Monument Ave.

Name: Monument Ave.
Director: Ted Demme
Released: 1998

Ted Demme

1998

Synopsis

Bobby O'Grady is a low level member of a Boston Irish gang run by Jackie O'Hara. Jackie demands absolute, total loyalty to him. When Jackie kills one of Bobby's buddies, Teddy, Bobby and others have to keep it an absolute secret, even from their and Teddy's relatives.

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Recommendations

90
The New York Times
The dialogue and the ensemble acting maintain a near-perfect pitch.
90
Los Angeles Times
Mike Armstrong's relentlessly downbeat script allows Demme to develop an ensnaring camaraderie coupled with a dark destructiveness that recalls Eugene O'Neill.
80
Village Voice
Under Ted Demme's accomplished direction, the film unfolds with a kind of ruthless simplicity, observing, rather than stating, the neighborhood's intricate social connections.
78
Austin Chronicle
Leary, Demme, and screenwriter Mike Armstrong have come up with a brilliant, harrowing portrait of misplaced loyalties and savage valor that may be one of the best character-driven ensemble pieces to come around in some time.
75
Chicago Sun-Times
There is a whole genre of films about childhood friends still living in the old neighborhood and going down the drain of crime and drugs. Few of them capture the fatigue and depression, and the futility, as well as this one, in which the characters hold on to their self-respect by obeying the very rules that are grinding them down.
75
ReelViews
With fresh dialogue and a willingness to show his protagonists in a less-than-favorable light, Demme has found a way to make this entry memorable.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Director Ted Demme (with a terse script by Mike Armstrong) keeps it darkly funny while exposing raw nerves in a buildup to unexpected tragedy.
70
Chicago Reader
Set in an expressively underlit environment, this rivetingly moody drama is enhanced by the restrained use of incidental music.