the long, hot Brooklyn summer of 1958. Deuces leader Leon (Stephen Dorff) has tried to keep drugs out of the 'hood since one of his brothers died of an overdose. But the rival Vipers have another agenda. Some of the film's more interesting young faces — Dorff ("Blade"), Fairuza Balk ("Almost Famous"), Frankie Muniz (TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") and Brad Renfro — have resonated favorably in more laudable projects. But here, they're infected with the dreaded scenery-chewing disease. Then again, it's almost worth watching "Deuces Wild" to see character actor Vincent Pastore, best known as the mob snitch Big Pussy on HBO's "The Sopranos," playing a pacifist priest. Ah, fuhgeddaboudit...