yoxy87 This movie is very cleverly done, phenomenal dialogs and fantastic acting make this film a real masterpiece. It's about soul of a young man that has been lost in Nazi ideology and Jewish lawyer who will rise above the hate and try to help him. After just one viewing you will not see the true intentions of some sentences, but in the end it will all make sense...I read somewhere that this film should be shown in schools and I think that's a really good idea because it carries the message that is absolutely correct and can affect young people not to go the wrong path. Here, you will not find expensive movie effects but you will see the true human emotions...

pc95 A bit difficult to rate, Steel Toes goes over some dark and unpleasant subject matter - namely violence, ignorance, racist-skinheadism. It delves into it's content unafraid of coarseness of dejectedly hateful thoughts and dialog. It pits a Jewish lawyer intentionally representing a super-punk skinhead. Some of the good aspects include the fireworks-laden dialog along with the banter and fear involved with each confrontation. The process supposedly consumes both characters, but unbelievably at the cost of the lawyer's marriage - I had a hard time buying that. Nonetheless, both the leads turn in very good identifiable performances. The climactic scenes are full of angst, pity, yelling, and realization - very well acted out. However I didn't care for the epilogue too much - I thought the movie could've ended with the perpetrators realization and impact of his crimes. Maybe worth a look if you can stand the unpleasant subject matter.

twi1609372 The movie was well done, I can not argue with that. The acting was superb by all persons. If its intent was to make an emotional impact, it succeeds. That said, that it was done well is not the end of the story. It looks good, but leaves an awful taste in your mouth. The movie has only solidified my beliefs that the Canadian justice system is not a system of justice. The main character in this movie deserved to die for his crime, a 90 second speech can not mitigate that. Neither 7 months nor 7 years can mitigate that. This was in most areas a murder of the first degree, a brutal, ruthless, act. The heinous, atrocious and cruel nature of the crime permeates the entire movie and it is imposable to not consider that as a factor in reviewing the movie. The writes wanted to show that the worst criminals in out society need a second chance that was the "moral of the story". The movie attempts to show that rehabilitation is always possible and it may be correct, but it is not just, and that can't be ignored. Because rehabilitation could occur does not mean it should be allowed to occur, the movie addresses that in an indirect way, but its overall message is everyone deserves a second chance. The entire point of the trial was an attempt to get him a lesser sentence that is the reason for the change of heart. A true, remorseful, contrite individual would not seek a reduced sentence; the movie misses the mark here also. Seeking leniency based only on the basis that he was thinking incorrectly is not a justification for anything; again the movie misses the point. Furthermore his "Coming to Jesus" was so predictable.This is not American history XI, in X move the sentence was harsher, and the provocation was present and the crime far less brutal. 99% of humans would feel remorse for committing an act such as was committed in this movie. If there is any crime worth death or life imprisonment, I shutter to think of one that is more appropriate. He can make his peace with god. As Judge Irving Kaufman said, "What I am about to say is not easy for me. I have deliberated for hours, days and nights. I have carefully weighed the evidence. Every nerve, every fiber of my body has been taxed. I am just as human as are the people who have given me the power to impose sentence. I am convinced beyond any doubt of your guilt. I have searched the records- - I have searched my conscience- - to find some reason for mercy- - for it is only human to be merciful and natural to try to spare lives. I am convinced however that I would violate the solemn and sacred trust that the people of this land have placed in my hands were I to show leniency to the defendants Rosenberg. It is not in my power, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to forgive you. Only the Lord can find mercy for what you have done, the sentence of the court upon Julius and Ethel Rosenberg is, for the crime for which you have been convicted, you are hereby sentenced to the punishment of death".Also U.S. Supreme Court DRED SCOTT v. SANDFORD, 60 U.S. 393 (1856) 60 U.S. 393 (How.) DRED SCOTT, PLAINTIFF IN ERROR, v. JOHN F. A. SANDFORD. December Term, 1856 Mr. Justice CURTIS dissenting. Political reasons have not the requisite certainty to afford rules of juridical interpretation. They are different in different men. They are different in the same men at different times. And when a strict interpretation of the Constitution, according to the fixed rules which govern the interpretation of laws, is abandoned, and the theoretical opinions of individuals are allowed to control its meaning, we have no longer a Constitution; we are under the government of individual men, who for the time being have power to declare what the Constitution is, according to their own views of what it ought to mean. When such a method of interpretation of the Constitution obtains, in place of a republican Government, with limited and defined powers, we have a Government which is merely an exponent of the will of Congress; or what, in my opinion, would not be preferable, an exponent of the individual political opinions of the members of this court.

gradyharp STEEL TOES is yet another low budget, independent film that unfortunately will not find the large audience it so justly deserves except by word of mouth publicity. It is available now as a DVD, complete with significant extra features, and is one of the more powerful statements about hate crimes, understanding intolerance, and the journey toward compassion this viewer has seen. It is adapted from the original play by its author, David Gow, and benefits from the fact that David Strathairn, who created the role on stage in Philadelphia, and repeats his performance on screen, subtly embodies the lead character Danny Dunkelman.The title, STEEL TOES, is derived from the name of the combat boots worn by Skinheads, the band of racially intolerant men who strive to re-enact the tenets of Nazi theories. The film opens in Montreal with a group of these warriors, led by Mike (Andrew Walker in a career-making performance) who gruesomely kicks an Indian man repeatedly for no apparent reason except racial hatred. Mike is arrested, placed in prison, and faces a charge of homicide when the hospitalized Indian man dies of his wounds. Danny Dunkelman is the court appointed lawyer assigned to defend Mike. Danny is Jewish and acknowledges a loathing for Skinheads and it is the confrontation between Danny and Mike that polarizes the story between two men who innately hate the symbol each stands for. Danny is a committed humanist and tries to overcome his prejudice by carefully preparing Mike for hi courtroom appearance. Likewise, Mike for the first time begins to gain insight into the misguided life he has chosen, finding Danny a man whose compassion shows through his belief system and is the only chance Mike has for avoiding a long prison term for manslaughter. One key and poignant aspect of the case is the document the Indian man made before he died, a statement of his loss of sight, ability to walk or sit resulting form the brutal beating he received from Mike, and yet it is a call for compassion and forgiveness he makes just before he dies. Danny repeatedly makes Mike read this document until a change occurs - a climax in a story and in a relationship that is one of the more significantly powerful ever filmed.This is essentially a two-character story, though in making it cinematically fleshed out some additional characters are added. But the impact of the story comes shining through the economy of the prison cell set and from the impeccable performances by both Strathairn and Walker. It is a brilliant work of writing, acting, directing, filming and sound that bespeaks the strongest aspects of committed ensemble work. It is quite frankly a film everyone who cares about the future of humanity should see. If there is any justice in the industry it will not be overlooked at Oscar time. Highly recommended. Grady Harp