Product Details

• Actors: Brian Cox, Paul Dano, Bruce Altman, Billy Kay, James Costa
• Directors: Michael Cuesta
• Writers: Michael Cuesta, Gerald Cuesta, Stephen M. Ryder
• Producers: Michael Cuesta, Jose Gilberto Molinari-Rosaly, Linda Moran, Rene Bastian
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Yorker Video
• VHS Release Date: June 4, 2002
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000065B23
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,681 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A remarkable movie. L.I.E. centers on Howie, a 15-year-old boy whose mother recently died in a car accident. Neglected by his father, an unscrupulous contractor who's constantly having sex with his new girlfriend, Howie falls in with a group of boys who break into houses for kicks. After one break-in Howie is caught by Big John (Brian Cox, the original Hannibal Lecter from Manhunter), a former Marine with a taste for young boys. But the relationship that develops between Howie and Big John surprises them both. L.I.E. captures male adolescence more genuinely than any other film in recent memory; the realism of the relationships, particularly between Howie and his father, is completely compelling. The movie affects all the senses; you can practically feel the texture of Howie's blue flannel sheets, smell the greenery that grows along the Long Island Expressway. Amazing performances, vivid direction, smartly written--superb all around. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker

A delinquent kid (Paul Franklin Dano) first robs and then befriends a middle-aged ex-marine (Brian Cox), who knows a lucky chance when he sees one. As movie subjects go, pedophilia is volatile to the point of explosive, and Michael Cuesta has done well to hold his nerve and forge something so clever and careful. If anything, the cleverness cuts too deep. Cuesta's desire for tolerance is so pronounced, and Cox's skill is so generous and engaging, that, if you don't watch out, you can end up being seduced by the same strategic charm that ensnares the boy. The picture is suavely shot and never less than disturbing. Cuesta falters only when the comedy of sly, vicious seduction recedes to make way for a solid event-a guy keeling over with a heart attack, say, in the middle of a restaurant. But this is Cox's film, by a mile; as a good Shakespearean, he knows how to flood villainy with dramatic life. What do you do with a monster who dares you not to like him? -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

330 of 347 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the light and dark of the heart, June 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: L.I.E. (Unrated) (DVD)

It is not surprising to me that viewers are so quick to bandy labels around while discussing L.I.E.. Pigeonholes make matters of the heart that are otherwise complicated and hazy, easy to deal with for those who hate to think or be challenged. If that's what the creators of this excellent film wanted to do, they would've issued out black and white cowboy hats to the actors.

But this movie is not simplistic. Listening to the commentaries by both the director, Michael Cuesta, and Brian Cox (Big John), I noticed that neither ever utters the word "pedophile" in relation to Big John (In fact, the film itself shows he not only desires young teenagers, but young, adult men of 18-21 range, and women as well). Nor do they peg Howie as a "gay youth"--in fact, they both deny that Howie's sexual identity is set. That's because L.I.E. is not about categories, it is about the complexities of the human heart that lie beneath the surface.

For myself, L.I.E. is about two things: (1) discovering the difference between love and lust, and (2) the fundamental condition of human loneliness and our search for honest intimacy. After the recent death of his mother, Howie has just discovered deep loneliness and is trying to resolve it as fast as he can; running away to California for adventure with a rebellious, sexy friend seems like the magic pill/instant cure for all his problems. As for Big John, years before the time of this film he decided to quench his loneliness in shallow sex with males of various ages, and in creating broad yet shallow relationships with the prominent members of his community. Yet he's never allowed anyone to get inside and really touch his heart, apparently not even his current adult lover/roommate.

Suddenly, Howie is confronted with this man, who unlike Howie's father or friends, has answers to his questions about his worth and place in the world (and also knowledge of sex, which is a big part of life for a teenager). Simultaneously, the once-"Big" John is rendered small and weak in the face of the quiet grandeur and adolescent vulnerability of Howie's gentle, honest nature. For a moment, their lives intersect and neither of them knows quite what to do...both are in foreign territory, and both walk away with something they never had before. Howie walks away with the knowledge of his own value as a human being (hence, he's able to assert himself in confrontation with his father later in the film, and proclaim himself to the world), and John walks away knowing that he's made a permanent and vital difference in the life of another person, and that he's finally loved someone else, truly and completely.

This film should not be missed, misunderstood or pigeonholed and forgotten. It is a boundary-breaker that speaks of the need for love and intimacy that lies most deeply in the human soul, regardless of superficial appearances.

81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A controversial, disturbing, wonderfully brilliant film!, March 16, 2002

By 

Peter Carlson "somethingwicked" (Allentown, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: L.I.E. (Unrated) (DVD)

Too many people require a big round of applause for this marvelous film. Michael Cuesta's first feature length film is extremely controversial, and at some times disturbing. Yet it is remarkably well written, well directed, and well acted. Howie(a stunning performance by newbie actor Paul Franklin Dano) is a 15 year old boy growing up in Long Island. His mother was killed on the L.I.E(long island expressway), his estranged father hardly knows him, he only has 1 friend who is planning on leaving for california. So needless to say Howie has nothing. This movie is a coming of age story where howie befriends a pederast named Big John(brilliantlly portrayed by veteran actor Brian Cox, the original Hannibal Lector) who ends up becomming a father figure to Howie.

There are homosexual references in the movie, but this is not a movie about homosexuality. There are references to pedophillia in the movie, but this is not a movie about pedophillia. It is a story about a boy who finds that important something in his life that is missing. This movie is controversial because one of the main characters is a pedophile; yet when you see what importance he has on Howies' life you begin to feel sympathetic for the man. Regardless of this, there are no inapropriate sex scenes, over the top violence, or extreme vulgar language that you find in most movies today. Yet this was unfortunetly given an NC-17 rating, stopping many people from viewing this terrific film.

Keep an open mind when watching this film and take it for what it is, an extremely down to earth, emotional coming of age story. I honestly cannot give enough praise to director Michael Cuesta and actors Paul Franklin Dano and Brian Cox. Independent or not, this has to be one of the best films of 2001 - A must see for any movie fan!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quietly devastating film, December 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: L.I.E. (Unrated) (DVD)

It's no wonder that this movie has had mounds of awards and critical praise heaped upon it. It's truly remarkable and lingers with you long after the viewing. I'll not recap the plot as that can be found in Amazon.com's review, but in all earnestness, to take such disquieting subject matter and craft it into a touching and thought-provoking movie is the work of no small talent indeed. Cuestra deserves all the accolades he receives for this alone. The performances turned in by Brian Cox, Paul Franklin Dano and Billy Kay are truly devastating in their sincerity, especially those of Cox and Dano. I can scarcely contain the respect I have for people who are so truly gifted as to deliver such compelling and believable performances. One of my favorite lines from a review of this movie summed up the humanity of the pedarest Big John best by saying something to the effect that the victim was choosing to be ensnared, but the predator chose not to strike. Truly, this is not a "sick man" to be easily encapsulated and defined, and summarily dismissed -- he is just a man who lives with his unfortunate sickness, much as do alcoholics, drug addicts or pathological adulterers. This is certainly not a "date" movie, nor is one for the closed of mind or prudish of spirit, but for the open and engaged mind, you'll find few movies as haunting and effective as "L.I.E."