Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The opening scene when we see Sean Penn looking for the first time at Mary stuart with the beautiful music playing slowly is one of the most beautiful scene i have seen in a movie. Mary Stuart shows so much innocence and pure beauty.The main idea is about a Young man who makes a very wrong turn in his life by becoming a thief because of the very bad influence of his criminal father. It will bring terrible consequences to his life. Mary stuart Masterson is extremely touching and her character is the pivotal point of the entire movie. And it shows, every time her face appears on the screen,we hear the beautiful main theme of the movie, music by Patrick leonard. It is above all, a tragic love story and what makes this movie so tragic is the character of Mary Stuart. Christopher walken gives a powerful performance as this evil man, he is very convincing and impressive. The music by Patrick leonard brings meanings and sadness to the scenes. Sean Penn is also very good.

I've loved this movie since the first time I watched it 15 years ago and have always been intrigued. I have noticed people on here wanting more info on the real story behind the Johnston gang. I downloaded a book from amazon called "Jailing The Johnston Gang". It tells the whole story and is written by a reporter who was following the story when it was happening. A lot of info and had my mind blown. There is a lot in the movie that is dead on and a lot that can be contributed to entertainment. I highly recommend buying the book. It also has pictures of the real gang. More info is that this happened in rural Pennsylvania and Bruce Johnston (Brad Whitewood) had a home in northern Maryland very close to Delaware. This info is also in the book. There are a lot of quotes and things said and done that are word for word what the real life criminals said or did. I loved the book and At Close Range has been and always will be my favorite movie. It actually happened to be on TV yesterday and I was so excited. Hope that helps :)

Based on a real life story, At Close Range depicts the lives of tractor thieves from rural Pennsylvania. Christopher Walken is the ring leader of this motley crew which includes his brother Dickey and brother Patch, along with friends Boyd and Torrey Pine, an epileptic. The crew make a living out of breaking into warehouses to steal anything of value, be it money, tractors or personal jewelry. Walken has a mole in the police force who alerts him to their activities. Sean Penn plays the disenfranchised son, who after reuniting with Walken, wants to join the ring of thieves. So, Penn forms his own group of young guys, featuring Keifer Sutherland in one of his early roles, to impress Dad. Walker, however, finds out that the FBI and prosecutors have appointed a grand jury to investigate the group's activities. Proving blood is not thicker than water,Walken concocts a plan to kill his son, fearing he may be turned into the FBI. Fantastic performances by both. - Bill Roeschlein

"At Close Range" is a tough movie to watch, primarily because of all the violence in it. What makes it worth seeing, though, are the performances by its two leads, Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, as father and son, respectively. The violence, I think, is essential to the plot because it's not so much "blood and guts" as it is about the measures people are willing to take to keep people, even family members, from jeopardizing their own lifestyle and freedom.Sean Penn, who is fantastic as a young actor, plays Brad Whitewood, Junior, a kid who is not really a criminal by nature, but having grown in up in a blue collar family that was always scraping to get by, wants a taste of the good life, even if it means resorting to crime. When he sees what his father has from his profession as a thief: the beautiful wife, nice car, well-kept home, and money, he becomes obsessed with embracing the same lifestyle and material things. He wants in. Christopher Walken is brilliant as Brad Whitewood, Senior. He is very subtle in his ways as an actor, but in this film, he was cast perfectly. He is able to transition, not only quickly, but also very smoothly, from being charismatic to downright malicious and evil. There are a lot of scenes he plays perfectly with his eyes. One minute they can have a smile in them, the next, they're cold and dead. This is, perhaps the most valuable characteristic of a master criminal, a brilliant con artist who can persuade anyone into doing anything, then kill them at the opportune moment. I think it's safe to say that this may just be his best performance. Brad, Sr is reluctant to take his son under his wing to teach him how to be a professional thief, but eventually does so, perhaps out of love. Later, when the junior Brad gets a real taste of the criminal life, and witnesses a murder that may not have been necessary, he begins to have second thoughts. Although he no longer wants to be a part of his father's gang, he becomes overly confident, thinking that he can be a professional thief on this own. "...all you know is how to steel, you're too f---in' dumb to do that by yourself!" "Oh, you think so?" "I know so!" This is a harsh reality of criminal life that is perhaps the most painful, and difficult to swallow: once you're in (and if you are, you're usually in over your head) there is no turning back. At this point, everything starts getting bad. Brad, Jr and his "kiddy gang" get caught in the act at the tail end of a tractor theft, and Brad, Sr's gang knows it's just a matter of time until someone talks. Brad, Jr is sitting in jail while all this is happening, because his bail has been set higher than the others. The authorities know that he'll be hunted by his father's gang and he may just be valuable enough to turn against them and testify.It takes some time, actually too late, for the son to see how truly evil his father really is, because of his greed, desperation, and naiveté. Although this is definitely not a suitable film for young viewers, and extremely violent (including a series of shootings, and a rape), I think it is an excellent portrayal of how far some people are willing to go to get and stay ahead, because they believe that no matter how hard they work, for them there is no other way."At Close Range" was based on the true story of Bruce Johnston, Sr, who was an organized crime leader in the Amish country of Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the 1960's and 70's. The movie does not, as most true crime films, use real names, presumably for fear of libel suits. The movie events take place in 1978, which, history tells us, is the time that the Johnston gang was taken away after Bruce Johnston, Jr, took the stand against them.Although Christopher Walken's character steals everything including the show, Sean Penn's performance is very good, too. He is very believable and makes clever choices as an actor. Penn is brilliant and persuasive playing a kid who is puzzled, greedy, hurt, angry and later vengeful. Like Walken, perhaps his best work is in his facial expressions, especially in the scenes where he's trying to figure what his father is up to and why. It's interesting to watch his transition from naive to finally understanding everything. The soundtrack of the 70's songs, instrumental score, and most of all Madonna's "Live to Tell" really enhances the movie. The photography, and shots of rural Pennsylvania, are scenic and beautiful. The acting is very convincing, and the screenplay is very good, with a suspenseful, yet somewhat unexpected, ending. Most of all, and most importantly, "At Close Range" is an interesting portrayal of a different and overlooked criminal aspect of our society.