Good acting and strong plot.

My Movie Rating: 8 / 10

I do like this movie very much.I especially likes Rory,Trevor and Ryan.

My Movie Rating: 8 / 10

The cast is wonderful. Apart from Stand by Me this movie features the finest cast of young male actors seen for a long time congregated in one movie. Ryan Kelley, Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan - their performances are so genuine and authentic that I had the impression of seeing a documentary rather than a fictional movie. They interact in a natural manner that is stunning in its simplicity and leaves you with the feeling of getting a first-hand insight into the heart and soul of the struggling life of young male adolescents on the brink of adulthood. The language used by the main characters adds to this authenticity and is so clear and unsophisticated as heard on the streets in some suburban neighborhood.

The story is the second major strength of Mean Creek. It features a very simple plot, almost a typical short story as you find it in literary pieces. The story starts abruptly and ends in the same way. The entire plot centers around one incident and its effects on the protagonists - a classic scenario of real life dramas.

The climax is the heart of the movie, its dramatic denouement. A plan to seek retaliation ends in an unimaginable outrage. The way Estes elaborates on the individual characters and their parts in the escalating process is very sophisticated and shows quite plainly how quickly things can turn from good to bad and get out of control. This aspect is very powerful and tremendously authentic, granting the movie enormous dramatic quality. The arising moral struggle that consequently pervades the characters' minds is the central theme of the last third of the movie, focusing on the individual perceptions of good and evil. Carly Schroeder's line "We can never be forgiven", later on reiterated by Rory Culkin, sums up one approach to assessing the ultimate damnability of their collective deed, which leaves all of the characters emotionally and mentally scarred.

The ending is emotionally stirring. When the kids approach the house and stand immovably in front of the porch when George's mom opens the front door is thrashing in its ultimate confession of guilt. Marty's development from emotionally battered by his step dad to thorough despair is smashing and utterly blunt. When he grabs the gun and enters the shop he starts crying. This is when he realizes that he has left behind the last chances of redemption. We do not know what happens to him - he is just a lost soul whose entire existence has perished with the incident at Mean Creek.

My Movie Rating: 9 / 10

The movie was pretty good, but with Rory, Trevor, and RYAN ... it was GREAT!

My Movie Rating: 8 / 10

Excellent ensemble performances with Scott Mechlowicz and Josh Peck as the standouts. The movie itself is particularly good but loses a little steam about two thirds of the way through. Overall a fine debut feature from director Jacob Aaron Estes.

My Movie Rating: 9 / 10