The War Boys

Last updated
The War Boys
The War Boys FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed byRonald Daniels
Written by Naomi Wallace (play and screenplay)
Bruce McLeod
Produced byCarly Hugo
Matt Parker
Gill Holland
John Hart
Jeff Sine
Starring[ clarification needed ]
Benjamin Walker
Victor Rasuk
Brian J. Smith
Greg Serano
Teresa Yenque
Cheyenne Serano
Micaela Nevárez
Peter Gallagher
CinematographyHoracio Marquínez
Edited byDavid Leonardo
Music byStephen Cullo
Production
company
Group Entertainment
Distributed bySnapping Turtle Films
Release date
  • August 7, 2009 (2009-08-07)
(United States)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish

The War Boys is a 2009 American independent drama film directed by Ronald Daniels and starring Peter Gallagher, Victor Rasuk, Brian J. Smith and Benjamin Walker. Its screenplay was written by Naomi Wallace and Bruce McLeod, based on the play of the same name by Naomi Wallace. [1]

Contents

Plot

David Welch has been suspended from college. He and two friends, Greg and George, spend their time along the U.S.-Mexico border, alerting the border patrol to illegal border crossings and calling themselves "The War Boys." David is angry at his father, who won't agree to him leaving school to work in the family trucking business. David devises a plan to hijack one of his father's trucks, expecting it to be carrying a shipment of black market TV's from Mexico. The boys succeed in stealing the truck and they temporarily park the locked truck in a desolate area while they look for a purchaser for the stolen goods. David's father vows revenge against whoever stole from him. David is surprised that his father is so upset instead of just seeing the stolen truck as a business loss.

While the truck sits abandoned, Greg pursues Marta, a local Mexican woman, and David and George explore their attraction for one another. David's father discovers his son's relationship with George and confronts him, expressing disapproval of George's family and economic status.

The operation goes perfectly until some unidentified men vaguely threaten Marta. She had occasionally helped immigrants to get fake documents, and the traffickers interrogate her on the whereabouts of the cargo. This makes it clear to the trio that the truck must contain something more valuable than just televisions, possibly drugs. Determined to get some profit anyway, they choose to return to the wasteland, take what they can from the truck, and then report its location to the traffickers via an anonymous call.

When they unlock the truck's storage, they discover its cargo included Mexican immigrants being smuggled into the US—and who are now dead after being locked in the truck for so long. Their rage and fear leads the situation to slip completely out of their control as David's father arrives with the police. David confronts his father at gunpoint and is shot by the police. George screams for help as David dies in his arms.

Cast

Production

The film was shot over a twenty-three-day span in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to Daniels, the shoot was plagued by sandstorms and prop mishaps. [2]

Release and reception

The film premiered at the Birmingham Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on May 30, 2009. It went on to be screened at the Woods Hole Film Festival, held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; the San Antonio Film Festival, held in San Antonio, Texas; and the SoCal Independent Film Festival, held in Huntington Beach, California, where it won the Best Feature Film Award. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People smuggling</span> Illegal transportation of people

People smuggling, under U.S. law, is "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries' laws, either clandestinely or through deception, such as the use of fraudulent documents".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Penn</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1960)

Sean Justin Penn is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. Over his career, he has earned numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for three BAFTA Film Awards. Penn received an Honorary César in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alastair Sim</span> Scottish actor (1900–1976)

Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his death in 1976. Starting in 1935, he also appeared in more than fifty British films, including an iconic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol, released in 1951 as Scrooge in Great Britain and as A Christmas Carol in the United States. Though an accomplished dramatic actor, he is often remembered for his comically sinister performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Daniels</span> American actor (born 1955)

Jeffrey Warren Daniels is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for five Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.

<i>Airport 77</i> 1977 disaster film directed by Jerry Jameson

Airport '77 is a 1977 American air disaster film, the third installment of the Airport film series. The film stars an ensemble cast of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vaccaro as well as the return of George Kennedy from the two previous Airport films. It is directed by Jerry Jameson, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang with a screenplay by Michael Scheff and David Spector.

<i>Convoy</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Sam Peckinpah

Convoy is a 1978 American road action comedy film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair and Franklyn Ajaye. The film is based on the 1975 country and western novelty song "Convoy" by C. W. McCall. The film was made when the CB radio/trucking craze was at its peak in the United States, and followed the similarly themed films White Line Fever (1975) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977).

<i>Lawn Dogs</i> 1997 film by John Duigan

Lawn Dogs is a 1997 British fantasy-drama film directed by John Duigan and starring Mischa Barton and Sam Rockwell. The film tells the story of a precocious young girl (Barton) from a gated community who befriends a landscape worker (Rockwell), and examines the societal repercussions of their friendship. Written by Naomi Wallace, the film was released by Rank Organisation, and was the company's last production.

Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this festival showcases new theatrical works and draws producers, critics, playwrights, and theatre lovers from around the world. The festival was founded in 1976 by Jon Jory, who was Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 1969 to 2000. Since 1979 The Humana Festival has been sponsored by the Humana Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Humana.

<i>One Way Street</i> 1950 film by Hugo Fregonese

One Way Street is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring James Mason, Märta Torén and Dan Duryea. The film takes place mainly in Mexico.

<i>Eternity and a Day</i> 1998 film directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos

Eternity and a Day is a 1998 Greek drama film directed by Theo Angelopoulos, and starring Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Renauld and Fabrizio Bentivoglio.

<i>Rio Rita</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Rio Rita is a 1929 American pre-Code RKO musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous. The film was the biggest and most expensive RKO production of 1929 as well as the studio's biggest box office hit until King Kong (1933). Its finale was photographed in two-color Technicolor. Rio Rita was chosen as one of the 10 best films of 1929 by Film Daily.

<i>Germany, Year Zero</i> 1948 film by Roberto Rossellini

Germany, Year Zero is a 1948 film directed by Roberto Rossellini, and is the final film in Rossellini's unofficial war film trilogy, following Rome, Open City and Paisà. Germany Year Zero takes place in Allied-occupied Germany, unlike the others, which take place in German-occupied Rome and during the Allied invasion of Italy, respectively.

"The Parking Space" is the 39th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. The episode was the 22nd episode of the third season. It aired on NBC on April 22, 1992. The story centers on George's protracted struggle with Kramer's friend Mike to claim a parking space they both entered at the same time. The story of the parking confrontation was inspired by a similar incident that happened to writer Greg Daniels' father.

Micaela Nevárez was born on January 1, 1972, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Nevárez is a Puerto Rican actress known for her roles in independent and European films. Her debut was in the Spanish film Princesas, directed by directed by Fernando León de Aranoa. In the film, she portrayed Zulema, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic trying to make a living as a prostitute on the streets of Madrid, Spain. Nevárez's compelling performance in this film earned her the Goya Award for Best New Actress in 2006, a historic achievement as the first Puerto Rican actress to win this notable award.

<i>Street Legal</i> (New Zealand TV series) 2000 New Zealand TV series or programme

Street Legal is a New Zealand legal drama focused on the lives of a small group of lawyers. The show was produced by ScreenWorks. A total of four series consisting of 53 episodes were aired between 11 July 2000 and 21 August 2003.

<i>Adrift in Manhattan</i> 2007 American film

Adrift in Manhattan is a 2007 American drama film directed by Alfredo De Villa and written by Nat Moss based on a story by De Villa. The film centers on New Yorkers who are lonely and emotionally lost in the big city. Adrift in Manhattan features an ensemble cast, including Heather Graham, Victor Rasuk, Dominic Chianese, Elizabeth Peña, and William Baldwin.

<i>Greed in the Sun</i> 1964 film

Greed in the Sun is a 1964 French-Italian adventure film directed by Henri Verneuil. The film was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Eréndira</i> (film) 1983 film

Eréndira is a 1983 drama film directed by Ruy Guerra. The film script was written by Gabriel García Márquez. The original script actually preceded his novella The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother published in 1972. The characters of Eréndira and her grandmother had previously appeared in his book One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). Garcia Marquez recreated the screenplay from memory for the film. Guerra incorporated elements from another Garcia Marquez story to meet his narrative needs in the subplot of Senator Onésimo Sanchez.

<i>The Golden Dream</i> 2013 film

The Golden Dream is a 2013 Mexican drama film directed by Spanish-born Mexican director Diego Quemada-Díez. It was premiered in the Un Certain Regard official selection at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where Quemada-Diez won the A Certain Talent award for his directing work and the ensemble cast. The film also won the Golden Ástor for Best Film at the 2013 Mar del Plata International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Daniels (director)</span> Theatre and opera director

Ron Daniels is a theatre and opera director. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company; former Artistic Director of The Other Place, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon; former Associate Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre (ART), Cambridge, Massachusetts; and former Head of Acting and Directing Programs of the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. He is also a founding member of the Teatro Oficina, São Paulo, in his native Brazil.

References

  1. Weiss, Hedy (July 11, 1999). "She's a Free Woman: MacArthur Grant Winner Charts Her Own Course". Chicago Sun-Times .
  2. Napoleon, Davi (December 23, 2009). "7Q4 Ron Daniels: On Directing Film, Opera, Theater". The Faster Times . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  3. "2009 Winners". SoCal Independent Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2011.