City of Industry

The opening song, how they speed down the highway,and show the tall buildings in LA was so dreamy, I knew this was gonna be a fantastic film. Harvey Keitel did a superb job and this IS a CLASSIC in my opinion...very underrated!!! Timothy Hutton has become one of my favorites after viewing and buying this movie, he is one great actor. Famke Jenssen is actress who deserves better parts. I had seen her in House on Haunted Hill, and her looks are somewhat like Barbara Steele. She really impressed me in this movie. Stephen Dorff is one of my favorites, his talents also deserve better parts, what is up with that? Fear Dot Com and Cold Creek Manor, he really needs to get back to Backbeat, Who Shot Andy Warhol? and The Power of One type parts. He also blows Jude Law away with his looks and People magazine never has him in there. I don't like when he is mean and a villain, either. All in all this is a terrific action flick, and always worth a look. I own this and watch it all the time, and never tire of it. The views of LA are magnificent with that haunting brilliant soundtrack!!!

the title "City of Industry" did nothing to sway me to watch this film. the cast brought me in to it's dark world, and i am forever greatful. harvey keitel first off - then i found a new femme fatale in famke janssen - then an incredible new villain in stephen dorff - and the list goes on, with an incredible film score and blend of unique artists, no superstars but viable musicians that make you want to hear more. note: after viewing COI the first time, the next day i bought the soundtrack album. since my first viewing, i play the soundtrack in my car going to work. i have watched this film approximately 50 times. i have turned many friends on to it. i still get an rush everytime i watch it. it is truly one of the great sleepers, probably because of the title. today, i think the title is very hip. but had it not been for the cast, i might never have seen this incredible film. truly one of keitel's best! the opening credits and charismatic music should lock you in for the ride of your life. once the film starts, you cannot stop watching! i compare this film to "American Beauty" in that i compare AB to "Panic" with william h. macy - another sleeper which has gone on to receive phenomenal post-acclaim. **** almost every review. if you can make it through the violence (it is brutal like "True Romance" - but not overly gratuitous - the violence is there for a definite reason}, i promise you that this film will leave an indelible mark on your mind and that you will never forget this film ever! it is, without a doubt, a movie to be remembered.

Against my better judgment I just totally disregarded Gene Siskel and went for it. I just saw a magnificent motion picture. I will see it again. The locale scenes were absorbing.The plot was complicated but evident. One thing led to another. This will turn into a cult film. Yes, I voted 10 for City of Industry. Fine acting, fine filming, and a fine time. See it and then let me know..

Keitel runs, walks, staggers, stumbles, and crawls through "City of Industry" to settle a score with fellow thief Dorff in this surprisingly entertaining but gritty and violent action/drama from the same mold as "Reservoir Dogs". Janssen plays a babe (what else?) caught up in the vendetta filmed in just about every seedy part of Los Angeles. Good stuff for crime buffs and Keitel fans into violent gangster-type flicks.

Sure, you can find some plots holes in this film big enough to drive a semi through, but that just keeps it from gathering awards, not from being worth a view. If you like revenge flicks, and noir, and lots of action, as well as a look at Lucy's Little Lius as she does a pole dance, then you might find this film interesting. What makes it most interesting, however, is the presence of Harvey Keitel. Having him hunting you down is a real bummer. He manages to get shot and almost beat to a pulp by the Chinese, and still keeps on ticking like a Timex. Maybe he just dreamed of being on the beach in Port Arthur with Famke Janssen (of X-Men fame). It could have happened! Check it out to see who wins and loses and enjoy the ride because it is worth it.

In this contemporary film noir, two brothers with the same alma mater-- Folsom Prison-- discover something about loyalty and what `honor among thieves' really means, in `City of Industry,' directed by John Irvin. Lee Egan (Timothy Hutton) puts together a crew of four men, including his brother, Roy (Harvey Keitel), to take down a jewelry store in Palm Springs, California. If all goes well, they look to score a cool three mil in diamonds, and Lee has a fence in L.A. ready to move the merchandise. Lee and Roy are solid, as is Jorge (Wade Dominguez), the third member of the crew who is already looking at 2 to 5 in Folsom, having been convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. Jorge wants a quick score that will take care of his wife, Rachel (Famke Janssen), and their two kids while he's away. The wild card of the bunch is Skip Kovich (Stephen Dorff), their wheel man; he has a wild streak that emboldens him too much for his own good, a flaky girlfriend and some ideas of his own about how the split from the job should go down. Lee contends that it's going to be an easy score, with each man's share being `Not bad for a day's work.' But you can bet that anytime you have a `sure thing' it's going to turn out to be anything but, and this caper is, of course, no exception. As is befitting the subject matter, the film is dark-- much of it takes place at night, or in rather seedy, industrial locales-- with a touch of artistic cinematography that gives a sense of urgency to the story. It quickly shifts from the posh atmosphere of Palm Springs to downtown Los Angeles and Chinatown, an environment through which you get a sense of who these guys are and what they are about. As Rachel says to Roy at one point, `You guys are all alike--' As Roy, Keitel carries the film with the kind of credible performance we've come to expect from him. While this character is certainly not a stretch for him-- you've seen `Roy' many times before, played by Keitel and others-- he does put a unique stamp on him; he's familiar, but Keitel manages to avoid letting him slip into stereotype. And that is no easy task when you take into consideration that in reality a man like Roy would necessarily share certain traits with others of his ilk. What makes the difference is Keitel's consummate ability as an actor, and his concern with fleshing out the details of his character. The role of Lee is something of a departure for Hutton, though similar to the part he played in `Playing God,' but with much more definition. He gives Lee a very `real' quality, the cool confidence of one who lives just beyond the fringe of what society deems acceptable. When he mentions that he's been in Folsom, it's believable. Dorff, meanwhile, is effective as Skip, a guy perpetually pumped and strung out, crazy-- but like a fox-- with an aura of menace about him that is nearly tangible. In attitude and style, Skip is reminiscent of Laurence Fishburne's two-fisted, gun toting Jump in `King of New York.' And Janssen gives a notable performance also, successfully creating the one character in the film with whom the audience can sympathize. You feel her desperation and the concern she has for her children's well being, which effectively adds valuable context to the story. The supporting cast includes Michael Jai White (Odell), Lucy Liu (Cathi), Reno Wilson (Keshaun), Dana Barron (Gena), Tamara Clatterbuck (Sunny), Brian Brophy (Backus) and Francois Chau (Uncle Luke). A violent and stylish examination of the criminal element in our midst, `City of Industry' is a hard-edged film that presents the matter-of-fact way in which those who subscribe to a life of crime seemingly function within their own sect of society. It's a part of life many would just as soon deny in reality, but as Steve McQueen said many years ago in `Bullitt,' `That's where half of it is.' And a film like this is not about to let you forget it. I rate this one 8/10.

Immedietly after watching CITY OF INDUSTRY I was left with the opinion of " standard urban revenge thriller " . A few days later I was still left with this opinion and a few weeks later I was left with this opinion still . I think it's safe to say that this can best be described as a " standard urban revenge thriller It plays out very much like a heist movie where some naughty men carry out a robbery and then the naughtiest man in the pack decides he's going to keep the money for himself at the expense of his colleagues . One thing this movie can never be accused of is showing that crime is easy money or that there's anything resembling honour amongst thieves . This alone makes the movie recommended Another recommendation is the performance by Harvey Keitel who is incapable of ever giving a bad performance and in this type of role as a mean bad mother who is out for revenge he's certainly in his element . Director John Irvin gets the best out of Keitel and you really believe this guy is a killer , not something you can say about one of Kietel's peers in later films - Yes Mr DeNiro I mean you Despite a heart stopping sequence when it looks like the heist merchants are going to be caught when dozens of cop cars surround them there's one or two sequences by Irvin that don't really make sense . One is where Kietel's character has to make a getaway from a dirty double crosser but the sequence cuts to night where Kietel is crawling through an irrigation ditch . What it took him several hours to move a few hundred yards ? Things like this and Elliot Gould's pointless cameo stop the movie being anything more than standard but if passes the time if you enjoy crime thrillers

This film was too predictable. Kietel plays this type of character all the time. Too many scenes were those of the "c'mon, there is no way that could happen", a few were not even close to being "hardly-believable". People always says "its a movie, its not real" but it has to be believable unless its sci-fi. I expected a better script choice from Kietel at this period in his career. For the budget of this film and the quality of the special effects, this should have been a better movie. I don't expect every movie to be Oscar worthy but when there is an A-List actor and big budget, just spend a little time and money on the writers. Based on this film, the writers should be embarrassed about going on strike.

I agree with Stephen. I watched this film mainly to see Harvey Keitel's work: I was wholly unprepared for the slam-bang surprise after the heist. I think it's a great revenge flick in the full Bronson mode.

It has a perfect set-up for character establishment followed by a few surprises and then the chase is on between the young arrogant Skip,(Dorff), and the old but wiser Roy, (Keitel). You may forgive the film as it falls into "tough guy with heart and romance for weeping woman" scenario but that's part of the genre. The perfect hard hitting gritty drama for a late, late night viewing to keep one awake.