WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The life. No, not living large or living richly or even living a fulfilled, engaging existence. This is about becoming involved in “the life”. A life filled with criminality, false loyalty, and a destiny with oblivion. At least, this seems to be the fate of one such individual, a man named Eric DiVenardi (Fiore Leo), slowly and painfully feeling his “life” ebb away in a local bar. Facing his evident end, the attempted comfort of his girlfriend Finola (Erica Derrickson) is of little ultimate consequence as we learn about the circumstances leading to Eric’s current predicament, and additionally, his final decisions for retribution. Such is “the life” as primary hitman for mob boss Roger Santorini (Geno Mirabella).
Not the only player involved in a twisted and turned around state of being, these events have additional history and impact for Eric’s fellow gangster, Luca Trapani (Michael Capozzi), whose best friend Angelo (John Martellucci) has been contracted to take Luca out of the picture, despite major reluctance from Angelo. Luca’s story takes on a different life in facing this situation, venting on his girlfriend Celine (Jaimie Tucker), as well as seeing his involvement in the tying up of a loose end, Eliza (Molly Kay), who knows too much. In this occurrence comes the involvement of former FBI agent Tobias Kane (David Graziano), whose exposing of a corrupt local cop, Derby (William Bloomfield), brings everything to a head as three men stuck in the aftermath of shattered plans and bad choices face off in a final confrontation.
Next, my Mind:
Indie film director Christopher Di Nunzio’s newest effort is an exercise in gritty, visceral, neo-noir storytelling and dark visuals that most certainly could be compared on the whole to the movies of directors like Fuqua, Tarantino, and Scorsese. Filled with the violence, profanity-riddled dialogue, and shadowy cinematography, the story of all the characters involved moves at an intentionally methodical pacing as you simply succumb to the fact that it’s not a happy ending in store for any of them thanks to the world of crime they’ve all chosen to be a part of, each in their own way. Yet in the midst of chaos, there are moments where one realizes they all have regrets.
Being that the narrative does, in the grand scheme of things, hone in on the intertwining characters of Eric, Luca, Tobias, and Derby, all four actors–Leo, Capozzi, Graziano, & Bloomfield– play their parts equally well, emoting the harshness of attitude that comes with the life they’ve chosen, and filled with the bitterness of what they’ve become thanks to their actions. However, all the additional supporting players that move in and out of the picture as played by Martellucci, Derrickson, and Tucker–add what could be called “islands of reason” in each of the primary character’s lives, even if in doing so, they tend to pay the price. And then there’s Molly Kay, whose Eliza is actually, for all intents and purposes, the focal point of it all.
Viewers who are sensitive to copious amounts of language, intense violence, and a single sequence of nudity need to beware here, as this is, after all, a very adult feature. Admittedly for this reviewer’s personal preferences, things did push the tolerance limits to the edge. But, make no mistake, as an overall film effort, “A Life Not To Follow” brings a story that deftly and blatantly illustrates the consequences and reasoning of why “the life” portrayed is exactly as its title suggests.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
