Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bullet Ballet, October 10, 2006
"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!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ALL-IN-ALL NOT BAD, BUT WITH SOME APPARENT FLAWS, August 27, 2006
Although "10th and Wolf" is not a bad movie I was a bit disappointed. Since it's based on the same story as "Donnie Brasco" I was expecting something as intense and breathtaking as Mike Newell's film. And I have to say "Donnie Brasco" was more thorough and more thought-provoking than "10th and Wolf".
It starts as Tommy (James Marsden) returns to Philadelphia from the army and he's having a deal with FBI to be an inside man in his cousin Joey's (Giovanni Ribisi) gang which has some business with mafia. Federals will be able to catch some bigger fish and Tommy will get a chance to save his younger brother Vince (Brad Renfro) and Joey from going to jail. So Tommy who never wanted to join the local gang starts having business with his friends and wears a wire.
That's the basic story-line, but what I liked here was not this "undercover agent" plot but relationships between the main characters. Tommy who hasn't been home for some years begins to build his relations with his cousin, his brother, old friends and aunt - and all that looks rather interesting and vivid mostly due to the good actors taking part in the feature. The cast in "10th and Wolf" is indeed very nice. Marsden is surprisingly good, I never expected such a credible performance from him. Ribisi is awesome as always, he's full of energy, he's vigorous and a little bit mad. Renfro is also very good, he's almost always authentic albeit overacting sometimes. Piper Perabo is quite believable as a single mother and Tommy's love interest although we never get to see any love scenes in the movie. I can also mention Lesley Ann Warren whom I adore, actually I can't remember a role she was bad at. And Brian Dennehy with Leo Rossi were OK as two federal agents. What I disliked or rather was distracted with were the cameos of Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper and Tommy Lee. Hopper was the only one to get a sort of a real part in "10th and Wolf", but generally it looked like big names were used just to attract attention to the movie although they appeared on screen for 10 minutes altogether.
Robert Moresco whose latest achievement was a screenplay for "Crash" did a nice writing and directing job here, but throughout the whole film I've felt something's missing. First it seemed to me "10th and Wolf" happened to be smaller than I thought it would be. It lacked some calibre. Or maybe some things seemed strange to me. Or maybe I had some doubts. Here they are:
1. I doubt the gangs are usually consist of 5-6 persons. I thought of some bigger number. But in "10th and Wolf" it looks like the local gang really IS 5 people.
2. I doubt a leader of the gang can be that young. Well, Giovanni Ribisi looks rather young especially after Dennis Hopper who was the head before.
3. I doubt top mob members participate in everything their crew does, from negotiating to killing someone, they must have some apprentices.
4. I doubt just two feds are handling the case of undercover agent and some mafia family. Obviously there's some other people, but here it sometimes seems that FBI is two persons only.
5. I doubt a person who messed with a mob boss and then blackmailed two back-alley feds can walk away from this easily instead of being whacked by mobsters or corrupted feds.
6. I doubt a mob boss would torture and kill someone in HIS OWN house where he lives, where his wife is waiting for him in an upstairs' bedroom.
7. I doubt two persons, even armed, can easily intrude the mafia's boss house (who knows they can attempt to do it) killing all the resistance.
I had some other doubts but I guess you got the idea. I read people from Philadelphia saying the film really captured the city's spirit. I don't live there so it's not up to me to judge, but if to sum it all up I've seen better: from "A Bronx Tale" to "The Sopranos". But with all my doubts there clearly are some positive things about "10th and Wolf". Nice story, directing and acting - I think that's quite enough, and as for several flaws - I sincerely think there are no movies without them. Maybe here they just stick out too evidently.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Tense, Moody, Atmospheric Thriller, October 1, 2006
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
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