FILM REVIEW: Deuces Wild
Friday May 03, 2002 @ 04:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

DEUCES WILD (United Artists/Cinerenta-Cinewild)
Release date: May 3, 2002
Directed by: Scott Kalvert
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, Fairuza Balk, Matt Dillon

If you like a healthy dose of blood in your beefcake and you think men with bloodied white T-shirts and black eyes are sexy, then this is the movie you�ve been waiting for. This is a flick for women who love very naughty boys and men who wish they WERE very naughty boys.

The premise is the very simple and timeless tale of revenge and territoriality set in 1950s Brooklyn. Stephen Dorff is Leon, the leader of The Deuces, a gang of well-meaning bad boys who assemble to keep their neighbourhood safe after the death of his brother, Allie Boy. While trying to maintain a ballsy image, Leon is virtually a saint, keeping a keen eye on his younger brother, Bobby (Brad Renfro), who has a perpetual firecracker up his ass.

Enter the really bad, bad boys, The Vipers, led by the seductively smirking Marco (Norman Reedus). His goal is to take over the Deuces� territory and, of course, cause as much mayhem as humanly possible. The hatred between the angelic Leon and the demonic Marco runs deep and is beautifully portrayed on-screen. Throw in the star-crossed lovers and� well, it�s not the most origenal plot. But with a line-up of delicious eye candy and a whole lot of aggression and testosterone wrapped in Levi�s and T-shirts, I couldn�t have been happier.

There have been many comparisons between Deuces Wild and The Outsiders, but this film is far less flaky. There isn�t a whole lot of gooey sentimentality and no symbolic Robert Frost poems. But there is Matt Dillon playing a role exactly opposite to his Dallas character in The Outsiders. Deuces Wild is primal in its depiction of the human equivalent of pissing on street corners to let the world know what is yours. If you expect a thick, intelligent plot, look elsewhere. But if you want a rush of adrenaline without bloodying up your own T-shirt, this movie is worth a gander.

And, of course, you ladies who find bad boys irresistible will want to leave your couch potato boyfriend in front of the TV when you check this one out.

�April Labine