I came across the DVD of this film at a mall video store circa 2002 in the low price bin while waiting to see a film at the theater. I had never heard of it, but the plot sounded interesting and the price was right, so I bought it unseen. As others have stated, this Canadian film is about 3 early adolescent boys, Eric, Kyle, and Brad, who hang out in a shack they have made into a clubhouse where they hang pin-ups and talk about girls and listen to loud music. One day they find Chris Penn (Luke) in their club nursing an injured leg. He tells them he is a cop who was betrayed by colleagues in a drug deal gone bad. He asks them to help him recover and maybe get him a car. Eric, (Devon Sawa), the wildest of the three friends, like many adolescent boys, thinks this is really cool, and wants them to help Penn.
Little by little, as Penn befriends them and acts like a benevolent mentor about subjects like gun handling, they get drawn in deeper, realizing too late that all is not what they thought, and their very lives are in danger. What looked like an exciting adventure soon becomes a nightmare.
The film has some similarities to "Stand By Me", but it is far darker, and has some very disturbing scenes, particularly when Kyle's potential new girlfriend comes into the shack unexpectedly. The tension builds to a very dangerous climax, as the boys learn that "cool" isn't what they thought it was.
Having worked with boys this age, I found myself riveted and worrying for their safety, and disturbed by their having to lose their innocence in such a traumatic way. These were basically good kids having to learn an important lesson about maturity the hard way. I would have given this film a 10 were it a little more fun to watch and moved a little faster in the first half. But to say this is a boring film, as one reviewer did, sure doesn't match with my opinion, and I think the 3 boys were excellent actors and far less caricatured than the boys in "Stand By Me", even though that film was overall more satisfying and enjoyable. Still it rates a 9, and well worth seeing if this type of movie (dark and serious) is appealing to you.
Little by little, as Penn befriends them and acts like a benevolent mentor about subjects like gun handling, they get drawn in deeper, realizing too late that all is not what they thought, and their very lives are in danger. What looked like an exciting adventure soon becomes a nightmare.
The film has some similarities to "Stand By Me", but it is far darker, and has some very disturbing scenes, particularly when Kyle's potential new girlfriend comes into the shack unexpectedly. The tension builds to a very dangerous climax, as the boys learn that "cool" isn't what they thought it was.
Having worked with boys this age, I found myself riveted and worrying for their safety, and disturbed by their having to lose their innocence in such a traumatic way. These were basically good kids having to learn an important lesson about maturity the hard way. I would have given this film a 10 were it a little more fun to watch and moved a little faster in the first half. But to say this is a boring film, as one reviewer did, sure doesn't match with my opinion, and I think the 3 boys were excellent actors and far less caricatured than the boys in "Stand By Me", even though that film was overall more satisfying and enjoyable. Still it rates a 9, and well worth seeing if this type of movie (dark and serious) is appealing to you.