Ash Wednesday

A relationship between two brothers literally becomes a matter of life and death in this drama from writer, director and actor Edward Burns. Francis Sullivan (Burns) was a street-wise thug with ties to the Irish mob until his younger brother Sean (Elijah Wood) was killed on Ash Wednesday in 1980 ...more

This sinister, atmospheric mob drama, shot in all sepia and shadows, is hampered by too many scenes of Acting 101, in which characters shout empty, accusatory lines without conviction while director Edward Burns' peripatetic camera jumps around the room as if shooting a hip car commercial. Still, there is much going for Ash Wednesday, including David Shire's moody piano score, a vivid sense of suspense, a palpable rhythm, and excellent secondary characters. And it's to Burns' credit that the ...more