City of Industry

City of Industry is a gritty, old-school gangster flick. A simple story (quite predictable by today’s standards), a precisely defined field for the characters, skilful directing. Director John Irvin pays homage to the films that he loved in his youth. The best thing about this film is its cast. All of the actors turn in respectable dramatic performances. Stephen Dorff is excellent as an unscrupulous psychopath, while Harvey Keitel is an ideal loyal tough guy. This is a good film, but it isn’t as impactful as the best works in this genre (most recently Training Day, for example). (04.07.2004)