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Steel City

Play trailer Poster for Steel City R 2006 1h 36m Drama Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
As his brother (Clayne Crawford) muddles through a workaday job, and his father (John Heard) sits in a jail cell after a fatal drunk-driving crash, P.J. Lee (Thomas Guiry) works as a dishwasher in a Midwestern mill town. P.J. halfheartedly pursues a relationship with local girl Amy Barnes (America Ferrera) and temporarily bunks with his ex-Marine uncle, but family troubles weigh on him. Barely 20 but already worn down, P.J. might be the only person who can help his family heal.

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Steel City

Steel City

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Critics Consensus

A blue-collar drama with an uncommonly strong sense of its characters and setting, Steel City suggests a bright future for debuting writer-director Brian Jun.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Nilsen Arizona Republic Steel City is gritty, blue-collar and surprisingly dry-eyed. If it hadn't been a movie, it could have been a song off Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album. Rated: 4/5 Jun 28, 2007 Full Review Andrea Gronvall Time Out Many traps await novice filmmakers, but writer-director Jun has bypassed most in his absorbing debut. Rated: 4/6 Jun 23, 2007 Full Review Tasha Robinson AV Club Writer-director Brian Jun makes it clear that Steel City isn't about big events, even crucial inciting ones. It's about day-to-day decisions and how they change and inform relationships. Rated: B Jun 16, 2007 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Awfully low-key yet undeniably engaging... Rated: 2.5/4 May 13, 2008 Full Review Josh Bell Las Vegas Weekly Nearly everything about Steel City is pure Indie Filmmaking 101. Rated: 2/5 Jun 15, 2007 Full Review Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press For big chunks in the middle of the movie, Steel City seems lost and styleless, but it builds a cumulative power as we get closer to learning what's up. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 14, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (22) audience reviews
Audience Member Great indie movie about real life in a real working class town, with realistic, relatable characters. Loved it- this is my kind of movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This film has been sitting in my Netflix top 10 suggestions for a very long time until I finally watched it... and holy shit it was awesome! This film was extremely dark and an emotional roller coaster. This indie drama centered around a poverty stricken family and Pennsylvania. "Steel City" is one more spectacularly written and shot indie films I've seen in a very long time. The film was very understated, but so spectacularly written, acted and directed that you always knew what the actors were feeling, what they meant and that there was mutual understanding. And to think, the lead in this film was Tom Guiry. Yes, Smalls from "The Sandlot" and no, he wasn't killing me. It was a truly remarkable piece of cinema and I highly suggest it -- 9/10. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best drama films I have ever seen. The acting was fantastic. Thomas Guiry has grown up and done so well in this film. John Heard did a spectacular job as well. One of the most underrated films. A must see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member America Ferrera could've had a bigger role. The star was good, though. I did enjoy the familiar scenery but I wonder what the film says about people from the area. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member CAST: Tom Guiry, John Heard, Raymond J. Barry, America Ferrera, Kristian Best, Rusty Gray, James R. Hentrich, Heather McComb DIRECTED BY: Brian Jun SUMMARY: When PJ Lee's (Tom Guiry) father is arrested for vehicular manslaughter, it's just the icing on the cake for a teen whose life is already difficult, thanks to a broken home and dysfunctional relationships. In short order, PJ gets fired, has a falling out with his girlfriend and is kicked out of the family home. MY THOUGHTS: "This movie had some good acting in it, but the story was a bit slow. The issues they all are dealing with is sad, and the acting is there, it's just the story takes awhile to get going. When it starts theres cops, ambulances, and a crash scene. But it never gives all the details of what happend. But I guess it may not have needed to. If you just sit back and let the movie be and not think about the story and where its going, its watchable. But in the end the acting is the only thing good that came out of this. But I still liked it. Still worth seeing." Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie didn't interest me at all on first viewing, and I found myself skipping forward to Clayne Crawford's scenes then skipping again. But when I watched the film with director/cast commentary, it really came alive. Now I can watch it and enjoy it, seeing the artistry that I first missed. Definitely a film with more layers than are obvious on first glance. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Steel City

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Movie Info

Synopsis As his brother (Clayne Crawford) muddles through a workaday job, and his father (John Heard) sits in a jail cell after a fatal drunk-driving crash, P.J. Lee (Thomas Guiry) works as a dishwasher in a Midwestern mill town. P.J. halfheartedly pursues a relationship with local girl Amy Barnes (America Ferrera) and temporarily bunks with his ex-Marine uncle, but family troubles weigh on him. Barely 20 but already worn down, P.J. might be the only person who can help his family heal.
Director
Brian Jun
Producer
Brian Jun, Ryan Harper, Rusty Gray
Screenwriter
Brian Jun
Production Co
Your Half Pictures
Rating
R (Brief Drug Use|Language)
Genre
Drama, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 23, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.2K
Runtime
1h 36m
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