At Close Range begins as a tale about alienated youth, but quickly devolves into an intergenerational melodrama of a youngster corrupted by his own father in a valueless world. Nicholas Kazan's screenplay is lean, but Foley treats the story of Brad Jr.'s (Sean Penn) fall from grace with excessive visuals and aural ripeness. Everything is lavish, overly stylized: night shots are perfectly lighted, figures are silhouetted against blue light.