Ricky 6 (2000) User Reviews

Worthwhile

[Wilbur-11 · 7/10 · 11 June 2000]

The film captures (long island, early 80's) the time and place with sharp authenticity. It has a very competent cast. The plot is compelling but depressing. Not for those of us with weak stomachs. Overall, a better than average horror/suspense genre flick, and not to be confused with your teenage/summer/slasher flick.

Okay Movie That I See Now is Inaccurate

[thalassafischer · 6/10 · 17 January 2024]

I first saw this film 20 years ago, my ex was extremely excited to watch a copy that he probably obtained illegally from somewhere, but nevermind. My original impression of this film is that it was just okay. It really is way too long, it's very sad...but kind of in an "after school special" sort of way, and what I remember most were thinking that all of the "visions" that the fictional Ricky has are cheesy and not well done at all. I thought movies like Gummo were much more disturbing late 90s/early 00s depictions of the sad sorts of members of society that usually end up exploited.

A brief flip through a terrible, blurry copy brings it all back - the intensely suburban vibes, it still feels so contrived, now even more so that I know the real story. Why are these kids all so young looking, and how come Ricky is with his mom so much? I think this creative retelling took too many liberties in trying to make Ricky look as innocent as possible. It's very overrated here. Just watch The Acid King documentary instead.

Why the freaking hell has this still not gotten a US release??????

[focus_wracked · 19 January 2003]

It's been over two years now since I saw Peter Filardi's masterful take on the Ricky Kasso crimes. This was at a festival screening and since that time it almost feels as if the entire experience was a dream - because there's no bloody way for me to revisit this utterly amazing film! From memory as hallucinatory as the teenage wastelands that Filardi's film so accurately portrays, Ricky 6 was a mindblower. I felt it, everyone in the cinema felt it. And now it's nowhere to be found? NOWHERE?! When films as effective (and dare I say it - commercially accessible) can't get properly released I just don't know what to think. Ricky 6 is sharp, startling, surprisingly funny and more entertaining than a true crime film has any right to be, yet unlike its central character, this film has certainly not sold its soul.Its characters are sincere. Its direction is bullet-proof. It's atmosphere is marinated in melancholy yet its tone is energetic and consistently invigorating, with subtle surrealism creeping into day-to-day life like traces of a bonfire long extinguished but ever-present. I can't wait to see what this inarguably gifted filmmaker does next. This is precisely the teen drama that America needs.

Awesome! Totally Awesome!

[luvdatjoker · 10/10 · 1 January 2003]

I finally tracked down a copy of this still unreleased flick on eBay and it blew me away! Based on the real life Ricky Kasso tragedy, this movie features a great believable cast, cool music, stylish production design, really 'wigged-out' hallucinogenic sequences, and... and...IT JUST ROCKS! A b*tchin directorial debut by Peter Filardi! NOW WOULD SOME DISTRIBUTOR PLEASE PICK UP THIS BABY SO I CAN SEE IT ON THE BIG SCREEN!

Excellent

[Nirvanaliz23 · 10/10 · 27 February 2004]

I loved everything about this film. It totally surprised me by being a million times better than I thought it was going to be. Vincent Kartheiser does a fantastic job as Ricky, making you feel sympathy for a character who could easily have been very unlikeable. The story is told from the viewpoint of Ricky's best friend, Tommy, and the subject-matter of murder and Satanism is handled very capably, with a great deal of understanding for Ricky as an ill-fated and misguided youth. I can't believe this film has not had an official release..it's one hell of a trippy, emotional and unmissable experience.

The soundtrack is great too - I'm off to listen to some more Iron Maiden.

Great film that captures the tragedy of a teenage life.

[raf421 · 11 August 2000]

Ricky 6, by Peter Filardi, is a very exquisite looking film with more to it than what some might think. This film is not a horror film but more a biographical story of a tragedy that happened in real life. Ricky, in this film, is your basic teenager that isn't the best looking or most popular kid in his school. Like many kids nowadays he has family problems but is also schitzophrenic. He falls back on drugs to relate to others and makes friends but also uses Satanism as a form of escaping his real life. Ricky 6 is a sad story that had a real impact on me and will for many others. Filardi uses beautiful filmmaking during the drug enduced scenes and makes all of the characters likeable and realistic. Abuse, both drug abuse and physical abuse, is common in todays suburban homes. Unfortunately, this abuse comes hand in hand with suicide. The story of Ricky, who was supposedly a very good kid, had to be told and this film does it very well also adding in the underlying tone of todays youth.

Unbelievable...

[sidlee08 · 9/10 · 4 March 2003]

I too finally found a copy of Ricky 6 after giving up waiting for it to be released...why hasn't it? The movie is unbelievable! I can't describe it, but something about the movie really hit home...you really feel great sadness for the characters in this movie. What I liked about it was that the director really attempted to portray all sides of Ricky...he didn't try to portray him as an innocent, misunderstood kid who was completely tricked by drugs and satanism, but he also did not portray him as this evil, ammoral monster who loved drugs and killing. The scenes involving his and his best friends plans to go to California, and the scenes with him and Kelley seemed genuine and realistic. This movie reminded me a lot of Requiem for a Dream. What the characters did was wrong and they ultimately perpetuated their own problems, but you still feel sorry for them, because they are not evil. Ricky was a mentally-ill teenager who willingly made matters worse by doing drugs to escape his miserable life. He discovered satanism and willingly trapped himself in a corner....I am in NO ways condoning what he did, especially murder, but...ahhh I don't know..

this movie was great but horribly disturbing and sad at the same time...I don't know why they don't release this movie...the acting is excellent...I have always liked the acting of vincent kartheiser...maybe because he always picks demented, messed up roles..lol...Honestly, this movie is no more disturbing than Requiem and it certainly does not promote satanism or drugs in a positive way...far from it...the drug scenes, especially the one in the grocery store, is unreal!

highly recommended if you can ever find a copy!!!!! 10/10

Where Evil Dwells.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 30 August 2010]

Richard "Ricky" Kasso was also known as The Acid King.He murdered 17-year-old acquaintance Gary Lauwers in Northport,Long Island,New York on June 16, 1984.Two other teens, Jimmy Troiano and Albert Quinones were present at the murder,which took place in the Aztakea Woods of Northport while all four were high on what they believed to be mescaline but was most likely either PCP or LSD.Ricky stabbed his victim to death and gouged out Lauwers eyes whilst screaming "Say you love Satan"."Ricky 6" is a well-researched account of this horrible ritualistic murder.The acting is good and some sequences are truly psychedelic.After the murder Ricky sees the Black Beast whilst Australian doom death legend Disembowelment's track "Your Prophetic Throne of Ivory" plays in the background.8 out of 10.

Not likely to be released anytime soon

[fnr10 · 11 August 2003]

This is a very well done movie and the acting is fantastic.

Shame it will likely never get released or at least not anytime soon. The reason being involves some shady financial stuff by someone connected to he film which is what I was told by a good source. I have a copy of this movie on video and dvd-r that I often play.

An amazing trip into surrealism and tragedy...

[eyeliquid · 16 June 2000]

I just saw an advance version of Ricky 6, and I must say that I am COMPLETELY impressed by what I've seen. This is one of the strongest films about teenage tragedy that's been around since River's Edge, and the performances all around are devastatingly powerful and beautifully crafted. Peter Filardi has done a superlative job with his first feature as writer-director, and the hallucination sequences are some of the most creative and dreamy I've seen in a mainstream movie for some time. The cinematography also captures the essence of small town angst amazingly, with bold colour schemes and creative camera tricks. The New Brunswick locations give a desolate and painful touch to what will undoubtedly be a film that will be tough to ignore. It is based on a true story, but the film takes a more lyrical approach to the hard facts, ending in a shot that had my jaw on the ground. Needless to say, I loved it. Great music from Joe Delia, who did many scores for Abel Ferrara as well. The current popularity of Boys Don't Cry might help people notice this one, which is easily an equal to that film's quality, if not better.

This story is too depressing.

[j_e_bryant · 14 May 2000]

I saw this film at a distributor's screening in LA quite some time ago. Something about it left an indelible impression upon me. Perhaps it's because it feels so real ... too real. In short, Ricky 6 chronicles Ricky's downward spiral into drugs and satanism (-5pts for spelling). Depressing subject matter. But, the acting was very good ... Chad Christ gives a particularly good performance. I hope to see him in more films in the future.