Please don't spend money on this.

Fresh and Exciting

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I ordered a very cheap copy of this movie from eBay. The DVD doesn't look very attractive - I had to forgot about the cover and start to watch.Josh (played by my favourite Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is an American teenager growing up in the 90's - he hangs out with friends, has crush on a pretty cop and occasionally succumbs to booze. When he turns 18, his older long-lost brother (Matthew Modine) re- appears. He wants Josh to help him with some business, but it turns out it's a dirty game. The one who lies, who plays the trick, is "The Maker" and gets most of the money.The terribly young Meyers managed his first leading role very well. Only one week had he to learn speak American English and hide his native Irish accent and he obviously succeeded. Modine plays the sneaky older brother trustfully. Resumé? This not much known 90's American thriller IS worth watching. And now come on, it's time for The Maker to play his final trick...

Tim Hunter made one of my favorite films: River's Edge, so I was eager to see anything else of his. He didn't let me down. The Maker is not as grab-you-by-the throat as River's Edge, but it shares that film's overall look and feel. The Maker also is set among the same people, more or less. If you didn't catch River's Edge, imagine crime film by Victor Nunez and you'll have the spirit of this one.

There were so many good things here -- interesting characters, good details (like the Minnell's perfect home being right next to an ugly industrial complex), and the potential for a nice dramatic movie about troubled brothers reuniting. The filmmakers had lots of good ideas and no way to weave them together into a coherent movie. Modine was sadly unconvincing as a bad guy, Madsen was an unnecessary scenery-chewing addition, and how Balk's character was written off was a crime. The scenes between Bella and Josh were the best. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was excellent! (He does a good American accent.) He brought a very genuine, believable feel to the character Josh. It's a shame the movie let him down by becoming increasingly implausible, and finally just a low-budget action climax cliche. Good cast & good ideas make this worth seeing.

One of the best movies I've ever stumbled across. A great character-driven low-budget film. Definitely worth checking out for yourself.