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Image and video hosting by TinyPic Cast: William Forsythe, Leo Rossi, Tony Danza, Paul Orrantia, Tony Luke, Dayanara Torres

Director: James Quattrocchi

Genre: Drama

Year: 2009

Rating: N/A

Struggling to get back into life after serving eight years in prison as a result of an accident, Joey Nardone takes a job at his old gym, but it's in fighting for someone else's future that the ex-boxer/ex-con begins to believe in his own. When Nardone takes a scrawny 14-year-old bully target named Jesus under his wing, both teacher and pupil blossom.

I must admit I am not one to read into movies or trailers for matter before sitting down to watch them so judging from the box-art I thought this was a family film and not much more. After I began watching I soon found out this was something much more than a family film, this is a character driven drama about second chances and doing the right thing. The story focuses is on two main characters, one being Joey who just got out of prison after serving 8 years for killing a young girl in a bar fight by accident, it is an event in his life he regrets, Philly's son Tony Luke Jr. takes the lead here and for such a big guy I was really impressed with his acting since the character is one that displays a soft side. The other character is Jesus, a young boy who lives in the same apartment building with his mom and abusive father, Jesus is played by newcomer Paul Orrantia, him and Joey meet when Joey helps him out when bullies are picking on him. A friendship ensues mainly because both are lost souls looking for something missing in their lives. I am not going to spoil anymore of the story for those wanting to see this but I can say this is a film that brings alot of emotion with and it has you feeling many of those as well. The characters are real and believable, these were people I cared about and wanted them to find that peace they were looking for. It is amazing how MTI Home Video continues to find gems like this. The cast was incredible, Tony Luke Jr. who also co-wrote the story was fantastic in his first lead role and young Paul Orrantia was terrific in his first role, a role that is demanding in so many ways. The supporting cast were all very good as well and includes some well known actors including Leo Rossi and William Forsythe as well as Tony Danza and Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini. The film was shot in Philadelphia and it really gives the movie a raw edge that acts as another character in the film. Some of the abuse scenes in the movie can be hard to watch if that sort of thing bothers you but it plays an important role in the story and is used perfectly and not over done. The joy and pain I felt and the anger I had at times had me hanging on to my chair, hoping for the best for these two main characters. Like real life things do not always turn out the way you might hope they do but in the end the film left me with hope and even a smile on my face. This is what Independent cinema is all about and I got to give thanks to all involved in making this drama as it was a film that had me hooked from the start to the finish. I highly recommend picking this up, The Nail is the total package and one highly entertaining film. Released by MTI Home Video. ***** Out Of *****