Search - Gardens of the Night on DVD

Nicole W. (sterju3) from SCRANTON, PA
Reviewed on 6/13/2009...

excellent movie...this is very disturbing material, but very true to life. If you can get through the first 45 minutes without turning it off because of the subject material, you will find a very put togther film..the child actors especially ryan simpkins are suberb..they were given a completly differnt script than the adults, but you really believe they know whats going on...yes it is about child rape and prostitution, but this is what happens to 300,000 children a year who are kidnapped or runaway...a sad life is all they have...

4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Gardens of the Night

P. Green | Alexandria, VA | 04/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was done very well. It opens your eyes to the adverse effect that young kids go through who are abducted from their family and friends. Children are not as tune to deception of people that they are easily persuaded by strangers to follow them. All parents should take the time and talk to their kids. Everyone is a stranger and be careful if it is someone you don't know that is trying to be nice to you.

All of the actors in this movie did an excellent job."

Tough, not sure how else to summarize

Steve Kuehl | Ben Lomond, CA | 03/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a parent, I understand the importance of the content regarding children being kidnapped domestically and ending up lost in the sex/slave rings, but man this was a difficult watch. Even harder than Holly (also trailered on this DVD).

The story follows a young, upper-middle class girl (played incredibly by Ryan Simpkins, who coincidentally blew me away with her brief adult-style performance in Balls Out) as she is lured by a pedophile into an irreversible life of long term abuse and abandonment. The film flashes between her youth and later adult existence on the streets. No part of this topic is easy to watch, but everyone plays their roles adequately. Tom Arnold is absolutely scary as the pedophile, he was completely believable to the extreme.

The video and sound quality were fine, and the supplements cover the array of related topics. The deleted scenes were thankfully cut out (even more graphic), but it did show the obvious confusion towards the end of the film in the writing and editing. Malkovich and Sisto already had abbreviated parts, but as I was watching the end Michelle Rodriguez' part seemed strangely miscut, but then left in the deleted scenes, as were the alternate parent actors' roles. The credit listings supplement to help people learn about this topic were too "edgy" and distracting, it could have been made more straightforward and a great deal clearer.

An important awareness content film, hardly rewatchable, a few faults here and there, but the two performances of the main girl are worthy of acknowledgment."

Had to comment after reading other reviews

young guns | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Only my second time commenting on Amazon, but after unexpectedly turning on this movie, I just had to set the record straight on this very depressing yet impossible to look away movie.

First of all, this is an incredibly well done, even if disturbing film. As another reviewer wrote, "what you don't see is the most disturbing." Secondly, without ruining the ending, I believe there are few unanswered questions. The film shows you how the protagonists part ways with Alex and Frank, and the final scene hints at what the future holds for Leslie and Donnie. However, any truly unanswered questions might be intentional. The story fast forwards a few years, but what happened during those years is irrelevant after watching the first half of the movie; you know how they lived their lives for so many years leading up to that point.

As another reviewer said, it would be difficult to re-watch, but a powerful story nonetheless. Ryan Simpkins did an amazing job playing young Leslie."