Nowadays you'll find 12-year-old gangstas on every street corner. But back in 1976, Alan Parker's bizarre tale of pre-pubescent goodfellas had every right to tag itself: "The most unique motion picture in years".
Casting inexperienced FLKs (Funny Looking Kids) instead of the usual showbiz brats (ginger squealer Bonnie Langford excepted), Parker came up with an engagingly innocent oddity. Unfortunately the story itself - `20s crime kingpin Bugsy wins gang war with the help of over 1,000 cream pies - is 100 percent rehashed corn, with only Jodie Foster's mini-moll rising above the awkward dialogue. A reasonably enjoyable cinematic curio.
DVD Extras:
With only Jodie Foster and Dexter Fletcher still registering on the box-office radar (okay, make that only Foster), surely other cast members could have been coaxed from their Burger King shifts for a nostalgic reunion? Yet apart from Parker's illuminating commentary, we're left with just the usual teasers, trailers, photo galleries, trivia notes and a dry Sketch To Screen pre-production insight. Disappointing for a film celebrating childhood.
