I remember watching this as a teen & thought it was the dogs bollocks, but now rewatching it thirty five years later my opinion has definitely changed, yes some of it is really good like the always excellent Harris & the constant grey & seedy look the director generates, it looks great showing the grim underbelly of New York But there is also bad, especially Oldman who ramps the over acting to ten & alone nearly spoils the movie.

The dialogue is pretty awful, most of the movie feels slow, and Gary Oldman really made some horrible choices throughout the film. His accent is pretty atrocious, too. You’ll see people talk about how this movie was overlooked because it came out so close to Goodfellas, but I think audiences just didn’t recommend this to their friends because it wasn’t entertaining.

Whoever wrote this movie, didn't do a good job too many hokey scenes, not true to life, like the lines said in a bar, are terrible, and other lines just don't make sense, spoiler alert, at the end three guys try to shoot him in a bar and they all Miss even the guy with a shotgun and he takes out all of them Ben Frank comes in and can't hit him at close range keeps hitting glasses and bottles on the bar, but he shoots Frank in the head kills him with one shot, and he gets wounded and lays there and you don't know if he survived

Just seeing it. The plot wasn't original but it was an overall good movie. It came out the same year as Goodfellas. Unfortunately you have to come with your A Game releasing a movie ( especially the same genre ) as Martin Scorsese. I loved it though. Goodfellow was better but not by much!

Fairly entertaining with a solid cast - but undermined by a way over the top acting performance (bordering on satire) by one of my favourites, Gary Oldman.

One of the most underrated gangster movies of the last 40 years. It is a must watch

I confess: I am an Art House junkie, and contemporary crime/action flicks usually aren’t my thing (while I can appreciate their contributions to the genre, I don’t even enjoy classics like “The Godfather” and “The French Connection”). But this grabbed me the first time I saw it in 1990, and now – 35 years later – it still holds up. Was Sean Penn ever that young? He was, and spectacularly so, and continues to be one of the greatest actors of his generation. As is widely mentioned, this is a break-out film for Gary Oldman, who tears into the excellent screen play like a rabid dog. Robin Wright is stunningly torn between her brothers’ crime syndicate activities and trying to break out of Hell’s Kitchen. Another newcomer – John C. Reiley – delivers a knockout performance in his second film. Hell, we even get Burgess Meredith, who moved from Broadway to film in 1936, in a moving cameo. Joanou’s direction is tight, and the cinematography perfectly captures the underbelly of Manhattan, where I lived at the time it was filmed. It really did look like that. What grabs my gut from the first frame, however, is Ennio Morricone’s melancholic, eerie, jazz-influenced score. I still have the CD of the soundtrack. This is an underrated gem and deserves to be seen. It will stick with you, as it has with me for 35 years.

2 hours of terrible! Unlikeable characters, especially Oldman.

One of the best gangster movie ever. Great cast, acting at their very best but is Gary Oldman the one who stole the movie. Best acting of his career. A must see.

Such an underrated gangster classic.

Simply put one of the finest movies in the genre ever made. Oldman and Penn were amazing, 100% believable as best friends, Harris chewed scenery as well as anyone, great writing, great characters and acting , Superb!

A forgotten movie that shouldn't be. With a great cast and filmed in "Hells Kitchen", the scenery brings it all together. Sean Penn and Gary Oldman are great along with Robin Wright, Ed Harris, John Turtorro and John C. Reilly they form an outstanding and believable ensemble. The plot is a bit played out but the acting and cinematography make it a must see crime film. Definitely worth watching! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5.

Not that good. The thing is...it builds up untill it ends en 2 minutes. And nither was really good.

Depressing without being the least bit engaging.

An forgotten early 90s gangster film. Yes it's a cliche, but worth watching. Young Sean Penn is good, and perfectly overshadowed by Ed Harris and Gary Oldman.

A classic gangster movie. And the best Irish mob one to date. All stellar performances from the leading cast. Gary Oldman is the stand out even to Penn. he's such an underrated actor. Put this in the mix of a goodfellas/departed movie. If you enjoyed either one you'll love this. This movie might be long for some but it never got dull.

you have to watch a Lot of movies to find one better than this. don't know how i missed it until today?

Classic has a least 4 great actors why its not on DVD is crazy

One of the most underrated movies of all time. Gary Oldman and Sean Penn. Enough said.

Captivating from get go. Perfectly cast. Long may it be watched and not forgotten.