MovieChat Forums > Little Fugitive (2006) Discussion > I'm Saddened By The Low Ratings Here

I'm Saddened By The Low Ratings Here

posted 14 years ago by Starduster
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I bought a DVD copy of this movie at a Hollywood Video Going out of Business sale. It was a case of good price and judging a DVD by the cover. There is NO WAY I could have been happier with my choice, I would have gladly paid 10 times the price that it cost me.
I am often an outspoken critic of "remade" movies. Frankly I didnt know this was a remake until I came here and saw the negative comments on THIS movie VS the "original".
Sometimes a remake can serve a more noble purpose; like it did in this case. I have purchased the original movie on Amazon, based on peoples positive remarks about it. If I never would have seen THIS version, I would probably never have know of the existance of the original one.
As far as THIS version is concerned, I rate it VERY highly. It is a VERY emotion provoking piece of work. The 2 lead boys, Nicolas Marti Salgado and David Castro were simply amazing; especially David Castro who is the younger of the 2. I loved the narrration of in the retelling of the "old" Coney Island stories. It sounded like Nicholas Salgato doing the narration. Whichever one it was, he was amazing. Frankly it is inspiring just hearing him talk about it. These boys could easily be brothers even though they are not related. They work very well together. Their acting is sincere and convincing, not overdone and not underdone. These performances alone should speak well for the movie.
The idea of never really being able to recapture the "magic" of Coney Island is very true. It is over 50 years later as i am writing this. The world has changed a LOT. So has New York and Coney Island. The condition of the American family is in trouble with "broken" homes and absentee parents. GOOD KIDS SUFFER because of this. Good kids may end up as bad kids....... little fugitives...... simply because there is no real parental involvement in their lives.
I cried for these boys and hundreds of others that are like them. They are basically good kids in bad situations. In the case here, their greatest fear was being separated from each other. If you have seen the movie, you know how their fears are addressed.
This doest say a lot for the "system" and for families and our way of life. This may be fictional but far worse situations go on EVERY DAY, somewhere in our country. I hate seeing kids suffer because of this. Maybe we should look at what this movie is REALLY telling us. Its not "pretty" but its REAL.

[–] Starduster 14 years ago

I am adding an update to this post.
I ordered the original version and have watched it. Honestly i like this newer version better; with no disrespect the original work.
The original was indeed a reflection of its time. A simpler more care free time when things were a lot more hopeful and optomistic. It presents us with a great story line and a satisfying ending. With the release of the newer version, it is great to show the contrast of the 50's VS 2008 and how things have changed in the last 50 years.
I liked the updated version because it is more of a drama and a reflection of how things are today. It is edgy and far more unsettling. It has an unsettling ending to a story that shows the decline of the American family and a decline in the system that deals with kids in crisis. This decline is reflected in the decline in an iconic amusement park that had brought happiness to so many people in the past, but is new struggling for survival. We see kids in an inner city neighborhood and the struggles they face in growing up in this environment. For the most part, we see a slice of truth in a fictional storyline.
I really LIKED the kids in this version and they acted believably and genuinely. I could FEEL for their situation. THIS, to me, is the mark of a good movie and good acting. Im sorry taht others didnt see it as I did.
To me this in no way diminishes the original piece of work. It expands the storyline to include TODAYS generation and Coney Island today. (a happier note here is that Coney Island is undergoing a new revitalization in the last few years and hopefully it will continue to prosper). I only wish that kids today could enjoy more stable family lives and a systen that could properly intervene when there are problems. They deserve so much more than what we see in the movie.