Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, Giuseppe, Nerf and Mike.
Acting
Young cast outshines RDJ—Tatum's volcanic rage, LaBeouf's wounded eyes.
Direction
Montiel's debut bleeds autobiography; every frame feels confessional.
Editing
Jagged past/present cuts mirror a mind avoiding its own damage.
Director
Dito Montiel
Shia LaBeouf
Young Dito
Channing Tatum
Young Antonio
Robert Downey Jr.
Dito
Rosario Dawson
Laurie
Melonie Díaz
Young Laurie
Chazz Palminteri
Monty
Dianne Wiest
Dito's Mother
Martin Compston
Mike O'Shea
Olga Merediz
Aunt Mary
Laila Liliana Garro
Diane
Eléonore Hendricks
Jenny
Adam Scarimbolo
Guiseppe
Federico Castelluccio
Antonio's Father
Chance Kelly
Prison Guard
Gilbert Cruz
Queensbridge Bodega Man
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dito Montiel cast actual friends from his Astoria crew; some characters share real names.
The film's jumbled timeline wasn't stylization—it mirrors how trauma scrambles chronology, making healing nonlinear.
US
