love the noirish crime drama but it doesn't maintain to the end

SnoopyStyle

School reporter Robert 'Gar' Gartland (Haley Joel Osment) is best friends with basketball star player Matt Morrison (Ryan Merriman). Gar is attracted to new student Bridgette Bachman (Danielle Panabaker) from California who doesn't understand the fascination with basketball in this Indiana school. Matt's older brother Keith (Kenneth Mitchell) who is estranged from their father gets out of jail early. Keith has a job for them to steal from a drug dealer. Matt pushes Gar to join in the caper. Things go wrong.

I really love the noirish crime drama in the middle of the movie. I don't like the happy ending which really screws up the tone of the story. I like Matt's relationship with Keith. Haley Joel Osment has not grown into a great actor. I love the hard-boiled crime thriller so much that I'm willing excuse a lot deficiencies in the rest of the movie.

score 6/10

SnoopyStyle 3 October 2015

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3328472/