User Reviews

Vigilante thriller its not, like the synopsis reads and the front of the video case might suggest with the imagery… though the scene does occur. "Boardwalk" is a well-intended (despite the racial flare and direct moralizing) and at times moving feature thanks hugely by the exceptional performances of seasoned actors Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon. The two were simply charming whenever together. Watching the once happy elderly couple, now battling family issues/ health problems (which is the main drama driving the story where there are numerously scattered human interest subplots), but also the changing neighbourhood of Coney Island as young jive talking hoons run wild (which populates mainly the beginning and ending but still feels secondary) is engagingly passionate in its ups and downs. The heartache only grows, where it comes away with a swelteringly damaging climax and the closing shot is particularly haunting in its forced predicament. The suspense is only minor, but it's always compelling. The evocative script is thoughtfully laid out in its exploration of the effects / shake down these central characters find themselves in, as they're stripped to the bone and demoralized, living in a community filled with fear, but still they won't back down and succumb to the turmoil (be it the gangs or their dwindling business). Its love, survival and violence rolled into one. Amongst the sombre air, is still quite a sunny vibe of hope led by the acting. In support roles are agreeable turns by Janet Leigh, Joe Silver, Eddie Barth, Merwin Goldsmith and Kim Delgado. The authentic location work helps cement a realistic edge, while the pacing is rather measured and rather low-scale in its escalating confrontations and violence (which is tamely staged, but gut wrenching since you're thrown right into the acts).

Saw this on cable back in 81. And it was about an old couple who live in a bad neighborhood and are being picked on by a youth gang. It was rated PG, but had some pretty disrupting scenes. The ending was definitely a shock. As far as i know this has never been on video or at least i never seen it anywhere. IF you can find it check it out. Iam sure it looks pretty dated now.. Its a movie that will stick with . I haven't seen it since 1981 and still remember all the stuff that happened in it..Iam sure a lot of the people in it are gone now. It shows how bad neighborhoods in new york were back in the late 70's.. It reminded me of another movie that came out in 80 called defiance

Well paced and well acted story of old couple living in Coney Island in a decaying neighborhood with hoodlums. A portrait of NYC in the 1970s. Also very heavy on Jewish content, this movie would be worth of inclusion in a Jewish film festival. A surprise! Worth a watch, especially if you like the gritty 70s feel.

Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon shine as an elderly, long-married Coney Island couple who live in a neighbourhood that has seen better days. Together they must deal with the changing times - his cafeteria is not doing so well these days, an arrogant gang rules the day on the nearby boardwalk, etc. Their daughter (Janet Leigh) has her own problems dealing with a son (Michael Ayr) whose career as a recording artist is just taking off.

"Boardwalk" is a nice little slice of life / character study / human interest drama that is not always compelling. Some of the supporting characters are just NOT as likeable or as engaging as the couple at the centre of our story, and the film is never very interesting when it doesn't focus on them. Yes, some people could argue that the film gets a little too ugly at the end, but the subplot with the gang had to be resolved *somehow*. Ultimately, this does feel rather manipulative at times; for example, there's a point where director Stephen Verona could just let Gordons' performance carry the scene, but it's accompanied by melodramatic music on the soundtrack.

Strasberg and Gordon are the main reason(s) to watch: their believability as a loving twosome, their banter (they actually peruse a copy of Playboy together in bed), their struggles to deal with developments in their lives. "Boardwalk" does have some poignancy when it illustrates his life as a Jewish immigrant in America. Strasberg is also free from any sort of prejudice, and is taken aback by Leighs' reaction to a black couple who move in next door. There's a solid supporting cast (Joe Silver, Eddie Barth, Merwin Goldsmith, Eli Mintz, Lillian Roth, Kim Delgado as the repulsive main baddy, Linda Manz, Antonia Rey, Sammy Cahn, Altovise Davis, Lloyd Hollar). And that looks like Steve James as one of the moving men late in the picture.

Overall, a respectable if not entirely successful independently made drama, certain to push peoples' buttons frequently (that gang couldn't be more despicable if they tried).

Seven out of 10.

Stephen Verona co-wrote and directed this story about an elderly married couple living in a decaying New York neighborhood near Coney Island who refuse to relocate despite escalating crime and racial tensions. Low-budget film from I.T.C. doesn't have an exploitation gimmick (on the level of, say, "Death Wish") to lean on, therefore it didn't reach many audiences. Both Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon do first-rate work, but the glumness of the concept and Verona's need for his slim plot to come full circle to make a point results in a very depressing experience. Janet Leigh has a smaller role as the couple's daughter, and her eagerness with this dramatic material is heightened by Verona's unsubtle handling (it isn't one of her better performances). The picture stays in the mind through a few pointed scenes and images, but "Boardwalk" is too static to make a greater impact. *1/2 from ****

The first, last, and only time that I ever saw "Boardwalk" was on cable back in 1990 when I was staying in a hotel in Santa Monica, California, looking for a new place to live after I had received my transfer orders from my employer to relocate from New York City to California. I was able to relate to this movie, because I had gone through some of the horrendous experiences during the 4 years I had lived in New York City that the elderly people did in this movie. What was so noteworthy about this film is that it did not sensationalize on urban violence the way that other movies set in the Big Apple had done in recent years. It told the God's honest truth about living in a neighborhood in New York City that once was nice and was now gradually going to Hell in a handbag; as in here is New York, either take it or leave it and leave New York. In watching this movie, I found it admirable that no matter how rough things got, Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon stood up to the local thugs and refused to leave their Brooklyn neighborhood and everything else that they had worked so hard for behind. I also liked seeing Ruth Gordon play a good person for a change after having seen her play a creepy, sinister role in "Rosemary's Baby" back in 1968. I was a naive Southern boy from Virginia when I moved to New York City back in 1986, only 7 years after this movie was released, and I never realized back then how much of a shock I was in for. Therefore, I would recommend anyone who is contemplating moving to New York City and has never lived in a big city before to see this movie. Don't get me wrong. New York City had its rewarding moments for me when I lived there, but I wish I had been a lot more streetwise than I was before I moved there. People who think that New York City is this flashy, exciting place where one finds overnight success and grandeur to the extent that they wish to move there will have a much different outlook on it once they have seen this movie. By no standards was this movie politically incorrect about minorities. In fact, there was even a scene in it in which Lee Strasberg defends an African-American married couple next door against his daughter's racist remarks, because even though this married couple had recently moved from the ghetto into Lee Strasberg's neighborhood, they had already showed themselves to be decent, honest, law-abiding citizens who were willing to play by the rules to better themselves socially and economically. They even go as far as providing first aid to Lee Strasberg after he gets into a violent confrontation with local thugs who are terrorizing the community. This movie is a must-see.

The acting was great, one of the best films I've seen, and a true emotional roller coaster of a ride...a neat little twist at the end. The film can be very shocking in places, but what's so good is that it contains no special effects, just purely great acting and direction.

"Boardwalk" is what I would call a blessed movie. It is blessed with a cast that simply excels. Ruth Gordon and Lee Strasberg as David and Becky Rosen work together like they have been married fifty years, even though it's just in the movie. This is Lee Strasberg's opportunity to make an acting statement and he does so with a huge exclamation point. I also must mention that "Boardwalk" is one of the most effectively edited films I have ever seen. What may seem abrupt to some is in reality moving things along, otherwise you would have a story that might be too long. The Coney Island locations are another plus, remembering in this wonderful film a bygone era. All I can say is see this movie, and don't forget to bring plenty of tissues. - MERK