Claudio Carvalho The teenager Sean Donovan (Caleb Steinmeyer) is a brilliant but shy student that lives with his father Terry Donovan (Bill Sage) in Brooklyn. Sean has a trauma since he has witnessed the murder of his mother in a carjack nine years ago. Sean frequently goes to the precinct to see criminal photos expecting to identify the killer of his mother and he is an amateurish boxer. During the night, Sean secretly is a vigilante, seeking out brutal criminals based on the police files to eliminate them. The efficient police lieutenant Teresa Ames (Zulay Henao) has been just promoted after capturing the notorious gangster Larry Childs (James Russo) and transferred to work in the Homicide Department in the precinct where Sean uses to go. When Sean helps Teresa to change her flat tire, she befriends Sean and leans his traumatic story. But when she notes that Sean was searching in the computer of the police department the pimp that was murdered, she suspects that the troubled teenager might be the vigilante that is killing in New York City. The unknown "Wonder Boy" is a dramatic thriller with a complex and well developed story of revenge. The characters are perfectly developed and Caleb Steinmeyer and Zulay Henao have great performances. The awesome conclusion shocks and shows how dangerous it to judge based on suppositions. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Garoto Prodígio" ("Boy Prodigy")

Dave Snyder I watched Boy Wonder knowing absolutely nothing about the movie other than the brief description Netflix provides. The first half of the film is fairly slow and gives little indication of what the story is about. All we know is Sean is a nerdy outcast, saw his mother killed when he was a boy, and trains in a boxing gym.It's not until 45 minutes into the movie before we're given a clue Sean's worldview might not reflect reality. (The scene on the sidewalk where the mother is scolding her child is shown twice; first as Sean's interpretation and then as what really happened.) But if Sean is seeing a skewed reality, how much of the first 45 minutes can we believe? Viewers aren't given any clues to the answer.The key to movies with a good twist is to set up the story in a way that leads viewers to believe they understand the worldview presented in the film, then reveal information that invalidates that worldview but allows the entire film to be interpreted through a different worldview. (i.e. Mulholland Drive, Primer, etc.) While I admit the ending surprised me, Boy Wonder didn't present a cohesive enough story early on in the movie for me to establish an original worldview. Furthermore, after the reveal at the end of the movie many of the character's actions still don't make sense.Why is Sean seeking out these criminals? He tried to avoid the fight with the dealer and the shooting appeared accidental. If he didn't want to fight, why did he go there in the first place? For the second fight, he purposely lured the pimp out of the house and immediately got the upper hand, but fought purely defensively until the pimp told Sean he was going to beat the girl. His indecisiveness makes it hard for viewers to understand why he is doing these things.The crux of the movie rests on the question of whether or not Sean's father paid Larry Childs to kill his mother. Viewers don't really know if he did or didn't--neither explanation holds up very well in light of all the other actions taken in the movie.Sean believes his father did, based on what he heard outside the car that night. ("Time's up Rock.") Deducing a contract killing from that statement is a stretch. If Sean's father wanted to call it off (as he appeared to want to do in that scene) there's no reason Larry wouldn't agree and just keep the money. A more plausible explanation is Sean's father was late on a debt of some sort.At the very end of the movie Larry Childs tells Sean his father was not part of the killing. If that's true then Sean made a mistake killing his father. However, detective Ames helps him cover it up by throwing the gun in the river. Why would she do that? We're not given any insight into her motivation.In the end many of the character's actions seem random rather than based on whatever principles they value most, and that makes it hard to understand or empathize with them.

charliepostman44 watch a lot films did not know much about this one thought story was well told good action great acting from lead Sean (Caleb Steinmeyer) held together well even thou you understood the plot good feeling that he got his revenge now that's justice Watch it if you can don't think you will be disappointed Good interaction between characters keeps the story interesting some scenes could be classed as disturbing but was all in context One could question the morals after killing his dad, the killer and Teresa Ames the female cop disposing of the weapon but that,s the whole point makes you question what would you do its raises more questions than answers but main thing just enjoy great entertainment.

John Raymond Peterson Michael Morrissey has hit a home run, scored a touchdown and completed a hat trick, for those who like sport metaphors. Indeed, he wrote, directed and produced his first feature film and it is one for the record. The story is original, in that it has not been done before, at least not the key elements of the plot. Furthermore, he has a cast of mostly unknowns, with the exception of James Russo who plays Larry Childs. Russo is given top credit with Tracy Middendorf and Zulay Henao because they have more name recognition and experience, Russo has little screen time as does Tracy Middendorf, but Zulay Henao has the second most screen time along with the real movie lead, Caleb Steinmeyer. You may remember Henao from the movie 'Fighting'; I remember her part well. Caleb Steinmeyer who had no movie experience, just a few parts in TV series, carried himself very well; he was convincing in his role as Sean Donovan. His part was a demanding one, make no mistake about that. Again, Morrissey deserves praise for directing; the movie feels like a serious budget project but I'm sure it wasn't. In some respects it is considered a thriller; I acknowledge it has elements of that, as well as drama and a bit of action. It certainly does not look or feel cheap.The vigilante element has been noted in user reviews and I believe too much is made of that. It is not a vigilante story; it's far more complex. The IMDb storyline paints a better outline of what is at play. Sean is a complex character, but the movie makes us discover the real Sean with a very smart and methodical approach. The movie takes us on a ride we can't quite know where, and that ride has ups and downs but it has a definite path. Where it will end and how the key characters get there is a real surprise. The ending part of the movie is a jaw dropping crime stumper. You will remember this movie for a long time and many other movies will from now on be using 'Boy Wonder' as a benchmark. I will.I was careful not to spoil the story and it is best if you know little more than that IMDb storyline. I see good things happening for Morrissey's career, unless he becomes a one hit wonder; I look forward to another fantastic story by him. I recommend you see this movie; I have no reservations about it. It is a really good film. When I wrote this review, I noted the 6.9 rating at IMDb and the 70% score at Rotten Tomatoes; consider that conservative ratings. I rate it 8/10.