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'R Xmas

'R Xmas

Drama · Crime · Thriller · 2001

A New York drug dealer is kidnapped, and his wife must try to come up with the money and drugs to free him from his abductors before Christmas.

Movie details

'R Xmas

“Dual identities, dueling dealers, and an overdose of greed.”

2001 Drama · Crime · Thriller 1h 25m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

A New York drug dealer is kidnapped, and his wife must try to come up with the money and drugs to free him from his abductors before Christmas.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over 'R Xmas?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Public Eye

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A crime photographer gets involved in a conspiracy.

Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog

Crime · 2006

Johnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things get worse for the Mazursky family, as Johnny and his 'gang' kidnap Jake's 15 year old brother and hold him hostage.

Blood Ties

Blood Ties

Thriller · 2013

Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

New Jack City

New Jack City

Thriller · 1991

A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself.

Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street

Crime · 1972

In a daring robbery, some $300,000 is taken from the Italian mob. Several mafiosi are killed, as are two policemen. Lt. Pope and Capt. Mattelli are two New York City cops trying to break the case. Three small-time criminals are on the run with the money. Will the mafia catch them first, or will the police?

Inside Man

Inside Man

Crime · 2006

When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.

Panic Room

Panic Room

Crime · 2002

Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.

Above the Rim

Above the Rim

Crime · 1994

Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.

Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon

Crime · 1975

Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.

Where it lives

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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Abel Ferrara

Written by

Cassandra De Jesus · Abel Ferrara · Scott Pardo

Drea de Matteo

Drea de Matteo

Wife

Lillo Brancato

Lillo Brancato

Husband

Ice-T

Ice-T

Kidnapper

Victor Argo

Victor Argo

Louie

Denia Brache

Denia Brache

Louie's Wife

Meredith Ostrom

Meredith Ostrom

Elf 1

Janis Corsair

Janis Corsair

Shopper 1

Court is in session

Put 'R Xmas on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.