Three interconnected stories of a mobster looking to make a power play (Vincent D'Onofrio),working class guy who decides to pull a robbery to get money for an operation (Ethan Hawke) and a deaf deli counter man who knows both of them. How the trio come together, or more correctly intersect is the story. Told out of order this is the story of three lost souls who get in over their heads.

Its an okay little film that holds your attention even if you know where its going (I had a good idea what the end was going to be). The trouble with the film is that the odd mix of comedy and drama doesn't always work. D'Onofrio's mobster looking for something bigger seems to have wandered in from another film. This is a scary guy? I don't think so. He's more a buffoon then a serious threat. Hawke's character is clearly over his head and why he would think he could get away with it is beyond me (it seems like a variation of his characters in Before the Devil Knows you're Dead and What Doesn't Kill You). The weird shifts in tone make for a unique film in that all of the bits work, the trouble is they don't really work together all that well. It's an okay film not the great one that it wants to be. I don't know what to say beyond I liked the film, it held my attention all the way to the end but at the same time I don't need to ever see it again. It's a rental at best.

The movie might try to be a little bit too clever for it's own good, but it still kinda works. The tone might be a bit shifted at places, but for a low budget thriller, this is pretty good. The acting is decent, the story rolls along nicely.

But something is still missing to make it great. While all the stories told are quite appealing (for one reason or the other),it is just too much coincidence and too much confidence in a few things. Although the end might be a little bit more rewarding for some than others, you could and should give it a try, especially if you like those sort of movies in general.

In Staten Island, New York, Parmie Tarzo (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a powerful mobster boss. The family man Sully Halverson (Ethan Hawke) is septic tank cleaner married with Mary Halverson (Julianne Nicholson) and they are trying to have a baby. The deaf and dumb Jasper "Jas" Sabiano (Seymour Cassel) is the slicer of deli meat in a market and also works for Parmie Tarzo slicing the bodies of his victims. Jas likes Sully and expects to win the horse races.

One day, Sully that is not a bright man decides to heist the house of Parmie Tarzo, expecting to artificially inseminate Mary with a better sperm than his in an expensive clinic. Meanwhile Jas wins the horse race and there is an attempt on Tarzo's life and he finds that his gangsters have planned it. The lives of the three residents are entwined with tragic consequences.

"Staten Island" is a movie that blends different genres – comedy, crime and drama – in an uneven way. The screenplay is not linear and Parmie Tarzo on the top of the tree is boring and silly. The best segment is the drama of Sully, and the motives of Jas are not clear. "Staten Island" entertains but is not special. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available