Review of City Island (2009) by Tim M — 29 Aug 2010

It may be easy to identify a limited release film or an indie, and this is definitely one of those easily identifiable. However, City Island finds new ground in the whole indie aspect feel. It has a unique plot, dialogue, and the acting is some of the most charming I've seen all year.

In City Island, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a prison guard living in City Island of New York. He lives in a dysfunctional family who keep secrets from each other, and the biggest secret of all comes into the picture. Vince discovers the son (Steven Strait) he never knew in prison, and takes him in to his home with no one knowing of their true relation. Only Vince.

The plot may seem simple enough, but it actually is not. With all of the secrets that the family has, the only thing that can happen is that things go out of control, and secrets become revealed to the rest of the family. It becomes so complex, but in a beautiful way, and culminates at the end. It's basically, in a nutshell, a work of genius.

Andy Garcia gives in my opinion the best performance he's had in a long time. He delivers a sense of honesty to his performance, and when the actor is honest, there isn't anything else that could go wrong. He's funny when he needs to be, he's heartfelt when necessary, and it all just seems realistic. That's not something that you come across every day.

The rest of the cast is amazing as well. Apart from Andy Garcia, I'd say that it was more of an ensemble effort. The chemistry between all of the actors is so real. Same with the plot. It's relatable, and just seems so fresh.

I definitely recommend City Island.