Offbeat--to say the least--comedy-drama from director Tony Bill and writer/co-producer John Patrick Shanley combines unforced, unshowy nostalgia with dark (and rather wobbly) comedic undertones. In a troubled Bronx neighborhood in the 1960s, Jodie Foster is a young woman hounded by just-released convict John Turturro, while Tim Robbins is a former classmate reevaluating his priorities based on turbulent world events. Foster has little to work with in a weakly-written role (she's not going to meet this nutcase in the park at night!), but Robbins' quiet sincerity is lovely, and his handsome face and expressive manner keeps the film grounded in reality. Overall, it's much too flighty, with a melodramatic final 30 minutes which doesn't do anything good for anybody--least of all the viewer. However, there is some dryly eccentric humor in Shanley's screenplay, and when director Bill's touch is light the film generally works. **1/2 from ****
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SnoopyStyle14 April 2015It's 1964 The Bronx. Violent Heinz (John Turturro) returns to his neighborhood after getting out of prison for an attempted rape of Linda (Jodie Foster). Harry (Tim Robbins) rescued Linda the first time but has turn pacifist since then. Somebody shoots a teacher with an arrow. Castro and Willie are two kids blowing up a store sign with cherry bombs. They pick up Melanie and Brita who are out of it from sniffing glue. Heinz is after Linda again thinking he's in love with her. Jamie would like to be her boyfriend who protects her.
This movie is split in two. Turturro, Foster and Robbins inhabit one half. Turturro is great as the disturbed rapist. The penguins are weird. The acting is good but the script meanders a bit with a lot of strange turns. The other half has four lesser known actors. The girls are funny. It's odd that it seems to float on the surface of the movie without connecting to the other half. I do find the unknown actors' story interesting especially the elevator scene. I kept wondering what that story has to do with anything. The final reveal satisfied me to some extent. I wish it could have made more connections earlier in the movie. -
This is an intriguing movie. The cast is mainly budding superstars. Their performances here are in keeping with their march up the ladder to A-list status. Tim Robbins especially connects with an ex-ruffian that has found his conscience. He wants in to a trip to Mississippi, to join MLK's freedom fighters. His explanation to a Malcom X type recruiter in Harlem, is heartfelt and well delivered. The rest perform their quirky roles well, thru some very quirky situations. The movie is very..... quirky.
But....the writer, who went on to Oscar consideration later in life, has really stretched stuff to fit the plot. The mood change is radical, sub-plots are diverting, but unnecessary. And the worst to me was Jodie being "slugged" and knocked out. She remains knocked out while, carried from the subway, a car theft, a police shootout, a car crash, a 3rd floor Mom/Son confrontation, a climb to a rooftop and a 3 way struggle on the roof. Then she wakes up, reasonably clear headed!?!?! Hmmm! Too much for me. The "inept" police approach was good comedy and again, the cast showed the promise of bigger things to come!! Worth a watch! (in fact, watch the credits roll for a laugh out loud moment!) -
CKent00726 October 2002I came across this film on sale, and purchased it because I saw the leading roles- Jodie Foster and Tim Robbins, before they really got famous, and I was surprised at how well the movie was done. Set in the 60s, Five Corners rings true with tone and mood of the times. Plot is straightfoward and even mildly believable, but what the film's shining aspect is its portrayal of human emotions- its very clean, raw look at the fundamental of social interaction.
Listen to Jamie's cries at his abducted girlfriend through the steel subway bars. Feel his pain as he scratches for the just-beyond-reach token. Though seemingly one dimensional at first, Heinz is a complex, tortured character with roots (albeit predictably) from youth and upbringing.
The film belies its innocent appearance with a few unexpected flashes of violence, yet maintains a positive feel with occaisional punchlines. Another surprise is Eriq La Salle, who plays a commanding role in the film's racial commentary. (Look for his surgeonesque brusque manner in his pre-Benton, MD role.)
All together with a mysterious archer vigilante (?) in the midst and cute penguins mucking about, this film is worthy of your time if you have some extra.
Verdict for a five dollar DVD? A+ simply on the Beatles tune alone. -
corston-215 February 2006Liked the flic, but I could barely see what was going on in half of the scenes even though it it was on DVD - darkly shot and reminiscent of some of the 70's films of the same genre. A bit fractured in plot line, but still a good watch. And I almost melted when I heard, "In My Life" at the opening and closing. (Sigh:-) Foster wasn't really in the game, but Robbins saved the day in the film as did the disastrous villain. I kept waiting for Paccino to turn up!:-) A bit cliché however. Robbins has to take the credit for carrying the movie with his cool demeanor and fondness for the girl. I'm sure some producer in L.A, saw this and was inspired to create C.S.I. (jokingly)! Huh Corston
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PatrynXX7 August 2020Extremely simple plot, way too short for it's own good makes no sense whatsoever. Great acting yes one of two things that saves the movie The acting and um the arrow. Everything else is a joke. Think I'll go watch Rear Window see if that bothers to have any sort of quality to it. I put down spoilers for the arrow alas some of the covers have the arrow in it. Guess it was practice for Jodie in about 4 yrs or so for Silence of the Lambs... This could have easily been what set her off in another direction (the character)
Quality: 2/10 Entertainment: 6/10 Re Playable: 5/10 -
EXodus25X7 July 2008Younger versions of some of today's great actors show that yes, they were always good. Stand-out performances by John Turturro and Tim Robbins who carry the film from start to finish. Unfortunately it builds from the opening moments to an inevitable confrontation that turns into a complete cop out in my opinion, a great something could have happened here but instead nothing. Maybe the director was to afraid to go down the road I was hopping for, but the again I've heard others say it's some kind of Shakespearian metaphor. If that's the case it goes way over my head, and I still think my way is better. I am reminded of a documentary I recently watched, 10 Questions for the Dali Lama, the interviewer asked the Dali Lama about the non-violent resistant approach that he and his Tibetan followers have taken on, a view and method also taken up by Gandhi in India during the British occupation and Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. He asked, at what point does violence have two equate violence, like during the Holocaust and World War II, does that mean the Allied forces did the wrong thing by stopping the Nazis, should we have just held non-violent protests and staged boycotts and sit-ins instead. Of course even the Dali Lama who I respect immensely dodged the question, he answered with something about in self-defense only. It feels as if the director of Five Corners doesn't want to have to answer that question either. Him and the Dali Lama, I'd say he's got good company. Those who have not seen Five Corners don't see the relevance of all this and I apologize for going so far off track, once you have seen the film you will hopefully see the reason. There is also a side story going on that I was sure must play into the main storyline but never does and that's a disappointment to both stories, because I feel they would be better for it. I've also read plenty of complaints about the DVD quality, who cares, wow we're spoiled by living in the Blue-Ray generation. Over all a well-acted film that if nothing else touches on some real interesting issues, and touching on real issues is more then most movies do.
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Reid-1418 June 2000Some interesting performances from people who went on to bigger and better things. Turturro in particular gives a controlled turn to a role that could easily have been over the top. Many discontinuities mar the script, and there are plot elements which seem to come out of nowhere. But overall it is a movie worth seeing when the cupboard is bare.
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jhph1229 November 2005This film is a little gem. A very good quirky understated drama. The story is well-developed, reasonably believable, and directed quite nicely. The story is set in a New York neighborhood in the time period of early 60s - both aspects are portrayed well in the film - realistic and believable but not so hammed up as to come across as phony. The acting is superb. Tarturro is great - plays the part of a local psycho bully very well - quite edgy and frightening but not over-the-top. Both Jodie Foster and Tim Robbins also do really well in this movie and is probably the best of that time period (the 80s) for either actor. Would recommend the movie for anyone looking for a good drama or for a movie with some social commentary that does not overwhelm the story.
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mjneu5918 November 2010It's rare for a movie to be sold on its screenwriter's credentials, as seen in the ads for this modest comedy drama, promoted as being "from the writer of Moonstruck" (to which it bears little resemblance except for its author's ear for dialogue). The story traces a day and a half in the lives of a dozen characters: teenagers, cops, and other assorted Bronx delinquents caught in the flux of changing times, circa 1963 of course: as always the watershed year for American coming-of-age movies. Director Tony Bill preserves all the rough edges of John Patrick Shanley's presumably autobiographical memories, maintaining a trace of gritty urban reality beneath the often rose-colored period detail. The film moves from bittersweet early 60s nostalgia to an exaggerated, violent climax (with disturbed ex-con John Turturro cornered on a tenement rooftop), which is then cleverly deflated by one final, almost offhand plot twist. It's a small film with lots of personality (the definition of a 'sleeper'), providing a welcome push to the career of more than one talented young actor.
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pkpera20 August 2019I went in watching this because Jodie Foster - it's always interesting to see her in earlier, pre 'Silence ..' movies. Unfortunately, her character was very undeveloped, and screen time was short too. There are some other famous actors involved, Oscar winner director, so on paper it looked good. But, what was aim of this movie ? There was lot of it involved, mostly some asocial behavior, and some of it was really interesting. But most of screentime was about psychopat criminal, just released from prison, and his victim - who surprisingly agreed to meet with him in some park at midnight ? What the Hell !
During all it was some interesting talk about New York city area old habitants, history of city ... then some kills with arrow ... Was it intended to be about some unjustice random retailation ? Some not well done symbolyzm ?
Well, what is sure is that this movie left no some bigger trace, probably lost money . Just another example about getting Oscar for direction is not always good for being creative :-( -
preppy-330 July 2002Set in 1964 Bronx, the film starts off great with the Beatles "In My Life" and just keeps getting better.
A psycho Heinz (John Turturro) is released from prison and goes after the woman Linda (Jodie Foster) who put him there. Harry (Tim Robbins) and James (Todd Graff) try to protect her. Then there's the man that "sells" his girlfriend and her friend to two guys. And there's people being shot with arrows...
This got some noteriety in it's 1988 release because its writer, John Patrick Shanley, had just won the Oscar for "Moonstruck". But this film disappeared without a trace after that. That's a shame because it's a fantastic movie.
The script is sharp and believable with three-dimensional characters and ALL the performances are great. Direction by Tony Bill is perfect...he gets a real feel for the era and captures it on screen. It's also interesting to see Tim Robbins before he hit it big. Engrossing from beginning to end...a must see!
There's so many great lines in this movie! But a particular standout is "Someone murdered our teacher, so we have the day off. Want to go for a ride?" -
aratron-0039110 September 2021The movie was strange and disjointed I like it mainly because of John Turturro's excellent intense performance as the pyscho ex convict Heinz. He saved the film. Still wondering why the math teacher was killed by the arrow in the beginning of the film.
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guil1218 October 2001Sorry, but I found this film, even with top notch actors, a bad taste film. Surprised Tony Bill directed this. There was no compassion for any of the characters. Everyone seemd to be a loser. Not one role seemd to have any conviction. They all seemd to be vacant and lost in a maze of self destruction. John Turturro, at least was thorough in his evil ways. But the Robbins character seemed poorly written and sadly the actor didn't find any salvation. The use of animals being beaten and killed, didn't please this viewer. Any more than throwing people off roofs. Violence was the theme and helplessness the winner. Not one character had my interest. In fact, they made me angry. It was a shame to see Miss Foster in this. Up to this film I had always liked her performances. Whatever possessed her to do this clinker? Not recommended for viewing, even on the tube.
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luludavis25 January 2004Five Corners is a socially relevant film with a unique visual style
and a sense of humor. the cast is superb. Robbins, Foster and
Turturro give hints as to what they would go on to accomplish as
their careers grew. Todd Graff is also awesome but seems to be
having better luck as a screenwriter and producer. The two
females who play the glue sniffers are hilarious in roles that could
have easily be unsympathetic. The two mothers (Chalfant and
Gregorios) carry their weight in smaller but no less significant
roles. The two cops are straight out of the old crime dramas of the
1940's and 50's. There is also a good sense of 'place' in the film. I
got a genuine feel for the neighborhood where these characters
dwelt. I have also had the pleasure of being directed by Tony Bill in
a made for T.V. movie, A Chance of Snow. He's a professional. I
wish that he'd do more along the lines of Five Corners. -
=G=15 October 2001"Five Corners" showcases some good performances by a decent cast and has little else to offer. Crisscrossing subplots are pedestrian and muddle the clockworks of this somewhat quirky noirish drama about a bunch of peculiar people from a neighborhood in the Bronx known as "Five Corners". Obviously scripted, probably because it was written by a playwright, "FC" comes off like a theatrical production as it slowly gathers momentum with a payoff which is insufficient and too late. Okay for those interested in watching actors ply their craft.
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Film Dog11 March 1999Life in the Bronx in 1964. A psycho gets out of prison and picks up where he left off, affecting the lives of people he knew. Has some funny moments and a couple interesting sub-plots. Excellent cast in this Hand-made indy: Jody Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff as Jodie's limp-legged boyfriend, and John Turturro as the psycho.
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So... I chose this movie based on the cast. Granted it was before any of them hit their prime. I did think it might be an undiscovered gem. I was wrong. Albeit through no fault of the cast. During the last 20 minutes I kept asking myself why did anyone make this movie? I still don't know. It definitely showed promise based on the premis. Somehow a completely unnecessary underplot was added. I suspect for padding. So yeah, 90 minutes I will never get back in search of a rare gem. All I got was a horse apple.
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I first saw this movie at the Houston International Film Festival in April or May of 1988. From the moment I saw the names of Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro, and Oscar- winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley in the festival booklet, I was interested and I put this film on my list of films I would go see.
I was not disappointed. On the contrary, I was very pleasantly surprised. I love "period" movies, and this one is warmly set in New York City (specifically, in the Bronx) in 1964. The script may be a bit unusual, but that is part of its charm.
I agree with some other comments that Jodie Foster's role is small, but I think she does a fantastic job in the time she is on screen. Her New York accent is so believable you start thinking she actually is from the Bronx! She is certainly not wasted.
Tim Robbins and John Turturro are also excellent. A few people who have written comments have said that his performance is even more admirable because it could have been over the top, but is not. This is absolutely true. You can see what a fine actor Turturro really is, and how the world would come to see that in his later, more widely-distributed films.
Tim Robbin's portrayal of a young man who renounces violence is also excellent; an early sign of his acting genius.
Besides this film being an early entry in the filmography of Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro, it is also one of the few films made by Rodney Harvey, a talented young actor with a lot of promise (he was the Bellboy at the bed-and-breakfast where Kevin Costner and Sean Young spend the weekend in "No Way Out") who unfortunately died of a drug overdose in 1998. Had he lived, I am sure, he would have gone far.
I also loved the sub-plot involving the glue-sniffing girls and the boys they meet. Plus, the mysterious bow and arrow vigilantes' antics are pretty funny.
Overall, this is a charming, often funny, poignant film, with excellent performances, plenty of good humour, and even social commentary. I also think its portrayal of 1960's New York is right on the button. The use of Beatles songs in the soundtrack is a nice touch. I recommend it to anyone who loves movies and good acting.
I wish John Patrick Shanley would write more for the movies!! He is an excellent writer!!
This films deserves to be seen by more people than those who saw it in its limited theatrical release. I have the Criterion Collection Laserdisc. Now that it is out on DVD, maybe it will get the audience it deserves. -
japurple013 September 2006...were the couple in the convertible--really don't see what the actual point of their subplot was, and the fact that the big dramatic ending scene relies on the premise that in 1964, cops had yet to figure out how to climb stairs--leaving them helplessly watching from the street wondering "How did they get up there?"
Tim Robbins and Jodi Foster are worth a look--if for nothing more than historical interest, and I think they were going for almost a "Fargo"-like approach (yes, I know this predates Fargo) to some of the mayhem like the cop in the phone booth's fate and the mother of the psycho's final reward. -
Turturro plays a brutal psycho released from prison, and Foster plays the woman in peril. Neither is really pressed hard here, therefore.
Robbins plays a guy who protected Foster before, but who is volunteering to go south to help the rights of blacks in the south, being inspired by Martin Luther King (this being a period drama). Foster also has a boyfriend who was crippled by Turturro when she was attacked.
Turturro has a weird gift for Foster, and there's a teacher who inexplicably gets shot by an arrow. Meanwhile, there's a pair of guys who are paid to look after two glue-sniffing. And there's a pair of cops and so on...
A strange drama with moments of comedy that don't really fit in comfortably. Seems more like an awkward play awkwardly made into a film. -
dkf9 July 2022How can a film with Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro score significantly below a 6? It can't be for lack of funding because for some reason they licensed a Beatles song for the opening and closing. It is more complex than that.
First, take a writer (one who would (much) later win an Academy Award), and have him write a screenplay in which everyone has to use the patois of his native Bronx (and set it at a time he was 14 in that neighborhood). Task him with, what? Coming up with a dark comedy serial killer film? Filled with hackneyed dialogue spoken by cardboard characters, particularly the subplot of the Laverne & Shirley girls and the police? Try to add some social relevance by having some connection with the mid-60s civil rights movement (what he was going for there would require much more thought than anyone seems to have given this film). Then take a TV director and tell him to use every cliche in the book. But don't stop there. Have every actor over-act so that until the end one cannot figure out whether to laugh (for a failed serious story) or cry (for an inept comedy).
Oh, and let's not forget the dog. A Saint Bernard who leads a posse of good guys and police to the very slow afoot psycho who is carrying his love/victim with a gait taken from Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. It gives it that Disney feeling. Something for everyone in the family!
I cannot imagine that Foster, Robbins or Turturro could believe that they were ever in a worst movie. This is the kind of train wreck you would get if you tried to put Dressed to Kill on TV in 1964. Maybe that's what they were going for: Some meta-statement on film and TV and American culture in the mid-1960s? That's the best I could say for it. -
gogoschka-111 February 2018The kind of film that doesn't get made anymore in Hollywood. Original story, great atmosphere, wonderful acting. A somewhat quirky but still powerful human drama. Somehow, everything just fits in this film. Given the cast, it's hard to believe it is so little known. One to be re-discovered (hopefully). 8 stars out of 10.
In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:
imdb.com/list/ls070242495 -
lee_eisenberg5 August 2023Tony Bill's "Five Corners" is an okay, not great depiction of some people in 1964 New York. A psychopath (John Turturro) is after a woman (Jodie Foster) whom he previously tried to rape, while one of her friends (Tim Robbins) is looking to go to Mississippi to help register African-Americans to vote. Everything's bound to come to a head.
It's a little ironic that despite being set in 1964 and coming from George Harrison's production company HandMade Films, the movie has only one Beatles song (one released after the events take place, no less). Other than that, it's a respectable if unspectacular movie. The elevator scene is actually pretty intense. Probably worth seeing once.
And remember, there are no Indians in the Bronx!
The screenwriter, John Patrick Shanley, went on to direct 1990's "Joe vs. The Volcano" (starring Tom Hanks as a man with a dismal life who decides to sacrifice himself) and 2008's "Doubt" (focusing on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams); he also directed 2020's "Wild Mountain Thyme", which I haven't seen. -
I think the strength of this movie was Harry's (Tim Robbins) attempt to come to grips with his father's death through non-violence. It was so interesting to see how Martin Luther King Jr. inspired him, and his journey to make meaning of his life in the turbulent 1960's era by helping others.
The ending dramatizes the limitations of non-violence, that very small percentage of people who are so clinically insane they will throw their own mother out of a window. Yet, we all know that non-violence was very helpful for the civil rights movement, so I think what this movie is really exploring is not whether non-violence is valuable, but how much complexity it makes for someone who is able to experience their full humanity and feel compassion for others.
It is, in a way, so much easier to be Linda's (Jodie Foster) boyfriend Jamie (Todd Graff), who sees things in black and white - "He isn't a rival - he's a phenomenon, hahaha!!" For Harry it isn't so easy. Harry knows he can kill Heinz (John Tuturro) but he doesn't want to. He can't feel any righteous vengeance when Heinz dies. He just feels sadness for the fragility of human life.
Also, in the reviews here I see a lot of comments about the seemingly unrelated subplot with the two glue-huffing girls. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems to me in the end their presence becomes clear - the two boys they spend the night with are the Indians. We see two of them in the shadows after the last arrow is shot - one taller and maybe blond, one shorter and dark. Especially considering the short brown-haired guy said, "I have the day off because my teacher died", it suggests he was the one who shot the arrow because the teacher failed him. Apparently they were also around the neighborhood that night, and shot the arrow to kill Heinz.
I will agree with other reviewers though - the fact that Linda goes to see Heinz by herself in the middle of the night is pretty stupid. I found this movie on Netflix under the the heading 'comedies featuring a strong female lead," but I don't think it was very much of a comedy, and I certainly wouldn't describe Linda as a strong female.
That said, I'm really glad I saw this movie. Definitely a worthwhile 2 hours spent on a sick day.