1 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
L.I.E.
2001 1h 37m EN
👍
6.8
SOLID
🍅
85%
FRESH
👌
73
METACRITIC
⭐
7.1
IMDB
★6.8TMDB · 148🍅85%Rotten Tomatoes●73Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 10,616
DramaCrime
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
With his mother dead and his father busy at work, Howie feels adrift in his New York suburb. He and his friend Gary spend their time burglarizing their neighbors' homes — until they make the mistake of robbing the house of Big John, a macho former Marine who is also an unrepentant pedophile. He propositions Howie, who declines, but the two eventually develop an unlikely and dangerous friendship.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Cast
Paul Dano
Howie Blitzer
Bruce Altman
Marty Blitzer
Brian Cox
Big John Harrigan
Billy Kay
Gary
James Costa
Kevin Cole
Tony Michael Donnelly
Brian
Walter Masterson
Scott
Adam LeFevre
Elliot
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Michael Cuesta
- Writers
- Stephen M. Ryder, Michael Cuesta, Gerald Cuesta
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
RUNTIME
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Michael Cuesta, shot by Romeo Tirone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Pierre Földes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Kane Platt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Paul Dano and Bruce Altman and Brian Cox carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0242587 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Michael Cuesta directs. Romeo Tirone behind the camera. Pierre Földes scores. Kane Platt cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
- 225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 4Directed by Michael Cuesta, shot by Romeo Tirone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Pierre Földes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Kane Platt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Paul Dano and Bruce Altman and Brian Cox carry the top of the cast.
- 8IMDB entry: tt0242587 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Released under 12 different titles around the world.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Romeo Tirone
- Original score
- Pierre Földes
- Editing
- Kane Platt
- Production design
- Elise Bennett
- Runtime
- 97 min · 1h 37m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $700,000
- Box office
- $1,667,192
- Return
- 238% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- NR
- IMDB
- L.I.E. (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 85% 🍅 Fresh
- Metacritic
- 73/100
- IMDB rating
- 7.1/10 · 10,616 votes
- MPAA
- Unrated
Awards
20 wins & 18 nominations
Also by
Michael Cuesta
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- kinrich30★ 9/10
This was actually a pretty good movie, although given the topic it kind of made you feel bad for one of the characters at the end that you shouldn't really feel bad for.
Production companies
Who made it
- AL
Alter Ego Entertainment
Belladonna Productions
US
Key crew
- ProducerRene Bastian
- ProducerLinda Moran
- Production DesignElise Bennett
- PoemWalt Whitman
- EditorKane Platt
- EditorEric Carlson
- ProducerMichael Cuesta
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- coming of age
- long island, new york
- paedophilia
- male prostitution
- juvenile delinquent
- death of mother
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere2001-01-20· Sundance Film Festival
- Theatrical (limited)2001-09-07NR
Also known as
International titles
- Long Island ExpresswayUS
- L,I,E Long Island Express WayUS
- L.I.E. Long Island ExpresswayUS
- L.I.E. - Sem SaídaPT
- Frente al abismoMX
- Sem SaídaBR
- L.I.E. Long Island ExpresswayFR
- LIE, l'autoroute de Long IslandCA
- L.I.E.GR
- 少男初体验CN
- 长岛公路少年CN
- 长岛迷情CN
