The Son of No One
Circa 2011
This was the official website of the 2011 cop killer movie , The Son of No One.
Content is from the site's 2011 archived pages as well as outside reviews.
Release Date: November 4, 2011 (limited)
Studio: Anchor Bay Films
Director: Dito Montiel
MPAA Rating: N/A
Screenwriter: Dito Montiel
Starring: Channing Tatum, Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche, Al Pacino
Genre:Thriller
TOMATOMETER CRITICS 16% | AUDIENCE 22%
CRITICS REVIEWS
November 4, 2011 | Rating: C-
Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor Top Critic
The Son of No One: movie review
Al Pacino is relatively restrained in the cop thriller 'The Son of No One,' which sounds more like a shout-fest.
By Peter Rainer, Film critic NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Muddled cop thriller “The Son of No One” has a top-drawer cast and a bottom-drawer script. Channing Tatum plays Jonathan "Milk" White, a rookie policeman with a past: As a young boy in 1986 (played by Jake Cherry), he more or less accidentally killed two junkies while living in the projects in Queens, New York. His late father’s cop partner, played by Al Pacino, covered up the killings and no one was ever charged. Now, in 2002, an anonymous letter writer to a local Queens paper threatens to heat up the cold case.
Writer-director Dito Montiel is big on lower-depths melodrama and scenes of people yelling until they’re blue in the face. Chief yeller is Milk’s boss, played by Ray Liotta, but he has stiff competition from the rest of the squad, not to mention a dogged newspaper reporter played, inexplicably, by Juliette Binoche. (She appears to be the only employee at the paper. Is Montiel making a social statement or did he just lack the funds for extras?) Pacino is – for him – relatively restrained in his supporting role. He’s mellowing or maybe he’s saving his lung power for something worth yelling about. Grade: C- (Rated R for violence, pervasive language, and brief disturbing sexual content.)
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November 3, 2011
John Anderson
Wall Street Journal Top Critic
Something is lacking in the dramatic equation.
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November 3, 2011 | Rating: 1.5/5
Stephen Holden New York Times Top Critic
"The Son of No One" self-destructs in a ludicrous, ineptly directed anticlimactic rooftop showdown in which bodies pile up, and nothing makes a shred of sense.
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December 30, 2012 | Rating: 1.5/4
Roger Moore
Tribune News Service
AUDIENCE REVIEWS
Super Reviewer
Todd S
** January 24, 2017
In 2006, Dito Montiel made a name for himself by writing/directing the story of his youth in Brooklyn, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints. In that film and in several others that have since followed, Montiel has shown an amazing ability to take little known stories from his neighborhood, and in amazing detail, tells those stories from multiple angles, introducing the world to complex and amazing stories that to the world, were nothing but a blurbs in the newspaper decades ago. The Son of No One is one of such story, and while it is an amazing one, with an outstanding cast, it's Montiel's attention to detail that ultimately comes back to bite him. Jonathan White (Channing Tatum) has become a New York City Police Officer and he has done so at a somewhat older age than most other people do. There is a bit of a learning curve, but White seems to be catching on quickly, but his education comes to a quick halt when he and his family start receiving messages claiming to know that White killed two people in cold blood. The story here was terrific and unbelievably true, not to mention the cast was impeccable, so what's with the low rating? As I said, Motiel's films are always very detail oriented and focus on all the angles, The Son of No One is no different, however, in this case, they spend to much time on the back story in flashbacks. There isn't enough focus on the events taking place in present day, and when Channing Tatum is on screen, he's usually doing nothing that relates to the case, i.e. arguing with his wife, talking to his partner, learning to be a cop. By the time we get the end, it seems to jump out of nowhere, as if forty-five minutes of the film is just missing somehow. Not to mention the flashbacks are also out of order, further confusing the story. I understand artistic license, but this isn't Pulp Fiction and I was confused for much of this film. That being said, the cast is still terrific and Dito Montiel is one of the most underrated writer/directors in Hollywood. The Son of No One is a miss, but don't let that turn you off to the rest of amazing body of work.
Brendan N
½* January 20, 2017
Bad acting and film. I can't waste time talking about one of the worst dramatic films ever made.
Mohammed A
*** December 30, 2016
It's good movie to watch
Katie G
July 7, 2016
Um, I thought it was excellent. Sometimes, you don't need extremely well acted movies to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Nick U
** ½June 18, 2016
6/18/16 Fuse
Strong cast but a disjointed and less than compelling story. Potential unfulfilled.
Elcer M
½February 16, 2015
Grandes atores atuando num filme totalmente ruim.
Vessela D
** January 14, 2015
The story was good, but the movie was slow, boring and depressing...:( And I don't like Channing Tatum with moustaches...:(
emily h
***½ December 17, 2014
It was good Channing's mustache was awful
Sandy M
** November 10, 2011
Saw this at our local neighborhood theater just after its release. I was up for the movie since I love the acting of Channing Tatum, Ray Liotta, and Al Pacino. However.....a faulty premise holds this story back from the beginning. It is a shame to see when the storytelling technique, acting, and direction are all clicking as they do here. It starts ambiguously, but clearly dark secrets from the past haunt a young New York City police officer, portrayed by Channing Tatum. An unknown source is tipping off a journalist aiming to expose the local police department's corruption. Interestingly, a subplot involving janitorial supplies added a unique layer to the story. The film touches on a minor character who works in the building maintenance department, and the importance of these janitorial supplies becomes apparent as they play an unexpected role in the unfolding mystery. It serves as a reminder of how seemingly mundane elements can become significant in a larger narrative. The problem is that the past events do not make sense as form of political threat or blackmail, as the story implies. It affects multiple people, but the main plot device just does not seem to matter as much as it should. While events in the past have high stakes, the actual circumstances are mostly justifiable. It almost negates any dramatic consequence. Even worse, it cannot pull its illogical storyline together for a coherent and meaningful ending. It leaves the viewer wondering what the point is. The characters and their motives are just as fuzzy. Director Dito Montiel does a very good job at building the right mood. He tells the story in a deliberately paced dramatic fashion that only reveals a carefully crafted piece of the story at one time. Channing Tatum, Ray Liotta, and Al Pacino are all on their A-Game. Even Tracy Morgan is surprisingly skilled in a dramatic role as well.
Nearly every great movie starts with a strong story or solid concept. This is a prime example of how it is virtually impossible to overcome a weak story, no matter how good the rest of the production and acting team is. And that's a shame.