Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Charming and ground-breaking for its time, this is one of my new favorite American films. Richie Ambrusco is incredible.
Rating:
Summary: The premier examination of youth's existentialism
Review: Check out all the other reviews for summaries and descriptions of this film. One thing lacking from every article I've ever read about this movie is the fact that it's an existentialist masterpiece. Fans of Sartre's *Nausea,* Camus's *The Stranger,* and Kafka's *The Trial* will find much territory here to mine. The existentialism of childhood has never been better represented.
Rating:
Summary: The premier examination of youth's existentialism
Review: Check out all the other reviews for summaries and descriptions of this film. One thing lacking from every article I've ever read about this movie is the fact that it's an existentialist masterpiece. Fans of Sartre's *Nausea,* Camus's *The Stranger,* and Kafka's *The Trial* will find much territory here to mine. The existentialism of childhood has never been better represented.
Rating: 
Summary: A Genuine Time Capsule
Review: I am of an age with the "Joey" portrayed in this movie and used to hang around in Coney Island of the era, albeit a little later (1957 vs. 1953).Coney Island in the '50s was a faded resort. Its streets and back alleys contained the ghosts and survivals of a more vibrant era. What makes this movie remarkable is the extent to which it captures not only the appearance of the area but the way it FELT for a young kid encountering its sights and people. I cannot find a single wrong note or unfamiliar or contrieved situation, at least so far as Coney itself is concerned. Unfortunately, the plot is so thin that it might have been better to dispense with it altogether, though I suppose it was necessary, especially in the '50s, to explain why an eight-year-old was wandering unescorted through a sometimes dangerous area. I won't quibble about the plot too much. I am grateful that, just like some of the silly old silent comedies that gave us glimpses of Luna Park and other disappeared pieces of history, future generations get a chance to "walk" through another era with a minimum of affectation or interpretation. I was moved not to give five stars as I believe the extra star would only have been expressing my nostalgia. For the film alone I might have been inclined to give it three, but more knowledgeable people than I attest that this was a groundbreaking film, so "four" seems just about right.
Rating:
Summary: A Genuine Time Capsule
Review: I am of an age with the "Joey" portrayed in this movie and used to hang around in Coney Island of the era, albeit a little later (1957 vs. 1953). Coney Island in the '50s was a faded resort. Its streets and back alleys contained the ghosts and survivals of a more vibrant era. What makes this movie remarkable is the extent to which it captures not only the appearance of the area but the way it FELT for a young kid encountering its sights and people. I cannot find a single wrong note or unfamiliar or contrieved situation, at least so far as Coney itself is concerned. Unfortunately, the plot is so thin that it might have been better to dispense with it altogether, though I suppose it was necessary, especially in the '50s, to explain why an eight-year-old was wandering unescorted through a sometimes dangerous area. I won't quibble about the plot too much. I am grateful that, just like some of the silly old silent comedies that gave us glimpses of Luna Park and other disappeared pieces of history, future generations get a chance to "walk" through another era with a minimum of affectation or interpretation. I was moved not to give five stars as I believe the extra star would only have been expressing my nostalgia. For the film alone I might have been inclined to give it three, but more knowledgeable people than I attest that this was a groundbreaking film, so "four" seems just about right.
Rating: 
Summary: exercise in boredom
Review: I had high hopes for this movie, as it had gotten much praise from reviewers. However, I found it to be intensely dull. It was exactly as if I had followed a small boy around an amusement park for two days as he enjoyed himself, and this film seemed to take 48 hours to run its length. Although the character of the little boy was supposedly running away from a terrible crime he thought he had committed, he shows absolutely no sign of a disturbed conscience once he gets to the park. There is one interminable sequence that shows him earning money by collecting pop bottles, then spending it for pony rides. Whoa, already. The Red Balloon and other movies cited in comparison to this one are in another league. Save some time and skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Good but different
Review: I liked this movie. It isn't a movie to watch with a bunch of people or when you are tired. This movie is slow moving --BUT...very relaxing. You follow this boy around NYC and Coney Island and you realize how nice just the simple things are in life. I also imagined my Dad watching this movie and saying things like, "I remember that type of..." . So, if you were a kid during this generation you probably would be very nostalgic. I learned a lot about how life would be as a boy during the 50's--the director didn't hype it up with a lot of drama--just a nice capture of certain moments. The director probably didn't know it back then, but he captured a good piece of real life history. Watch it mid morning and you'll have a great day.
Rating:
Summary: Good but different
Review: I liked this movie. It isn't a movie to watch with a bunch of people or when you are tired. This movie is slow moving --BUT...very relaxing. You follow this boy around NYC and Coney Island and you realize how nice just the simple things are in life. I also imagined my Dad watching this movie and saying things like, "I remember that type of..." . So, if you were a kid during this generation you probably would be very nostalgic. I learned a lot about how life would be as a boy during the 50's--the director didn't hype it up with a lot of drama--just a nice capture of certain moments. The director probably didn't know it back then, but he captured a good piece of real life history. Watch it mid morning and you'll have a great day.
Rating:
Summary: A classic that has stayed a part of my soul for 43 years
Review: I saw "The Little Fugative" when I was seven at my neighborhood theater in Chicago in 1954 or 55. Its sweet, powerful imagery and story-line have haunted me like a friendly ghost ever since.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I saw this movie on American Movie Classics late one night. I've been looking for it, but under another name "The Coney Island Kid". I was just messing around doing searches for old movies, and I happened to see the other title "Little Fugitive". This is the type of movie that I love; a movie with a story. You almost are pulling for the kid to get through the day. Being a person of 22 years of age, this movie is definatly right up there with all my 1980's favorites. I had to order a copy tonight.
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