The movie tells the story of a Polish low-rent detective (Greg Stuhr) who looks into an alleged suicide at Niagara Falls, and ends up unraveling a conspiracy to build a revolutionary invention by enigmatic scientist, Nikola Tesla.
True to form, the screenplay... is barely coherent in its explication of the convoluted plotline. But it does provide a fair share of hard-boiled, frequently amusing dialogue and a plethora of colorful characters.
Invoking fascinating conspiracy theories surrounding Nikola Tesla only to turn them into a macguffin, this neonoir detective flick ultimately disappoints.
The American Side is a swell trip on one of those cheesy carnival rides, and you'll know it's time to get off the roller coaster when the credits roll.
The American Side never quite adds up to a satisfying experience, but that's made up for by the cavalcade of familiar faces in small parts, including Matthew Broderick, Harris Yulin, Robert Forster -- and, most excitingly, Janeane Garofalo.
This Nikola Tesla-inspired conspiracy shoots for too much wonder and darkness at once, too wed to Greg Stuhr's gullible gumshoe to make a memorable noir on the cheap.
Tesla, government black ops, and a shadowy cabal running the world all wrapped up in a nifty neo-noir that pays suitable homage to the genre. Be still my foolish heart.