L.I.E.

2001

Crime / Drama

9
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 85% · 85 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 78% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 10842 10.8K

coming of age long island, new york paedophilia male prostitution juvenile delinquent death of mother

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Plot summary

With his mother dead and his father busy at work, Howie feels adrift in his New York suburb. He and his friend Gary spend their time burglarizing their neighbors' homes — until they make the mistake of robbing the house of Big John, a macho former Marine who is also an unrepentant pedophile. He propositions Howie, who declines, but the two eventually develop an unlikely and dangerous friendship.

Director

Michael Cuesta Photo
Michael Cuesta

Top cast

Brian Cox Photo
Brian Cox as Big John Harrigan
Paul Dano Photo
Paul Dano as Howie Blitzer
Bruce Altman Photo
Bruce Altman as Marty Blitzer
Adam LeFevre Photo
Adam LeFevre as Elliot
720p.WEB
858.46 MB
1280*680
Unknown language 2.0
NR
Subtitles
25 fps
1 hr 33 min
Seeds 26

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by hobbitonroad 8 / 10

A Film About Consequences

This is a great little film about consequences. Howie is a typically confused but bright middle class kid with a one dimensional father and lug-nuts for friends. This film explores the soft underbelly of middle class Long Island, as well as the consequences that are borne as a result. Howie's explorations for attention lead him dangerously close to a pedophile who is more than willing to play "dad" to the affection starved teen. The low-budget aspects of this movie are not distracting, and though the subject matter is raw, the scenes are handled with taste. The film is kept honest through some thoughtful provocation, and the audience is kept honest as well. This film should be seen by parents of teens, and especially seen by anyone who is a father.
Reviewed by RichardvonLust 8 / 10

Disturbing insight into the underbelly of society

Big John is a 50 something ex US marine who lives with Scott, a youth of about 18 in a smart suburban villa somewhere in Oregon. He holds parties for middle aged folk at home and is nagged by his aged mum to look after his health. He was in love with girl when he was young but never married citing the reason that all women are 'maneaters'. Although Scott has his own room they sometimes sleep together and in his private moments Big John looks at internet pictures of young teen-aged boys.Big John isn't strictly a pedophile as no prepubescent children are involved in his life but he certainly appears to be a pederast. He cruises the local pick up zone where teen-aged male prostitutes ply their trade offering blow jobs behind a road sign for a few bucks. And there he meets 16 year old Gary, a good looking local tearaway and hustler who also burgles houses with his school mates for extra cash.Gary isn't necessarily gay but he uses his looks and charm to best advantage. Accordingly he is the object of adoration by 15 year old Howard, a gay school mate, who dreams of running off with Gary to a romantic life together in California.But their plans and dreams must change when they decide to rob Big John of his prized antique revolvers - and the ex marine quickly discovers their guilt.The subsequent drama is beautifully intense without being heavy. And most of all it raises essential questions about the true nature of pederasts and the boys they befriend. Who is exploiting who? Who is the real victim of this sadly common circumstance? Are pederasts always evil? What exactly are the real motives of Big John, Gary, Scott and Howard? And who is the villain? The film ends very suddenly with an emotional shock. And it is our personal feelings towards the characters after that shock which seems to be the whole point of the movie. Well recommended for all - and particularly for parents of teen-aged boys with crushes on other boys.
Reviewed by wes-connors 8 / 10

How to Get Off the Lanes Going Straight to Hell

Fifteen-year-old Paul Franklin Dano (as Howard "Howie" Blitzer) lives in a cool suburban house, in a nice community near New York's "L.I.E." (Long Island Expressway). He's recently lost his mother to an Expressway crash, and doesn't seem to be dealing with the loss well. Neither is distant father Bruce Altman (as Marty), in trouble with the law for white-collar crimes. Young Mr. Dano is attracted to sexy Billy Kay (as Gary Terrio), but Mr. Kay is reluctant to start a relationship with his inexperienced pal.Instead, Dano joins Kay in house burglaries, with incestuous James Costa (as Kevin Cole) and hetero stud Tony Michael Donnelly (as Brian). One of the homes they hit belongs to boy-trolling ex-Marine Brian Cox (as "Big John" Harrigan). Apparently, Mr. Cox is having trouble maintaining interest in aging boy-toy Walter Masterson (as Scotty). After Kay books for California alone, and Dano's father is arrested, he finds not only the sexual stimulation missing from Kay, but also a father figure, with the older Cox.Due to the subject matter, this was obviously a controversial film. It contains what they call "strong language," but nothing offensive is explicitly shown. It's a tribute to director Michael Cuesta that such a fuss seems to have been made - at one point, the film was labeled NC-17 - because, Mr. Cuesta tells the story with implicit effectiveness. Editing and cross-cutting are used well. Cuesta and his cast deservedly won awards for their work. Still, nobody's perfect, and only an idiot would visibly trick behind that sign."Welcome to Long Island" Dano begins the "L.I.E." story by saying, "You got the lanes going east, you got the lanes going west. You also got the lanes going straight to hell." The ending, with Mr. Masterson, is an old story, but unexpectedly uplifting in this context (only).******** L.I.E. (1/20/01) Michael Cuesta ~ Paul Dano, Brian Cox, Billy Kay, Walter Masterson
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