This film is brilliant throughout, with never a false step. It tells of a realistically dysfunctional family in 1950 Las Vegas, living under the constant threat of a Cold War atomic blast, whether from a deliberate attack by the Soviet Union or from "friendly fire" gone wrong. Jon Voight is excellent, showing an amazing range of emotions, all of them utterly convincing. In fact, every person in the large cast, from lead to background extra, is perfect for the role. Even the children are believable, and that is a cinematic rarity. The viewer is taken back to 1950 and feels a part of that time period. Props and settings are spot-on. Voight plays Jack Chismore, a WWII combat veteran suffering from what we would now call PTSD. Seeking solace, he turns to the bottle, which turns him into an abusive husband and step-father. Annabeth Gish is the main character, thirteen-year-old Rose Chismore, and she brings her role to life in every frame. Accolades also go to JoBeth Williams as Jack's wife, Lily, and Ellen Barkin as her younger sister, a fun-loving glamorous playgirl named Starr. Even the boy next door, played by Jay Underwood, is right on target and never posturing for the camera. I cannot imagine how this film could possibly be improved, which I'm sure means director Eugene Corr did a superlative job. He also co-wrote the marvelous script with Linda Remy.