Illegal Tender (2007)

Director:

Franc. Reyes

Writer (WGA):

Franc. Reyes (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Always protect the family.

Plot:

When the thugs who killed his father come looking for him, a young Latino man and his mother flee from their home.

Plot Keywords:

College Student | Blood | Revenge | Sunglasses | Betrayal

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Michael Philip Del Rio	...	Lugo
Samuel Molina	...	Older Man
Rick Sepulveda	...	Joey
Manny Perez	...	Wilson DeLeon Sr.
D.C. Benny	...	Ceasar
Mercedes Mercado	...	Latina Killer #1
Carmen Perez	...	Latina Killer #2
Zulay Henao	...	Mora
Jessica Pimentel	...	Young Millie
Angelic Zambrana	...	Young Jessenia
Julie Carmen	...	Nilsa
Ronald Escobar	...	Javier's Man #1
Gary Perez	...	Javier Cordero
Rick Gonzalez	...	Wilson Jr.
Dania Ramirez	...	Ana

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Hillsdale, New Jersey, USA

Company:

New Deal Productions

Trivia:

The film was shot in just 28 days with locations in New York and Puerto Rico.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Randy is "playing" on his Xbox 360, there are no working control pads connected to it. There are no wired controllers plugged in to it, and if he is using a wireless controller, the controller light on the front of the Xbox should be on. It isn’t.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Illegal Tender' (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

LIVING

Illegal Tender was worth the rental

Director Franc. Reyes gives crime movie junkies the powerful drama Illegal Tender. It didn't exactly grab me getting sluggish at times with nothing happening on screen except talking heads. After the gangsters who killed his father come to settle a score, a teenage boy and his mother turn the tables on the killers - one Latino family's quest for honor and revenge as the hunted become the hunters. Wilson DeLeon, Jr. is an exceptional college student with an adoring girlfriend, doting mother and a future full of promise. He has never wanted for anything, and he has never been forced to stand his ground. But when ghosts from his mother's past come back to haunt his present, he must defend his family ... and quickly turn into the strong man his father prayed he'd become.

Nothing could stop Wilson's mother, Millie, from protecting her two boys. Forced to flee her home after gangsters killed her husband, she made an oath to give her children only the best. But all that changes when an enemy from the past catches up with them. It's finally time to take action - and now, they're done running. Weapons at the ready, Wilson, Jr. and Millie prepare for a final showdown with the murderer who robbed him of a father and her of a husband. Now, in a battle fueled by family ties and blood feuds, it will become very clear what happens when anyone tries to come between this son and his mother.

I was moved by the connection between the mother and sons. Different relationship than the standard father son bond. I would recommend this DVD to rent or buy.