...the performances are strong enough to elevate an above average script and make this a mild recommendation.
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"Steel City" is a strong debut for writer/director Brian Jun whose only previous credits were two short films. "Steel City" made its debut at Sundance in 2006 and made the rounds of a few other film festivals before finally debuting on DVD. Jun returned to his hometown of Alton, Illinois to shoot this drama about depressed, small-town life in the Midwest. While it may not be the most original, Jun´s first feature film is not indicative of the usual dreck that is relegated to the direct-to-video market. Like "The Sweet Hereafter" and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu´s "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams," a fatal auto accident is the inciting incident that kicks off the happenings in "Steel City." However, the accident is never shown, except for a few black and white still photos of the aftermath during the opening credits. The accident is only alluded to and is simply the struck match that ignites a dysfunctional, blue-collar family to deal with the issues they´ve long buried.
Carl Lee (John Heard) is looking at a long prison sentence for vehicular homicide. Carl ran out on his wife Maryann (Laurie Metcalf from "Roseanne") and their two sons, P.J. (Tom Guiry) and Ben (Clayne Crawford), a long time ago, but at some time attempted to make amends. Only P.J. seems to have taken him up on the offer and is the only one in the family to visit Carl while in jail. The visitations tend to cover pickup truck maintenance rather than father and son pouring their hearts out. The Lee Family has splintered off into divergent directions, despite living in close proximity. Maryann has a new family with her second husband, Randall (James McDaniel), a police officer with a young boy of his own. Older brother Ben is no peach. He works at the steel mill and struggles with the harsh realities of marriage and newfound fatherhood. He cheats on his wife Maria (Jamie Anne Allman) with a bartender named Lucy (Heather McComb).
P.J. himself has no direction in life other than some vague discussions with Randall about enrolling in the police academy. He works a lousy job as a busboy with the only bright spot being Amy (America Ferrera), a co-worker who fancies him. Being surrounded by broken relationships, he runs hot and cold with Amy, going some periods without returning a single one of her calls. His life spirals further downhill when he´s fired for mouthing off to his boss, then gets evicted from the family home. Carl tells P.J. to look up his brother Vic (Raymond J. Barry), who hasn´t spoken with either one of them in years. Uncle Vic is a hardnosed ex-Marine to lays down some strict regulations for P.J. He´s gruff at times, but warms up to the young man. Yet, the true nature of the events that led to the arrest of his father still haunts P.J.
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