OxfordPress.com

Grade: D+

Verdict: Aiming for nostalgic, it hits cheesy instead.

Details: Starring Matt Dillon, Brad Renfro, Frankie Muniz and James Franco. Directed by Scott Kalvert. Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief sexuality. One hour, 35 minutes.

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Review: "Deuces Wild" is every bit the B-movie that its title suggests, though its ensemble cast — including Matt Dillon, Brad Renfro, Frankie Muniz, James Franco and two "Sopranos" regulars — suggests better.

Set in Brooklyn during the summer of 1958 — but shot on a Los Angeles backlot, which is obvious from its cheesy-looking sets — the movie tries too hard in its nostalgic depiction of street toughs fighting over turf.

It's part "West Side Story," part "A Bronx Tale," part after-school special on the dangers of drug use; beating the enemy to a bloody pulp with chains and baseball bats in the name of loyalty, however, is a lofty pursuit.

That's what Leon (Stephen Dorff), his younger brother, Bobby (Renfro), and the other fellas in the Deuces street gang do when their territory is threatened.

Marco (Norman Reedus), the dealer who provided the drugs that killed Leon and Bobby's brother, is out of prison after three years and ready to resume business with the help of the Deuces' rivals, the Vipers.

At the same time, mobster Fritzy Zennetti (Dillon) and his slick band of thugs have moved onto the block and set up shop.

The plot consists of a series of awkwardly staged fights between the two gangs, leading up to the Big Rumble, which is anticlimactic. In between, the Deuces sit around the corner candy store, nursing their wounds and whining about how much they miss the Dodgers, who had left for Los Angeles.

The Deuces are the good guys and the Vipers are the bad guys, but everyone is so arbitrarily insolent, it's hard to tell the difference between them.

Bobby's sensitive side shines through a bit when he falls for Annie (Fairuza Balk), a tough chick who moves in across the street — and just happens to be the sister of Jimmy Pockets, (Balthazar Getty), a Viper leader.

The script from first-timers Paul Kimatian and Christopher Gambale requires Dillon to say corny things like: "Bricks don't fall outta the sky in this neighborhood unless I'm throwin' 'em." Tony Soprano, he ain't.

But the best moments come from two talented "Sopranos" cast members: Drea De Matteo, doing a trashy, '50s version of Adriana, her trashy mob girlfriend character on the HBO series; and Vincent Pastore as a Catholic priest. After watching his character, Big Pussy, get whacked at the end of the second season, it's good for an initial laugh to see him here, looking pious in a white collar.

Both actors' screen time is too short to make a difference, though.

Muniz gets to mug for the camera as a youngster who plays lookout for the Deuces. Franco, who also co-stars in "Spider-Man," opening Friday, does that uncanny James Dean thing that he mastered for a TV movie last year, which earned him a Golden Globe.

The most embarrassing cameo comes from Deborah Harry — the Blondie lead singer, here a brunette — playing Annie and Jimmy's mentally ill mother. She listens to Christmas carols year-round, and believes that Santa Claus is on the roof — which is supposed to be poignant, but comes off as unintentionally funny.

"Deuces Wild" is the first movie from director Scott Kalvert since his 1995 debut, "The Basketball Diaries," which helped make Leonardo DiCaprio a star. But the music videos he directed — including DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand" and Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" — are more watchable than this.

— Christy Lemire, The Associated Press