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Cast: Raymond J. Barry,Michael Weatherly,Tom Berenger,Steven Bauer,James Russo,Maxine Bahns,Keith David,Valerie Dillman,Lisa Catara,Dominiquie Vandenberg,Robert Dill
Charlie Valentine was a gangster, a gunfighter, a womanizer and a pretty fine chef... He was also the most dangerous, irresponsible scoundrel you ever met. He is a man that easily walked away from everything in his life that was important without ever looking back, one that enjoyed money, power and sex but now Charlie is rethinking his life and everything good that he that he had and managed to screw up. I have been a fan of Jesse Johnson's work since he first began directing. I was first taken in by his film "Pit Fighter" and from there I have had the honor of watching this Stuntman turned Writer/Director grow with each of his films. Charlie Valentine is a film about an aging gangster that is having thoughts about his life and all he did wrong. After a heist goes bad Charlie escapes town and ends up at his son's door, a son Charlie hasn't seen since he was a little boy but Danny is a man now and works as a bouncer/loan shark at a local strip joint. Soon Charlie begins to teach Danny his craft and together they look for one more big pay-off well all the while mob boss, Rocco is hot on his trail. I find it hard to begin here because there is so much here that is just plain incredible, the cinematography and editing are flawless, the soundtrack fits the film perfectly and all the settings really help create just the right atmosphere needed. The story is by far Mr. Johnson's best to date, he took the popular gangster theme and added real characters with real problems and created one of the most believable movies in the genre in some time. The action scenes are brutal and simply breath-taking, I am not surprised though since Jesse is a stuntman himself so he always delivers great action scenes. The cast is another wonderful part of the film, veteran actor, Raymond J. Barry plays Charlie, Raymond has been in countless movies and Television shows over his long career but I do not think I have ever seen him better. He brings a much needed toughness to the role but also he delivers on the human side of his character with great emotion, I must say he was the perfect choice to play Charlie. Michael Weatherly stars as his estranged son, Danny. Many of you know Michael from his role on the hit Television show "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service". Michael is a fantastic actor and him and Raymond have great chemistry together. The film also has many other fantastic actors like Tom Berenger, James Russo and Steven Bauer and Keith David who Jesse has worked with before in several of his other films. Together all these wonderful actors make their characters real and captivating. Charlie Valentine is currently doing the Festival circuit and has already won several awards including, best Screenplay award at the Monaco international Film festival and the best Picture at the AOF - Action on Film Festival, Pasadena, CA. After having the pleasure of seeing this I am not surprised at the awards and praise it is receiving. Charlie Valentine is a gangster film filled with human emotion that is as brutal as it is riveting. Mr. Johnson has made a personal film he should be very proud of and I suggest you visit his site HERE for all the latest news and to find out where you might have a chance to catch this fantastic piece of cinema.
Released by Gorilla Pictures. ***** Out Of *****