Steel Toes

This is the film version of a play which I saw probably twenty years ago. Both the play and the film starred David Strathairn as a Jewish attorney defending a neo nazi youth who has commited a hideous hate crime.(Strathairn is truly a great American actor as seen here). From the start you see the repulsion the attorney has for his client. He appears to be defending him because everyone deserves the best possible defense. This is apparently not the case. At first he is going through the motions of pleading his client guilty ,which the client does not protest but with extenuating circumstance. The lawyer will not provide this for his client. It is this unraveling of the "why did you commit this crime" which gives way to the real reason he is defending such a repulsive excuse for a human.The drama is intense. The Strathairn character provides us with a very emotional performance . You ask yourself can this jewish attorney whose people historically have been subjected to hate throughout time really relate to his client at any level or will he some how find an answer for himself as to the why of such a deed.A need to understand if there can be a person who actually can justify to himself a reason for such an act even to himself. At the finish of the play the cast and audience had a question and answer period to examine what they thought the true feelings of both the neo nazi and jewish attorney were experiencing. When you watch this film you wish you could have the same experience the play goers were given. We all know there is a right and wrong here. The question is in the examination of each characters motivations and how the get there.

As one who was intimately involved with skinheads in the late 80s and early 90s I can honestly say that this movie embodies the nature of hate crimes in a sincere way. It likewise narrates a believable story of self-forgiveness. Speaking from experience, the protagonist, Michael is about as close to a real skinhead as any movie character, with the exception of the kids in Made in England. Michael's character resonates even more with me because of his distinctly North American slant on the skinhead ethos. This is the story of a young man who felt disenfranchised, powerless, and frustrated. His crime, sad to say, is one that was not so removed from real events. To all but the most stupid and pathological personalities, it is generally self-evident, that hate groups are a self-defeating and self-destructive path.Though the film does not dig into the life issues that draw kids into this kind of lifestyle, it does create a multi-dimensional character. The lawyer, Danny, is not a super-savior, rather he is doing his job with a subtext of ulterior motives. The price that Danny pays for his dedication to his profession, is the result, not of societal backlash for a Jew defending a neo-Nazi, but rather the type of price professionals pay when they loose sight of their own humanity.This film's powerful examination of anger and violence and forgiveness, not exploitative of broader societal fears. I think that in today's strange and vitriolic political environment, that it has particular meaning, if for no other reason that to remind us that fear and hatred have dire consequences for both the hated and the hater.

Not family friendly due to violence and language.An interesting movie, though not original or with a fresh message or even a fresh approach to an older message. It was very PC and pretty preachy: hate and intolerance are harmful to individuals and to societies; we all agree on that.I found the story to have what I consider serious flaws. A public defender does not spend that much time with a client, especially one who ‘in a perfect world would eradicate you’, as the skinhead client announces. Second, skinheads are something of a clan. They showed up for a preliminary hearing then left their fellow to his fate. That’s probably not very likely. In fact, they might even have had their own attorney. And what was up with the wife leaving? The only leadup to that was her disapproving look at the dinner table. It added nothing to the story, not even generating more sympathy for the attorney. Also, just as a note, a leaving spouse does not wait for the other spouse to get home before leaving. I’m pretty sure I’m right about that one.On the positive side, I found the acting compelling on the parts of both leads. Kudos to them.

Steel Toes is one of those movies that is so eloquent that I felt much of my own anger at the world challenged to be examined. For whatever reasons that caused his anger, the protagonist is triggered into beating a man to death, who he, apparently sincerely, claims he never intended to kill. I am an angry conservative white male, years beyond retirement, who will never become a knee jerk liberal (again) but many of these issues (to a different degree) the prisoner is forced to confront have been important to me for years. Where do you draw the line that indicates the boundaries between evil and reasonable behavior? If you find it, can you recognize and accept the limits when/if it becomes necessary. This is not just me! This is not just white males. This is not just conservatives. THIS FAILURE TO BE RATIONAL ABOUT ANGRY REACTIONS HAS BECOME, IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, A WORLD PROBLEM AMONG ALL GROUPS.. Just a few weeks ago, we saw groups of the sweetheart "grandchildren" of everyone's benign "Commie Grandpa" rove in feral groups through a Trump rally, attack the Trumpsters and then go on TV sternly lecturing us all about how necessary and moral their vile behavior had been because Trump supporters would soon be doing exactly the same thing and needed to be stopped with a pre-emptive strike. BTW-- NAZI is an acronym for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, which was the German name for The National Socialist German Workers' Party. But, but, but ... socialists ALWAYS occupy the moral high ground. This movie might make you take another long introspective look at where you fit in the threats to the world and what your pet dialog really means when used as a mantra of indoctrination.

Load of rubbish

Awesome and riveting acting, deep meaty story, watched it twice with my vcr recording, and knew I had to have it.Checked out the dvd integrity (shipping and all that and buying used) and watched the movie again. I am also not keeping it to myself, others are in line to watch it.

Sharp written script!

Excellent performances in an original and important work;Andrew Walker, David Strathairn and Ivan Smith are outstanding!