Monument Ave. (also titled Snitch in the United States and Noose in Australia) is a 1998 American neo-noir crime film directed by Ted Demme and written by Mike Armstrong. The film stars Denis Leary, Famke Janssen, Martin Sheen, Colm Meaney, Ian Hart, and Leary's future Rescue Me co-star Lenny Clarke. Cam Neely also makes a brief appearance.
The film takes place in Charlestown, Massachusetts and centers on small-time criminal Bobby O'Grady (Leary), who becomes conflicted due to Charlestown's code of silence. His loyalty and drive for self-preservation are tested after two of his close family members (also criminals) are gunned down by their boss.
Plot summary
Bobby mentors his young cousin, Seamus, into a life of drugs and crime soon after Seamus emigrates from Dublin, Ireland. Bright, conscientious, but notably naive, Seamus finds himself unable to get used to the spontaneous dangers and recklessness of his new life in the United States.
Seamus commits a hate crime on an African American youth who had crossed the racial boundary around Charlestown in the 1990s. Following this and another particularly traumatic incident, Seamus is afraid of further involving himself with Bobby and Bobby's circle of criminal friends. Seamus tells Bobby he wants to return to Dublin.
The two argue after Seamus blames Bobby for dragging him into a dangerous and "damaging" lifestyle which he never wanted. Seamus is killed soon afterward by crime boss Jackie O'Hara. O'Hara mistakenly believes that Seamus told the police about O'Hara's criminal operations. O'Hara had ordered an earlier hit against Bobby and Seamus' cousin Teddy, because Teddy had made a deal with the police. The deal concerned a reduced prison sentence.
Cast
Production
In March 1997, it was reported that Ted Demme and Joel Stillerman's Spanky Pictures had partnered with Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Apostle to produce the independent film Noose which Leary had written with Mike Armstrong.