A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Dito Montiel

Writers:

Dito Montiel (book)
Dito Montiel (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Queens, New York, 1986. Sometimes the only way forward, is back.

Plot:

The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, N.Y., during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs or in prison, he comes to believe he has been saved from their fate by various so-called saints.

Plot Keywords:

Coming Of Age | Writer | Violence | Prison | Flashback

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Dianne Wiest	...	Flori
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Dito
Shia LaBeouf	...	Young Dito
Melonie Diaz	...	Young Laurie
Julia Garro	...	Diane
Eleonore Hendricks	...	Jenny
Adam Scarimbolo	...	Guiseppe
Peter Anthony Tambakis	...	Young Nerf (as Peter Tambakis)
Channing Tatum	...	Young Antonio
Anthony Tirado	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (credit only)
Erick Rosado	...	Puerto Rican Van Driver
Steve Payne	...	Beach Chair Guy (as Steven Payne)
Chazz Palminteri	...	Monty
Tibor Feldman	...	Teacher
Martin Compston	...	Mike O'Shea
Marc Castle	...	Drunken Man in Subway
Steven Randazzo	...	Token Clerk (as Stephen Randazzo)
George DiCenzo	...	Uncle George (as George Di Cenzo)
Olga Merediz	...	Aunt Mary
Teresa Kelsey	...	Newscaster (as Teresa Anne Kelsey)
Sammy Rhee	...	Korean Shop Owner
Jermel Wilson	...	Yup Yup
Michael Rivera	...	Reaper
David Castro	...	Reaper's Little Brother
Federico Castelluccio	...	Antonio's Father
Anthony DeSando	...	Frank the Dog Walker (as Anthony de Sando)
Scott Michael Campbell	...	Nerf (as Scott Campbell)
Rosario Dawson	...	Laurie
Kyle Benitez	...	Laurie's Son
Iraida Polanco	...	Old Woman
Gilbert Cruz	...	Queensbridge Bodega Man
Eric Roberts	...	Antonio
Chance Kelly	...	Prison Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Angela Frye	...	Woman in Subway Station (uncredited)
Yetta Gottesman	...	Prison Visitor (uncredited)
Al Marz	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (uncredited)
Chris Nuñez	...	Gang Member (uncredited)
Jeff Skowron	...	Bookstore Clerk (uncredited)
E. Austin Valentine	...	Very young Dito (uncredited)

Directed by
Dito Montiel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dito Montiel		book
Dito Montiel		written by

Produced by
Rene Bastian	....	co-producer
Lucy Cooper	....	line producer
Charlie Corwin	....	producer
Robert Downey Jr.	....	co-producer
Jonathan Elias	....	co-producer
Alex Francis	....	associate producer
Amanda Mackey Johnson	....	executive producer (as Amanda Mackey)
Clara Markowicz	....	producer
Linda Moran	....	co-producer
Bobby Sager	....	executive producer
Peter Sahagen	....	executive producer
Sting	....	executive producer
Trudie Styler	....	producer
Travis Swords	....	producer

Original Music by
Jonathan Elias		(original music by)

Cinematography by
Eric Gautier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jake Pushinsky
Christopher Tellefsen

Casting by
Melissa Chusid
Amanda Mackey Johnson		(as Amanda Mackey)
Cathy Sandrich		(as Cathy Sandrich Gelford)

Production Design by
Jody Asnes

Set Decoration by
Cherish Magennis		(as Cherish Magennis Hale)

Costume Design by
Sandra Hernandez

Makeup Department
Mary Cooke	....	key hair stylist (as Mary Cook)
Suzanne DeSimone	....	additional makeup artist (as Suzanne D. De Simone)
Joseph Farulla	....	additional makeup artist (as Joe Farulla)
Linda Grimes	....	key makeup artist
Michael Laudati	....	additional makeup artist
Dionne Pitsikoulis	....	additional makeup artist
Eileen Tersago	....	additional hair stylist

Production Management
Nicola Westermann	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jason Graham	....	second assistant director
Urs Hirschbiegel	....	first assistant director
Anthony Ripoli	....	second unit director
Justin Ritson	....	second second assistant director
Nan Sandle	....	second second assistant director (as Nan Marie Sandle)

Art Department
Sarah Berney	....	scenic artist (as Sarah L. Berney)
Benji Cox	....	art department assistant (as Benjamin K. Cox)
Benjamin Craig	....	scenic artist
Colin Eletto	....	art department assistant
Shannon Finnerty	....	assistant property master
Jessioca Gonzalez	....	art department intern
Nora Killoran	....	additional set dresser
Christina Madry	....	art intern
David Moriarty	....	scenic artist
Hannah Newman	....	construction assistant
Andy Pan	....	lead man
Mike Romano	....	set carpenter
Jeremy Rosenstein	....	art department assistant
Kyle Salvatore	....	on-set dresser
Nicole M. Solis	....	scenic artist (as Nicole Solis)
Joshua Visser	....	construction coordinator (as Joshua M. Visser)
Bentley Wood	....	property master
Derek J.W. Wybourn	....	assistant property master
Marian Ziola-Stoeffelmeier	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist
Pam DeMetruis-Thomas	....	adr editor (as Pam De Metruis-Thomas)
Eugene Gearty	....	sound editor
John Gutierrez	....	boom operator
Paul Hsu	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Hsu	....	supervising sound editor
Charles R. Hunt	....	sound mixer (as Charles Hunt)
Branka Mrkic	....	dialogue editor (as Branka Mrkic-Tana)
Beauxregard Neylen	....	assistant adr engineer
Beauxregard Neylen	....	assistant foley engineer
Alex Raspa	....	adr engineer
Alex Raspa	....	foley engineer
Chris Rich	....	sound facility supervisor
Lila Yomtoob	....	assistant sound editor

Visual Effects by
Keith Yurevitz	....	visual effects

Stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Aida Artieda	....	additional electrician
Hugo Bonilla	....	generator operator
Ethan Borsuk	....	second assistant camera
Luis Colon	....	grip
Katie Dainson	....	additional second assistant camera
Christopher DelSordo	....	additional second assistant camera (as Chris Del Sordo)
Billy Dickson	....	additional photographer
Pedro Diez	....	additional grip
Nicole Emmons	....	additional electrician
Jack Foster	....	best boy grip
Avra Fox-Lerner	....	additional grip
John Frisbie	....	third electrician
Andrew Greve	....	additional electrician
Melissa Guimaraes	....	key grip
Nick Haines-Stiles	....	additional grip
David Harges	....	gaffer (as David Lee Harges)
Steve Huber	....	additional photographer
Gregory Hurcomb	....	additional electrician
Daniel Kubick	....	additional electrician (as Daniel Kubicek)
Nina Kuhn	....	additional electrician
Marcus Lehmann	....	grip
Parris Mayhew	....	camera operator
Smokey Nelson	....	gaffer: additional photography
Lisa Origlieri	....	camera loader
Joseph Paolini	....	third grip
Andrij Parekh	....	additional photographer
Chris Reynolds	....	first assistant camera
Francis Spieldenner	....	additional first assistant camera
Jake Sumner	....	camera intern
Walter Thomson	....	still photographer
Fernando Vallejo	....	camera intern

Casting Department
Lori Eastside	....	extras casting
Avy Kaufman	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ngina Bowen	....	wardrobe supervisor
Leslie Fry	....	wardrobe intern
Whitney Kyles	....	assistant costume designer
Christina Madry	....	wardrobe intern
Evelyn Mejia	....	wardrobe intern
Yvette Stapleton	....	key costumer (as Yvette E. Stapleton)
David F. Zambrana	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Adam Folk	....	post-production coordinator
Vaughan Killin	....	color timer
William Lehman	....	assistant editor
Anthony Ripoli	....	assistant editor
Larry Schmitt	....	on-line editor

Music Department
Jim Black	....	music clearances: Clearsongs Inc.
Jimmy Haun	....	additional scoring
Vincenzo LoRusso	....	lead music mixer
Vincenzo LoRusso	....	music recording engineer
Nathaniel Morgan	....	music recording engineer
David Wittman	....	additional scoring

Transportation Department
John McMorrow	....	driver
Timothy Paustian	....	transportation captain (as Timothy J. Paustian)

Other crew
Matthew Amenta	....	set production assistant (as Matthew C. Amenta)
Victoria Asher	....	set intern
Luches Banks	....	set production assistant
Eli Barach	....	office intern
Anna Bosco	....	accountant: JFA Inc.
Steve Boyle	....	accountant: JFA Inc.
Alayne Brady	....	office intern
Inna Braude	....	assistant: Kingu Films
Emerson E. Bruns	....	production legal counsel
Linda Carbone	....	production executive: Kingu Films, New York
Jeff Caron	....	location manager
Amyjoy Clark	....	additional production assistant: first team
Daniel Coss	....	location manager: New York
Alison Davis	....	production secretary (as Alison M. Davis)
Patricia de Paula	....	production coordinator
Payton Dunham	....	assistant location manager: preparation
Bailey Ertel	....	set production assistant
Jason Fesel	....	set production assistant (as Jason Fredrick Fesel)
John B. Finn	....	accountant: JPA Inc. (as John Finn)
Jessica Flores	....	office intern (as Jessica J. Flores)
Stacy Frankel	....	assistant: Original Media
Cliff Fuller	....	production office coordinator
Rebecca Fulton	....	script supervisor
Ish Goldstein	....	set production assistant
Wilson Green	....	set production assistant
Sebastian Iervolino	....	set intern
Sondra James	....	loop group coordinator
Markus Janner	....	titles & opticals: Duart Digital
Theis Jessen	....	office production assistant
Margaret Koschik	....	location assistant (as Meg Koschik)
Theresa Lowrey	....	assistant: Trudie Styler
Christine McAndrews	....	production executive: Kingu Films, New York
Watari Nishida	....	set production assistant
Shane O'Dell	....	office manager: Belladonna
Ray Parada	....	additional footage
Alyson Perlongo	....	assistant: Original Media
Melissa Pfluger	....	craft service: Kitchen 306 Inc.
Christina Prudenti	....	craft service: Kitchen 306 Inc.
Jimmy Rich	....	assistant: Robert Downey Jr.
Neil Ruddy	....	weapons specialist
Nan Sandle	....	production assistant: first team (as Nan Marie Sandle)
Clarence Sharpe	....	key production assistant
Joleen Small	....	office intern
Jesse Spellman	....	set production assistant (as Jesse Spellman III)
Greg Staley	....	additional set production assistant
Cordelia Stephens	....	clearances and product placement
James P. Stephens	....	assistant to director
Anita Sumner	....	senior production executive: Kingu Films, London
Olivia Vesey	....	set intern
T.G. Wilkinson	....	set intern (as Tom Wilkinson)
Keith Yurevitz	....	titles & opticals: Duart Digital
Alexander Zweig	....	assistant location manager (as Alex Zweig)

Thanks
Ed Harris	....	special thanks
Anne Hubbell	....	thanks
Kenneth Shiffrin	....	special thanks (as Kenneth Schiffrin)

Production Companies

• Belladonna Productions
• Original Media
• Xingu Films

Distributors

• First Look International (2006) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Alta Films (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• CDI Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• First Look International (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Jump Street Films (2006) (Australia) (all media)
• Maple Pictures (2006) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2006) (Romania) (all media)
• Revolver Entertainment (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2007) (Norway) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Du Art Digital (opticals) (as Duart Digital)

Other Companies

• Mackey/Sandrich Casting  casting
• Abel Cine Tech  camera equipment (as Abel Cinetech)
• Axium International  payroll accountant
• C5  post-production sound services
• Cars of Yesterday  picture cars
• Clearsongs  music clearances
• D.R. Reiff & Associates  insurance
• DeLuxe Laboratories  post-production film lab
• Donna Daniels Public Relations  publicity
• Du Art Film and Video  dailies (as Duart Film & Video)
• Eastman Kodak  film stock
• Elias Arts  additional adr facility
• Elias Arts  music recorded and mixed at
• Film Finance  completion bond (as Film Finances Inc.)
• Gourmet To U  catering
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• JPA  production and post accounting
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity (as Jeremy Walker & Associates)
• Kitchen 306  craft service: New York
• N.Y.C. Casting  extras casting (as NYC Casting)
• Panavision  camera equipment
• Paramount Pictures Production Services  grip and electric equipment (as Paramount Production Services)
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Pivotal Post  editing facility
• Soundtrack F/T  post sound facilities
• Warrenwood Sound Studios  additional adr facility (as Warrenwood Studios)

Also Known As:

Egheiridio anagnorisis agion (Greece) [el]
Guida per riconoscere i tuoi santi (Italy) [it]
Hayatindaki azizleri kesfetmi kilavuzu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Kids - In den Straßen New Yorks (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Memorias de Queens (Spain) [es]
Queens - kovat korttelit (Finland) [fi]
Tus Santos y Tus Demonios (Mexico) (wide-release title) [es]
Tus santos y tus demonios (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality, and drug use.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-13 | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:11 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Belladonna Productions

Trivia:

Dito Montiel was reluctant to cast Shia LaBeouf in the role of young Dito because Montiel was intent on casting an unknown. After the first rejection, however, LaBeouf pushed for one more audition. He came into the casting office, punched a hole in the wall, and convinced Montiel that he could bring a requisite amount of anger to the role.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the Alley scene where Mike gets shot, a cameraman’s shadow is briefly visible on the guy with a white shirt on.

Quotes:

Young Dito: What if I did go? What if I went to Manhattan, or I went somewhere else, like... I don't know.
Monty: Come on Dito, you're not going anywhere, come on.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2006-10-21)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Trouble

One of the True Sleepers of the Year

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS may not be on everyone's list of great films of 2006 but it most assuredly should be. In a time when the bulk of films that come across the marquis are empty headed fluff (with of course notable exceptions), little films like this autobiographical coming of age story in Queens in the 1980s by the accomplished yet very humble Dito Montiel make an initial impact on the viewer, then hang around the psyche with memories of cinematic moments as well as fresh looks at our own lives like few other films can achieve.

Dito Montiel wrote his memoir, adapted it for the screen and directed it, each step being a first one for this very talented young man. His story on the surface is simple: a childhood and coming of age of Dito and his friends as they face the crime and drugs and love affairs and deaths of living in the line of poverty. Dito (an astonishingly fine Shia LaBeouf) has a cadre of friends that include Scottish Mike (Martin Compston), crazy Nerf (Peter Anthony Tambakis), firebrand Antonio (Channing Tatum in yet another fiery and sensitive performance), Antonio's unfortunate brother Giuseppe (Adam Scarimbolo), and girls Laurie (Melonie Diaz) and Diane (Julia Garro). The boys face gang trouble with the Puerto Rican gang Reapers, parental abuse as in Antonio's father (Federico Castelluccio), parental love as with Dito's parents Monty (Chazz Palminteri) and Flori (Dianne Wiest).

As their world in Queens comes tumbling down with tragic consequences Dito decides to leave for California. And leave he does, not returning for twenty years to the place where he successfully survived a childhood due to the 'saints' he didn't recognize until the father with whom he has not communicated in the interim has reached his end. The past and the present are woven together throughout the film with the flash forward, flash back sequences: the older successful writer Dito is played by Robert Downey, Jr.; Antonio (imprisoned for his beating death of the head of the Reapers) is Eric Roberts; Laurie now married is Rosario Dawson; Nerf now is Scott Michael Campbell: and Dito's parents remain makeup-aged Palminteri and Wiest. It is this blend of the past as revealed by the present that makes Montiel's film work so well. They manner in which he creates the magic of near extemporaneous speech with this amazing cast creates a sense of grit, verismo, and profound love and loss. Conversations such as the ones between little Dito and Monty, between the mature Dito and Flori and Lauri and Antonio - all are minor miracles of writing and acting. Montiel may be a first time director but he has drawn some of the finest work ever from Palminteri, Wiest, Downey, Dawson, Tatum, Roberts and LaBoeuf.

For those who have read Montiel's book by the same name, the time Dito spent in East Village and his fame as a Calvin Klein underwear model will seem painfully missing. But Montiel has extracted the essence of a boy growing out of his environment with the help of his unknown saints, condensed the action, and told the story in a magical way - a way that is sure to drive into the gut and heart of every sensitive viewer. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp