10th and the Wolf [Import]

"10th & Wolf" is a crime drama that keeps your attention. James Marsden who came on my radar screen with the last season of TV's "Ally McBeal" and then played in the 3 X-Men films, "Bobby," and a good sleeper "Gossip" leads as Tommy Santoro, a soldier dishonorably discharged and then made to go undercover with the Mafia, a past he's been trying to forget. Unfortunately his brother Vincent has stayed close to their roots. Played by Brad Renfro whose first film in 1994 was "The Client" and recently appeared in "The Jacket," Vincent is a dim-witted by good-hearted gangster. Their cousin Joey is played by Giovanni Ribisi who has starred in a number of films including "The Gift," "Cold Mountain," & "Gone in 60 Seconds." Giovanni plays the ruthless gangster who has more bullets than brains. Leo Rossi does an excellent job as the sleazy cop Thornton. While he doesn't get much screen time, he does have producer billing and his icy stares are enough to chill the tropics. Brian Dennehy plays the other wheeler-dealer cop Horvath who ropes Tommy into wearing a wire. Lesley Ann Warren does a nice job as the vulnerable Aunt Tina who is half alcoholic, half nymphomaniac. Dennis Hopper has a good cameo as Matello, a godfather type. Val Kilmer comes & goes rather quickly as Murtha, a drunken barfly. Riding high on his Oscar for Best Screenplay for "Crash," this was Bobby Moresco's directorial debut. The film is shot very dark, which seems to give it a gothic feel as much as that of a crime drama. There is a hefty body count and a bullet ballet to conclude the film. This film goes down easy, even if it tends to evaporate soon after viewing. Enjoy!

This is a solid film.

It doesn't have the calibre of acting from "Donnie Brasco", but it is acted well. Especially, from Brad Renfro and Val Kilmer. (Kilmer for less than 5 minutes, but who cares?)

From flashbacks to double-crosses, it is easy to follow. Aside from an obviously overzealous pyro tech, it hardly falters.

Given another 15 minutes to the film and another 10 mil. to the budget and this would have been a gem.

Do not look past this movie, it's more than a gangster flick.

Robert Moresco ('Crash') is proving to be a fine storyteller with a definite style of his own. 10TH & WOLF, written by both Moresco and Allan Steele and directed by Moresco appears on the shelves of DVDs as one of those films that makes us wonder why it didn't do well on the theater screens: it is well written, beautifully directed, has a cast that is consistently fine, and unravels a family involved in organized crime theme as well as any movie out there.

Moresco very wisely starts his story in the burning oil fields of Kuwait during Desert Storm where Marine sargeant Tommy (James Marsden, doing his finest work since his brilliant portrayal in THE 24TH HOUR) drives his Hummer through the desert, coming to grips with the absurdity of war, a key turn in his personality causing him to be dishonorably discharged for his refusal to take part in that ridiculous war game. He is given a deal: FBI agents Horvath (Brian Dennehy) and Thornton (Leo Rossi) visit his cell stateside and offer him clemency if he helps them capture a big drug dealer Reggio (Francesco Salvi) in Tommy's hometown of Philadelphia. Tommy had escaped the organized crime scene by joining the Marines, but is suddenly returned to his family occupation as an undercover agent with a wire. Tommy's brother Vincent (Brad Renfro) and his cousin Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) welcome his return and begin plotting ways to off Reggio. Beatings and murders begin to occur: Joey is a bit on the mad side and plunges his boys into messes that become like quicksand. How the family bonds over losses to big crime and vendettas, and how that lifestyle affects parents (Lesley Ann Warren) and victims turned girlfriends (Piper Perabo) leaving the drive to survive as the paramount goal is the run of the plot.

There are plenty of cameos (Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Dash Mihok etc) to round out the dark atmosphere, but the strength of the film lies strongly on the shoulders of Marsden, Ribisi and Renfro and they handle their roles exceptionally well. This is yet another big crime story but one that grips the audience's attention and holds it to the final twisted end. Strong violence and language, but a testy and tightly woven story with many unspoken metaphors. Grady Harp, October 06