18 Shades of Dust (1999) User Reviews (4)

Excellent movie !

[hjcountaway · 28 May 2004]

This movie was a thinkers movie as well as a feelers movie. The whole plot was designed for the ending. The seemingly "bad" script was to show that when "V" has his epiphany and makes his "peace" with himself, that all his past life was just that,, a shallow and meaningless waste of time until he learns what it is that HIS lesson in life was..... which was the realization of how things early on in life can mold and shape a person for good or bad, through their entire life. The second part of his lesson, was that loyalty to an individual (Tommies father), shouldn't have come in conflict with the current members of the "family", but when it did, "V" chose his loyalty to Tommies father over the current mob slime... and it costs him dearly (trying not to be a spoiler here).

"V" went out with honor and dignity. He never betrayed his friend and he had the intelligence for introspect into how he got into this life style in the first place. He understood that a simple choice such as going to the prom instead of running with the guys could have changed his whole life. A very deep movie for the intellectual feeler, but for the topical critic,, a bad one. Which one are you?

Bad Gangster Movie Acting Heavy and Arty

[Jakealope · 2/10 · 10 August 2002]

This was a film school exercise on how to make a bad gangster movie. Add a lot of arty soul searching mixed up with some faux Catholicism, throw in some utter low budget sets and techniques and you have another utterly forgettable mob movie. Danny Aiello mixes it up with same Italian gangster character types you'd see on the Sopranos. Good actors wasted on this vanity effort by Danny Aiello's son or grandson or whatever! Heavy mob movies have to be good to get any respect.

gets lost in its own jungle

[dracher · 7/10 · 16 April 2016]

This is one of a number of films that genuinely upset me. The problem is almost foretold in the title: "18 Shades of Dust." Here is a film of much worth, the acting is very fine from Danny Aiello, and is of a high standard from others. The directing ranges from brilliant to very ordinary, but is mostly good.

The script is wonderful, with moments of true brilliance and generally good to exceptional dialogue. Only the story lets it down, after growing strongly and developing entertainingly, it reaches an early zenith, but with so many peaks and byways, it eventually stalls, and stumbles into a labyrinth of theatrical clichés.

A fine performance by Danny Aiello lost in a sea of clichés.

[rbreen · 13 October 1999]

This was a disappointing film. Danny Aiello gives his usual fine performance, but the script foundered in a sea of Mafia clichés, lame sub-Tarantino dialogue, rambling and unnecessary voiceovers, and sophomoric speculations about religion.