Hero of the Underworld [Blu-ray]

The dark side of this movie reminds me of "Taxi Driver." The protagonist is not as mentally ill as DeNiro's character, but he is depressed, addicted to crack and barely keeping it together. He channels his grief over his dead girlfriend (or maybe it's a wife) into a rescue mission for a heroin-addicted prostitute, played by Nicole Fox. Tom Malloy effectively portrays a troubled man, but his screenwriting skills aren't up to the challenge he has set up for himself, and the story is handled clumsily. I think he had a case of actor's hubris, thinking that we would be deeply moved by his powerful portrayal of grief. I felt some sympathy for the character, but I never got very emotionally involved. Part of the problem, I think, is that the dead woman is an abstraction. We don't learn enough about her or their relationship to share in his grief.The light side of the movie is a portrait of life as the night manager of a classy New York hotel. Some of the banter and situations are amusing, and the characters are well-played. If the movie weren't so focused on the two main characters' heavy problems, this could have been an entertaining comedy-drama mix along the lines of the stage play "Hot L Baltimore." Plenty of movies successfully mix in comedy with heavy situations, but this script doesn't pull it off, which is why I call it schizophrenic.I think the movie falls apart near the end. The main character's catharsis is forced and not credible, leaving me dissatisfied. Nicole Fox's acting makes for a superb last scene, but it's too short to change my overall negative opinion."Ashley" made me a huge fan of Nicole Fox, and I'm sorry she didn't make it as a major movie star. The only reason I found this movie and watched it was because I wanted to see more of her work. I wish Fox had a more prominent role in this movie. She's central to the story as the addicted prostitute, but she doesn't get much screen time, and the script doesn't giver her much of a chance to shine until that last scene, when she gets one brief shining moment.The title was a poor choice. It suggests an action and/or crime movie, which is completely misleading.

This movie is slow moving. The plot non-existing. The main character a crack head managing a high end hotel. This movie needed a hero to save it.

Amazon description:"Dylan Berrick is the polished and skillful Overnight Manager of the Century Grand, one of the most classy and upscale hotels in the city. After a shocking night, when a woman named Holly is nearly beaten to death in the hotel by her boyfriend Davis, Dylan takes it upon himself to seek out Holly and become her savior, rescuing her from the drug underworld that he himself is familiar with."Holly (Nicole Fox) was beat up, but not "nearly beaten to death." Dylan (Tom Malloy) wants to save Holly from a street life, while he suffers from the same demons. While the Century Grand is a posh hotel, it has elements that are close to the street. Dylan is great at what he does because of his street smarts, but his job suffers when he suffers.The film is a good drama. It is not a vigilante film as the title might suggest. A bit on the slow side, not for everyone. Good performances.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Sex talk.

Great movie, I even call it an art movie, love the pacing, because it gives time to think and breathe. I think it was the best movie I ever watched about addiction, the big problem was shown very quietly and intelligently. Most importantly, the ending was promising. Give lots of credits to the Director and an actor Tom Malloy. The guy who played the supporting role had a great chemistry with the main character as well.

Poor everything ... Acting is terrible. Seems like an ego trip for a guy who writes the movie and stars in it. Terrible story. So full of parts that didn't make any since to the story line.