Search - L.I.E. [Rated] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 06/04/2002 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 36 mins Studio: New Yorker Video Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Drama, Gay & Lesbian Films, Coming-of-Age See Also: L.I.E. [Unrated]

A teenaged boy in desperate need of a father figure finds one in a place no one should ever have to look in this controversial drama. Howie (Paul Franklin Dano) is a 15-year-old who has been emotionally at sea ever since the death of his mother in an auto accident several years before. Howie's father Marty (Bruce Altman) is also having trouble dealing with the loss, and distracts himself with empty sex while avoiding authorities attempting to prosecute him for using unsafe materials in his building contracting business. Howie falls in with a group of homeless delinquents his own age, becoming especially close to streetwise Gary (Billy Kay). In time, Howie begins to wonder if his feelings for Gary go past ordinary friendship, but the issue of his sexuality is forced into a very different light after Gary persuades Howie to join him in robbing the home of middle-aged former Marine Big John Harrigan (Brian Cox). It doesn't take long for Big John to track down the culprits after Howie and Gary steal several guns from his house, but Howie learns that Big John and Gary have met before -- Gary sometimes works as a male prostitute, and Big John, whose tastes run to boys in their early teens, is a regular customer. When Gary runs away to California, Big John proposes that Howie work off their debt by having sex with him; while Howie is hardly comfortable with this arrangement, he has nowhere else to go after his father ends up in jail, and he finds an unexpected degree of emotional support in his relationship with the curiously compassionate pedophile, who comes to understand just how badly Howie needs help. L.I.E. (the title stands for "Long Island Expressway") premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Brian Cox - Big John Harrigan
Paul Franklin Dano - Howie Blitzer
Billy Kay - Gary Terrio
Bruce Altman - Marty Blitzer
James Costa - Kevin Cole

L.I.E. is the disturbing look at the Long Island Expressway and the people that inhabit it. The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is very well produced transfer considering the film's low-budget nature. The colors and black levels are all very sharp with only the slightest amount of edge enhancement and dirt showing up in the image. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround in English and supports the film well. While there aren't many opportunities for directional effects on this mix, overall this is a clean audio track minus any excessive hiss or distortion. No alternate subtitles or soundtracks are available on this disc. =L.I.E. features a few supplements, starting with not one but two commentary tracks: the first with director Michael Cuesta and the second with actor Brian Cox. Neither of these tracks offer much insight into the film, each containing a few stories about the production and numerous gaps of silence throughout. Three deleted scenes are included, which allow the viewer to glimpse what was deservedly left on the cutting room floor. Finally, there is a theatrical trailer for the film and some promos for other New Yorker releases. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide