Manny und Dan - Leben und Sterben in der Bronx

This film though not one of Tim Roth's best, is one that should be seen by those interested in his career. It is a pivotal film, one in which he transforms himself into an American gangster/hood/waster small bit anti-hero. The film takes us to the Bronx and the dialogue though it was written in the 1990's reminds one of the kind of a 1970's film in which the heroes look back to their childhood place. Remember where we played ball. Remember where that kid Bluey threw a brick down from the building.That kind of thing. Roth is a de Niro. I mean the hand in the jacket pocket, the swagger, the punchdrunk interjections, the hands and the eye movement. It is de Niro. Almost to the point of parody. I couldn't focus on the film because of these mannerisms, and yet I felt this was interesting because it showed the method of acting where the actor copies the actor who used the Stanislavsky method copying life. The film on the whole would have benefitted from being on stage --it would make a great play --but a film, no.