FIVE CORNERS *** OF **** grade is B-
Five Corners is a good film that you may have missed in its theatrical run and on the video shelves, but it is well worth a look. It is a period piece for 1964 and doesn't rely on old pop hits for its impact. Instead we get serious melodrama with sprinkles of violence and good acting. It has a great cast: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro.
The plot deals with many characters and plot strands that basically consist of two separate stories. The one with headliner actors works very well, the other doesn't seem complete. The two stories will eventually tie together (unconvincingly) and wrap up with a violent conclusion. We have a psychopathic rapist Heinz (John Turturro) released from prison, much to the alarm of Linda (Jodie Foster) who was almost raped by him. Harry (Tim Robbins) who has sworn off violence since his father died yet saved Linda from Heinz. Jamie (Todd Graff) who is afraid of Heinz and was injured by him. Unconvincing scenes of two guys and two girls interrupt this convincing segment. The girls (drugged up beauties) were given to the guys (a couple of street punks) along wit five dollars by one of the girl's fiancé. The girls wake up with headaches and no clothes in a strange environment, one of the boy's pseudo apartment.
The violence is very deftly used in the film, it underlines the scenes of joy and adjustment to the times. There is a shadow over every scene and a hauntingly, sometimes cheerful, score in the background. The three actors who are now stars are really very good, but for me the standout is Todd Graff as the jealous former boyfriend of Linda. It is a small performance but an important one for the impact of the film, and somewhat touching. He is not as tough as anyone else on the screen but he is sweet and infectious and has high energy. In one scene he is offered a cup of coffee, while he storms around the room, he comments that he can't because his heart might explode. I liked that scene and many others in the film.
Yet this film has many problems, too many characters, a setup to the climax, and that second story. It just simple doesn't belong in this film, it's like throwing Now & Then into Goodfellas because they have a similar time period. Even with those flaws I can recommend this movie, the problems it have stop it form being great but we are left with a satisfying movie experience.
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