Dito Montiel adapts his autobiographical 2001 novel into a vivid slice-of-life drama from the Jim Carroll school of disaffected coming-of-age New York journalism.

| Original Score: B+ | Apr 24, 2009

It is its very autobiographical roots that make Saints an emotional wallop, a raw, authentic work that is, at its defiant core, violently and unrestrainedly alive.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 28, 2008

Superb performances and a gripping retrospective plotline make this tough cookie an entertaining one, even if its adult story strand is weighed down with vagaries.

| Feb 27, 2008

Given all the filmed memory pieces about screaming, violent Italian-American families in New York boroughs, I'm not especially thrilled by even a well-made example.

| Feb 27, 2008

I love the scenes with young people in the middle of a hot New York summer, talking to one another like panthers circling.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 6, 2007

It positively crackles with energy, featuring startlingly raw performances from a cast that also includes Shia LaBeouf as the young Dito. And if it looks ragged around the edges, that's as it should be.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 31, 2007

...ultimately undone by Montiel's relentlessly ostentatious visual sensibilities...

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 7, 2007

The real star is Channing Tatum as the alpha-chimp leader of Dito's pack. The camera doesn't just love him, it wants to marry him, settle down, and have his babies.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 30, 2007

It(TM)s a movie about the nature of time, about getting older and struggling to connect with who we once were. And above all, it(TM)s a story about taking a breather from the marathon of life to find our way home.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 7, 2007

Over-indulgent but often interesting and ambitious in its attempt to recreate the free-wheeling, jazz-improvisational feel of classic independent 70s cinema.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 3, 2007

Well acted and never less than watchable but it's not particularly engaging and you'll definitely feel like you've seen it all before.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 1, 2007

Montiel's first effort remains episodic and inward, failing to build a bridge to the viewer.

| Mar 1, 2007

The plot itself might not break much new ground, but the telling, by both cast and crew, makes this a memoir to remember.

| Feb 28, 2007

A deserved hit at Sundance, Guide plays like Stand By Me crossed with Kids. It's as promising, beautiful and gritty as its onscreen 'saints'.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 27, 2007

A decent enough calling-card picture that swaggers even as it stumbles.

| Feb 27, 2007

Tough streets, tough Love.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 27, 2007

Ambitious coming-of-age drama, this may hit a false note here or there but the performances are magnetic.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 27, 2007

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| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 27, 2007

Montiel constantly inserts the kind of "look at me, I'm a director!" touches that only remind viewers that he's an amateur.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 26, 2007

It's a poignant look at some boys who could use some saints preserving them.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 19, 2006