Chop Shop

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Hijinks at the Iron Triangle for an ambitious but undereducated street youth.

You should see this if only for the scenery -- Shea with only the beginnings of CitiField evident, and the Iron Triangle, soon to join it in the Willets Point graveyard of architecture. Same director made a flick called Man Push Cart, reviewed here too, which was similar in its illustration of a third-world culture right under our noses, but IMO, longer, and considerably more maudlin than Chop Shop, which will depress you only a little.

[Edgy MD]

I missed the hijinx. Choppy is short on dialogue and long on theme.

Hustlin' little Alejandro didn't sleep much did he?

[Willets Point]

There's a lot left unsaid in Chop Shop but I think that makes it more moving. Kid's got the whole world on his shoulders at 12.