One of the first films to prove that both Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum really can act, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a film bursting with talent. Essentially, the semi-autobiographical story from writer-director Dito Montiel follows a young boy (LaBeouf) growing up in the rough-and-tumble neighbourhood of 1980s Astoria with best friend Antonio (Tatum). Desperate to escape a father (Chazz Palminteri, giving a career best performance) who doesn't understand him, he makes friends with a new Scottish kid (Martin Compston) in class, and attempts to woo local pretty gal Laurie (Melonie Diaz). He runs afoul of a Puerto Rican boy and his gang from a nearby burg, and things just kind of escalate from there. LaBeouf runs away, coming back years later (rather inexplicably) as Robert Downey Jr. He attempts to reconnect with those he left behind, including former flame Laurie - now played by Rosario Dawson, in stunningly perfect casting - and his aging dad, who refuses to go to hospital to check on his heart. The movie flits back-and-forth between past and future in a technique that could be jarring but is actually utilised really well. Tatum steals the show, though. His impassioned, simmering portrayal of Antonio - a self-blaming boy abused by his father, yet extremely loyal to his friends - is deeply affecting.
Cinephile since 1993, aged 4, when he saw his very first film in the cinema - Jurassic Park - which is also evidence of damn fine parenting. World champion at Six Degrees of Separation. Lender of DVDs to cheap mates. Connoisseur of Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe.
