The United States of Leland **** (2003, Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Spacey, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Michelle Williams) – Classic Movie Review 6561

Ryan Gosling in The United States of Leland (2003).

Don Cheadle plays Pearl Madison, a juvenile detention centre jail teacher who probes the mystery of just why the teenage boy Leland (Ryan Gosling) killed his ex-girlfriend’s special needs disabled kid brother.

Writer-director Matthew Ryan Hoge’s 2003 drama is a clever, haunting movie, with sizzling performances from a top cast, including Kevin Spacey in a flashy turn as Gosling’s uncaring father.

Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Michelle Williams, Martin Donovan, Ann Magnuson, Kerry Washington, Sherilyn Fenn, Matt Malloy, Wesley Jonathan, Michael Peña and Michael Welch are also in the truly remarkable cast.

By 2018, Colorado-born Hoge’s only other film is the $10,000 budget Self Storage (1999).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6561

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