The Children of Times Square

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Children of Times Square
GenreCrime
Drama
Written byCurtis Hanson
Directed byCurtis Hanson
StarringHoward E. Rollins Jr.
Joanna Cassidy
David Ackroyd
Larry B. Scott
Danny Nucci
Brandon Douglas
Music byMichael Shrieve
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerCharles W. Fries
ProducersMarcy Gross
Ann Weston
Production locationsNew York City; Los Angeles
CinematographyRobert Elswit
EditorRay Daniels
Running time94 minutes
Production companyFries Entertainment
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 3, 1986 (1986-03-03)

The Children of Times Square is a 1986 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Curtis Hanson.[1] The film is about an alienated teenager who runs away from home and travels to New York City where he falls in with a cocaine dealer using street children as drug dealers. It aired on ABC on March 3, 1986.[2]

Plot

[edit | edit source]

14-year-old Eric lives with his divorced mother Sue in Pennsylvania. Feeling unwanted by his stepfather Peter, Eric runs away to New York City. He ends up in Times Square where he meets up with Luis, a Hispanic youth looking to help his mother and kid sisters make ends meet after losing their apartment to a fire. Luis introduces Eric to Skater, who brings him into a gang of street kids who work as drug runners for a cocaine dealer named Otis. Drawn to the allure of what looks like easy money, Eric and Luis go to work for Otis, but find themselves sinking deeper into a world of gang violence and crime. Meanwhile, Sue drives to Manhattan in search of her son, frantically ignoring police advice to search around Times Square.

Cast

[edit | edit source]

Critical reception

[edit | edit source]

John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote "As The Children of Times Square skips from scene to scene, it becomes increasingly clear that the film is more interested in a bit of sensationalism here, a dab of standard violence there."[3] He said the film comes close to being pure exploitation, adding, "For some impressionable youths, it might even serve as an advertisement for alternative styles of life."[3]

Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman said, "Rollins is terrific as the slimy Otis, and Cassidy is heartbreaking as the distraught but determined mother. In fact, there is little fault to be found with anyone in the cast", but said the film doesn't rise above standard after school special material and has an implausible ending.[4]

Home media

[edit | edit source]

The film was released on DVD in Region 1 NTSC Format on June 25, 2012 via MGM's Limited Edition Collection.[5]

It has also been made available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video.[6]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]
Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=The_Children_of_Times_Square&oldid=22908881"