Scenes of the Crime (2001) User Reviews

Lazy ending to a good crime caper

[rob-236 · 6/10 · 9 February 2005]

This captivating little film obviously benefits by the great performances of the three male leads - Bridges, Abrahams and Wyle.

A mob boss' driver (Abrahams) accidentally gets mixed up in much more than he bargained and prepared for when a rival mob boss (Bridges) is kidnapped by his associate (Peter Greene) and bundled into the back of his van.

A very stagy film, with a very TV feel to it, its basically all shot in one location throughout but still manages to hold the viewers attention.

Only one negative, and its a big one - the ending. Just as the story seems as though its changing direction and gathering pace it ends abruptly, which spoils the film and leaves the viewer feeling cheated having to make do with the conclusion of the story and its characters hastily captioned on screen. Such a shame because an extra 15 mins of action instead of 15 seconds of words could have made this film a real find.

A beautifully made film and no more

[olp-15-614389 · 5/10 · 6 April 2012]

So what struck me the most about this film is the early morning light that was present throughout. It has that relaxing start-of-the-day feeling that compliments the low-key pace of the story and lack of action in what could have been a pretty brutal film. All the colors are muted as well, the sound track stays in the background, costumes are first-rate, interiors are high-end but restrained, and there are few wild interactions between any of the characters. Moderation in all things, suggesting a reality not based on everyday lives, but of a set of people operating in a parallel world not connected to our own.

Then there's the story. At several points, the Universe screams to a character to just walk away from all this and you'll be fine. The longer you stay the more trouble you're getting in to. It's "don't go down the basement," and what do they do? They go down the basement, of course (in the figurative sense). The ending? That is to say, That's it? The only thing the ending added was a change in style. For the first time, we saw a bright, sunny day with shadows and washed-out colors, perhaps to suggest going back to the normal world. But the actual ending. Gosh, there could have been so much more.

Good acting, good production, but the resolution is for the birds. When the main plot problem is resolved, and you'll know when it is, you can stop watching.

Entertaining but Predictable

[Pursewarden · 6/10 · 8 December 2003]

To begin lets say that the title is a little deceptive, it leads you to believe it's going to be a kind of CSI movie, but really is the kind of mob face to face movie that would have worked better under the pen of David Mamet (Heist) or even the Cohens (Miller's Crossing).

Acting is good (it should since there's not much action in the movie), but the main problem would be that you can see the ending comming since almost the beginning (SPOILER* Since you see the old man paying two hundred dollars to the painters).

Not withstanding, the movie unfolds gracefully (good rythm, good dialogues), maybe boring for some that don't like characters under stress studies.

A solid 6.

Quite interesting

[Rainfall76 · 28 June 2003]

According to the credits the movie is based on actual events. And I think it's a quite interesting story. "Scary Movie's" Jon Abrahams, "ER's" Noah Wyle, "Twin Peaks'" Madchen Amick and of course Jeff Bridges himself make a very good cast in a film, that's definitely not a typical production. Though the story is a bit predictable, and some scenes make you wonder why the characters act the way they do, but I found it very entertaining. Mostly because it's a story of a typical young guy (Jon Abrahams), who tries to earn some "extra cash" and by accident he gets involved in a conflict between two gangs. It made me wonder what would I do in a situation like this.

Anyway, if you want a lot of action, don't waste your time. This movie is very "static" and "slow", but I believe it's worth seeing.

Cellular phone booth

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 19 May 2004]

I recently caught up with this film on DVD format. Any film with Jeff Bridges in it, is worth a view, in my book. Dominique Forma directed, as well as contributed to the screen play. The people involved with this film probably started with a different idea in mind, but it appears they had no clue as how to resolve the main problem behind the story. The end result does not satisfies the viewer, but the ironic twist at the end makes one be glad for the young man who finds a pot of gold without even trying.

The comparison between this film and Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth" comes to mind, as indicated by some contributors' comments. The only thing is this one takes place inside a van, and not on the street. It has a lot going for it, but the conclusion leaves many questions unanswered. Also, there are many things that are obvious to fans of this genre, such as the crazy old man who is in the background of the story and we sense he is nowhere as mad as he wants people to believe he is.

The acting is good. Jeff Bridges shines as Jimmy Berg, the object of the kidnapping. Noah Wyle has a smaller role in the film, but he's just as effective as the man who wants to protect Jimmy's life. Madchen Amick should be seen more often. R. Lee Ermey, Bob Gunton and Jon Abrahams play some of the other interesting characters in the film.

Don't Trust No One

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 18 September 2004]

****SPOILERS**** Ripping off the Milton mob of $7.2 million dollars and killing Milton's son Kevin in the process was a big mistake for the Steven Wayne, Bom Gunton, gang and Wayne's partner Jimmy Berg, Jeff Bridges, who executed that robbery.

Milton's top henchman Trevor Morrison, Brian Goodman, has a hit-man Rick, Peter Green, sent to kidnap and kill Jimmy Berg. Driving a van with Rick to the Berg home is part-time mob wheel-man Lenny Burrough, Jon Abrahams. Everything seems to go right with Berg taken with out a struggle and Rick getting a key hidden under a mailbox that will unlock a designated bus station locker that he was given instructions to go to.

There's $250,000.00 in cash waiting for Rick, in that locker, after he did the "job" but then all hell breaks loose with the Wayne mob showing up and running down Rick and killing him with a silencer. In the middle of a busy street in broad daylight. There's still Lenny in the van with Berg and with Morrison in contact with him and giving Lenny orders on his cell-phone to stay put is not to let him go.

The movie "Scenes of the crime" just stands still after that with both Wayne & Morrison negotiating for Bergs life with Lenny who up to then was an innocent bystander the main obstacle. After going back and forth for a half hour the two hoodlums come to the conclusion that the best thing that they can do that will favor both of them is to have Wayne sell Berg out. The trick is to convince him that his partner Wayne isn't doing that. This to get Berg to drop his guard and come out and surrender and eventually be killed by the Milton mobsters.

Somewhat slow but interesting film about how the mob works and how the saying that "There's no honor among thieves" is so true. You soon also begin to realize that theirs a third party, besides Wayne and Morrison, who's more sinister and murderous then the other two. Who's manipulating everyone like puppets on a string without them ever knowing about it.

Jeff Bridges is his usual competent self as Jimmy Berg who knows that trust is not a word that's worth the paper it's written on when it comes to dealing with mobsters like Wayne, his 15 year partner and friend, and Morrison. Berg realizes in the end that he was sold out and pleads for Lenny to shoot him dead instead of being given up and tortured to death by the Milton mob.

Jon Abrahams is very good as the somewhat naive mob driver Lenny who thinks that he's only doing a job and not what the reality of his situation really is. That by having anything to do with the mob is like signing you life away to it with out a reserve clause. There's also a couple who own a deli, Carman & Raymond, Madchen Amick & Morris Chestnut, as well as two construction workers Martin & Louis, Nicholas Gonzalez & Justin Louis, who all get caught up with what's happening in the whirlpool of violence between Wayne & Morrison, and in the case of the construction workers, end up losing their lives.

The ending of "Scenes of the crime" was a bit labored but it gave the movie an ending that wasn't as depressing and gloomy as the rest of the film which is supposed to be based on a true story according to it's prologue.

Can't recommend ........

[merklekranz · 4/10 · 3 January 2011]

The main problem I have with "Scenes of the Crime" is that none of the characters are likable. They are all either gangsters or on the take. The film is extremely claustrophobic, taking place mostly inside a van or in a deli. The movie is also confusing, with lots of unseen characters being mentioned, and speaking of characters, none are really well developed. The presence of Bob Gunton, and R. Lee Ermey is a plus, while Jeff Bridges, playing against type, is a hard sell as a mob boss. The whole thing, although supposedly based on fact, is difficult to swallow, because it never feels genuine. Although the acting isn't bad, the entertainment value is questionable. - MERK

Modern Gangsterism

[PredragReviews · 7/10 · 31 May 2016]

It's a short film on a generally modest scale. It's nothing terribly special but it's certainly a very decent, nicely directed, intelligent, character-driven thriller well worth checking out. In its protracted focus on a single hopelessly pressured individual stuck in the middle of a city street waiting out a desperate situation and expecting to be shot at any second, it rather calls Schumacher's "Phone Booth" to mind but is a great deal better. The direction is taut, the intrigue and suspense nicely maintained. The nicest thing about it is the contrast, that so freaks Lenny out, between the apparently very nice and reasonable.

This film has a surprising realism. Gangster films have almost become a single genre, and as viewers, we've been bombarded with that particular gangster 'type', and to a certain extent, have become desensitized to it. They're simply not dangerous anymore or don't evoke that needed fear and tension. In "Scenes of the Crime" these men came across to me as seriously dangerous, very dangerous; just to know these guys would be a liability. This is what made this film enjoyable, its decision to keep the story real and the actor's more than believable performances.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Medium cool - sort of

[dave8436 · 5/10 · 7 December 2003]

Saw the DVD release of this film recently. I couldn't quite predict the plot outcome until the end - so it gained points for that as well as Jeff Bridges and Noah Wylie's turns as bad guys. I kept wondering if I had seen this earlier and just realized it was similar to "Phone Booth" in that all the action takes place in a van in the street and there is a mystery shooter (at the end). OK for a rental if you don't have anything better to watch.

"Phone Booth" in a Truck

[sitisapura · 5/10 · 5 March 2005]

This show is the "truck" (van) version of the later show called "Phone Booth". A good portion of the film is filmed inside the truck. Casual driver gets involved and is the middle person in between 2 big time mob gangs. Either way, it's the devil or the deep blue sea for him. He would be lucky to walk away with his life. And most of the action is how they act out the "black spy versus white spy" (from MAD magazine) kind of moves. You'd be dying to find out how the entire event is resolved, and this is what makes it interesting to hang on. But watch it to the end! A bit of panties action by the operator of the deli to her husband. If you are hoping for more than just seeing a pair of lacy panties, you'd be disappointed. Story line is fine but can get confusing with all the mob names thrown around all over.

Excellent grade B crime flick

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9/10 · 10 January 2022]

This is a typical crime film made in the late nineties and early two thousands, focusing on the supporting characters more than the lead; if you have even leads.... It is fast paced, with good directing skills, camera angles. Maybe a bit too complex to floow and then to summarize. I like the Jeff Bridges' character. From actual events.

Starts out fast but comes to a slow stop!

[marbleann · 4 May 2004]

I am a Jeff Bridges fan, I feel he is the most under-rated actor anywhere. So I took a look at this movie. Alright, but not what I expected because the beginning of the movie was pretty exciting. SPOILERS AHEAD! I agree with the person who said it was easy to predict what was going to happen because of the so called old man who looked like a bum paid 200 bucks to get rid of two painters. He needed the apartment. Jeff Bridges gets kidnapped and everything goes haywire. So we spend most of the movie listening to him trying to convince this poor driver to do the right thing. Parts of the movie takes place in a deli because they happen to be across the street from the scene of the crime. BORING. The movie was ok but don't look for any excitement after the first 15 minutes of the movie.

What happened to the ending?

[pheed · 4 May 2004]

I recently caught this movie on cable. While the production values definitely had a lower budget, indie feel I thought the movie was quite good. I love small scale action drama movies and this was an excellent example...up until the end. The movie ends very abruptly and with a completely unnecessary cliffhanger that is resolved literally seconds later. To me it felt like an ending that was deliberately placed there by one of these possibilities:

1. The production ran out of money. They wanted to shoot a better ending but simply couldn't due to budget.

2. The studio pressured the director to make a cut, and so to spite them she literally took a meat cleaver to the film.

When the realities of film making tend to stick their noses so blatantly into a movie it tends to ruin the rest of it for me.

I give it a six out of ten, but I will definitely keep eye open for this director in the future.

Don' forget this story is essentially true

[chrismcreynolds · 10 June 2004]

It seems a lot of you missed the point about the dramatic (or anti-climactic ending). Yes, they could have left some of the clues out but then you would have felt manipulated. I thought that the balance between tension and suspense was good considering the what they wanted to show in terms of what actually happened. Nobody knew why they parked where they did, but the dead man was going to see his father, and nobody else knew why they were there or where the man's father was.

Watch the film and appreciate it for what it is. The smartest guy does not always win. Jimmy was too bold and his luck ran out. If not, I have no doubts that he could have turned this whole thing in to a win for him.

It does make it more interesting knowing that this is based on a true story.

Uneventful...

[MLDinTN · 30 June 2003]

is the one word I think sums up this movie. Not much happens. A lot of the story takes place in the back of a van. A get-a-away driver for a thug gets caught up in a mess. He holds another gangster hostage in the back of a van, while the rival gangster's associates wait in cars along the street trying to solve the situation without a big scene. 2 shop owners also play a small role because the van is parked in front of their store. Also, 2 painters who are covering up the windows on a neighboring building play a role. But, you don't find out why their job is key to the story till the end.

FINAL VERDICT: Boring, slow. Even though it is only 90 minutes long, it still seemed a lot longer because there isn't much action. I don't recommend this.