Genres

Visitors Review

billduff-1 2013-06-19 04:44:35

Not made in Philly

I rented this movie because of the title, 10th and Wolf. I grew up inSouth Philly, seven blocks from 10th Street, and thought this moviewould have some Philly scenes in it. I was very disappointed, the moviemust have been made in Pittsburgh, as I saw a Lite Beer highwaybillboard in the background with the Pittsburgh Steelers logo.They didn't show anything Philly in the whole movie. It didn't resemblePhilly at all.As far as the movie goes, it wasn't too bad, but some parts were verypredictable.Don't rent it if you're originally from Philadelphia.

arthurclay 2013-06-18 21:17:07

Pleasantly surprised at the intensity of this sleeper

It had a legitimate cast, though I was a little disappointed in thescreen time of some of the actors and you can figure out which ones I'mreferring to if you have also watched the film. It seemed to take sometime in getting around to the heart of the story, particularly at thebeginning. And there may have been some parts that did not need to beincluded, but it was still more than watchable, notably in large partto Giovanni Ribisi. He is more believable in this role than most peopleincluding myself would give him credit for. It is Ribisi, in fact, whois the star of this film, not Madsen. Madsen just has the "centralcharacter" role. Yet Madsen I felt did not screw up his part. He justwasn't interesting. His character screamed one-dimensional and staticjust like most "good guy" roles do. He wasn't even a good guy. Thereweren't any good guys here. Not him, not La Cosa Nostra, not theSicilian and his Mafia, and certainly not the FBI agents. The Fedswere, after the Sicilian Riggio naturally, the worst lying backstabbingscum of the show. And you know what? I didn't mind the fact that theywere all evil. Because 90 percent of the human race is and the other 10percent don't care enough to do anything about that fact. Now that'srealism on the silver screen. The ending left me feeling satisfied andeven a little sad which is not a bad thing. It must mean I actuallycared about the characters. And yes, I'm buying this one. My only gripeis that it didn't get some large financial backing behind it and gowide release. But from Lion's Gate, that isn't too surprising. Theylacked the bankroll to make "10th & Wolf" into a "Godfather" and thatis a true pity. That being said, it is a decent picture.

2013-06-16 14:29:28

The old neighborhood

One of those rare films you catch on the previously viewed rack at Blockbuster. You take a chance on it. You're glad you did. This is one of those rare films that gets better and better every time you watch it. Giovanni Ribisi is brilliant as Joey Marcucci, a straight up Italian low-level mobster who gives little to no regard about honoring his "zippo" blood, demanding a shot of Crown Royal over the glass of wine he's offered by his Italian counterparts. His contempt for the Sicilians in the film is a pretty hilarious sight to behold, as well as Vincent (Brad Renfro, Dueces Wild, The Jacket) and his feeble attempts at learning the Italian language from Provenzano, one of the boss' top guns. Ribisi steals every scene he's in, from his improv lines to his facial features to his weasly, contemptuous giggle.Piper Perabo (Coyote Ungly) is equally as memorizing as Brandy, sporting a dark hair-do for this one, which makes her look like J. Lo's long lost twin. She pulls off the grieving but tough as nails single mother, trying the best she can to take care of her asthmatic kid. She develops an interest in Tommy (James Marsden, X-Men), who subsequently, wears a wire for the Feds while he and his cousin Joey conduct their dirty deeds with the Sicilian mafia led by Luciano Reggio, who continually calls Joey "Giuseppe," the Italian translation of the name.Joey proves to be a loose cannon at times, a live-for-the-now sorta nihilist who spirals out of control and starts a pre-meditated war with Reggio. The ending is classic, everything from Brandy's revenge on Junior, Joey's pea-on, for the murder of her husband, to Joey and Tommy's ten year fight inside the walls of Reggio's mansion in the 'burbs of Philly.My favorite mob flick is "State of Grace," starring Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, a fine piece of acting and action about the last days of the Irish mob in Hell's Kitchen. "10th and Wolf" is very similiar, reminds me a lot of "State of Grace," with Giovanni Ribisi pulling off the perfect culmination of Gary Oldman's short fuse and Sean Penn's competance and poise as an undercover mingling with his old cronies. I love mob movies, and "10th and Wolf" is right up there with my favorites. Solid acting all the way through, great supporting characters, fun little cameos from a mobbed-out Dennis Hopper and a Geico caveman look-alike Val Kilmer. Take a chance on this one. I did, and was pleasantly surprised. High quality H2O.

James G 2013-06-15 17:51:01

Look closely or you'll miss them

This film sports an impressive cast, but unless you look closely you'll miss some of them. Val Kilmer appears briefly and Dennis Hopper gets just a little more air time. You'll wish you saw less of Giovanni Ribisi who over-acts so much you'd think he'd seem one too many Brando movies. Brian Dennehy does his usual good job and Lesley Ann Warren is a treat. The show stealer is Dash Mihok who plays a sadistic killer. But the plot is all too predictable.

Jay Harris 2013-06-11 07:00:50

A guilty pleasure type of movie

10th & Wolf is the kind of film that I always liked, in fact year backI may have given this a much higher rating.This is a drama about loyalty,friendships, honour, family. What isdifferent here is that all the characters are not very nice people, infact some are downright vicious. This being said,the all were at leastinteresting,. The script by Howard Moresco & Alan Steele is wellwritten & told, Howard Moresco also directed it.The cast is large comprised of newer actors & older veteran performers.James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi & Brad Renfro have the leads, they arefirst rate especially Ribisi. Piper Perabo is the main actress in thisfilm, & soon will have starring roles,Leslie Ann Warren, BrianDennahy,Dennis Hopper all have good scenes, Val Kilmer has a smallcameo, (I did not recognize him .For some reason, the story location is Philadelphia BUT was made inPittsburgh.There is lots of violence & many people die. What would you expect froma gangster movie.. As I said this is a guilty pleasure film.Ratings: *** (out of 4) 86 points (out of 100)IMDB 8 (out of 10)

2013-06-10 22:21:42

Worth watching

Though slightly similar to a few other crime dramas I've watched over the years, this one had a good balance of drama and action. I liked the chemistry between the two brothers and the tension of an ex-marine having to choose if loyalty or doing what is right is more important (a hard choice he's had to make before). If you like crime/action films with a bit of drama you'll find this one worth watching.Chrissy K. McVay - Author

joeshields 2013-06-09 19:41:49

Why call Pittsburgh 'Philadelphia'??

A decent story, good acting, but for a good number of people who havespent any time in Philly and/or Pittsburgh, ... you can't pull offcalling Pittsburgh 'Philadelphia' (anymore then you can callPhiladelphia 'Pittsburgh'). Both cities are great locations formovies... but just because they both happen to be in Pennsylvania, youcan't interchange them -- geographically, architecturally they aredistinctively unique (even if you leave the "Youse Guys" and the"Younse" accents out of it). Had South Philly's "Rocky" been filmed inPittsburgh but pawned off as Philly it wouldn't be the classic itbecame, (nor conversely would the "Deer Hunter") it would have beenruined. I don't know how much better "10th & Wolf" would have been ifthe geography matched the story, but for me it would have been morebelievable.

2013-06-09 12:05:11

OUTSTANDING MOVIE

I LOVE this movie.10th and Wolf has action from start to finish.The actors were outstanding.The D.V.D was in great shape and was delivered promptly,I will use AMAZON again real soon.I HAVE recommended this movie and Amazon to many people...a great way to shop.

wrlang 2013-06-08 06:54:32

mobsters are scum

10th and Wolf is a movie about a bunch of punks born into the Italianmafia. Some good acting from experienced cast helped a tired old plotkeep your attention for the length of the movie. It goes like this,punk gets put in prison, bad cops get punk out of prison to infiltratethe mob and turn in his fellow mobsters, punk turns in the bad guys andmakes himself look like the good guy. Frankly, it wouldn't hurt to makeit open season on all mobsters and their families. The general publiccould rid society of the mobster blight rather handily. Movies thatglamorize the disease of the gangster are doing real law abiding peoplea great disservice. But other than that, it wasn't a bad movie.

2013-06-07 22:42:30

10th and Wolf not filmed there!

Being a native of South Philly, where 10th & Wolf is located, it would have been nice if the movie was filmed there. The movie wasn't filmed in the neighborhood, in South Philly in general, not in Philadelphia on the whole or even ANYWERE in the state. Pass this cheapy over!

JoeytheBrit 2013-05-29 01:42:21

Dull and unoriginal film salvaged only by Ribisi's performance

This is one of those films that gives the impression it is written bysomeone who is more a fan of the genre than a practitioner. It containsall the usual elements found in these 'tough' and 'gritty' crime dramas– the questionable loyalty between hoods who have grown up together onthe mean streets of the city's slums, the psychotic gangster, the toughbut vulnerable single mum, the doting mother, the sleazy clubs, therandom acts of violence, the pop music soundtrack – but never oncecomes close to showing any signs of originality.James Marsden – as anonymous a leading man as you are ever likely tofind – plays the son of a mobster drummed out of the marines forstealing a jeep and going after Saddam on his own when the US call offthe Gulf War on the dictator's doorstep back in '91. He is offered adeal by shady cop Brian Dennehy (looking surprisingly trim butworryingly frail) to help put away a mobster from his old neighbourhoodin return for his freedom from military prison. Returning to his oldhaunts, he falls in with his slightly feeble-minded brother and hiscousin – ably played by Giovanni Ribisi – who is about to embark on agang war with the mobster in question, which leads to the usualconflict of loyalties.After watching this I wondered not only why I bothered watching itthrough to its inevitable conclusion, but also why anybody botheredputting up the money for it. The script is pedestrian at best, and thestoryline never wavers from a path that is as predictable as it isdull. Only the quality of the acting, and especially a blisteringperformance from Ribisi, make this worth watching at all. Well – thatand the unintentionally hilarious death scene of one-legged gangster,Julian.

KRockefe 2013-05-28 06:06:39

Top Notch Film Making all the Way Around

Saw this film last night at a standing room only sneak previews inOrange County, CA. The audience was spell-bound throughout the entirescreening - you could hear a pin drop. Stellar career-makingperformances by James Mardsen, Giovannia Ribisi and Brad Renfro. BrianDennehy was exceptional and Lesley Ann Warren showed a depth of talentI've not seen before. Bobby Moresco has eloquently and thoughtfullycrafted a film that speaks to the heart and will be sure to gather welldeserved attention when the film is released. Production values are topnotch all the way around. There is violence in the film, but it's nevergratuitous - these people live in a brutal world. For me, the filmended on a note of hope for new beginnings.

2013-05-25 06:43:54

10th and Wolf, a action packed movie

This review is from: 10th and Wolf (DVD) 10th and Wolf is an action packed, bloody movie. If the sight of fake blood is not your tea, better pass. However, the movie, is well written and very well acted. The cast included several well known personalities and each brings quality acting to the screen. But, it does show multiple ways to kill people. The film is interesting for those that live in Pittsburgh as a large part was filmed in and around the Pittsburgh area (Wholley, various bridges, Hartwood Acres, etc. Also the movie will be interesting to those following the Donnie Barasco type of script.

fwomp 2013-05-25 03:43:52

Mini Mafioso

If you've seen DONNIE BRASCO, you've seen parts of 10TH & WOLF.Here we have Tommy (James Marsden, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) trying to sethis life straight. After finding out that his father was a hit-man fora local boss, Tommy soon sees him gunned down on the street.Twelve-year-old Tommy never forgets this and once eighteen, joins themarines and is whisked off to the Persian Gulf. He fights the war hiscountry tells him to fight, only to learn that they can't go intoBaghdad and capture Saddam in the end. Tommy loses control of himself,hits an MP, and steals a colonel's Jeep. Now in hot-water, and facing acourt martial, he is shipped back to the brig in the U.S. where he'sapproached by Agent Horvath (Brian Dennehy, COCOON) of the FBI. Tommyis told that what remains of his family is in danger. His brotherVincent (Brad Renfro, GHOST WORLD) has fallen in with a friend's"business." This friend is Joey (Giovanni Ribisi, THE GIFT) who'sattempting to become a boss of his own. The hitch is that Joey alsosaved Tommy's life once, and Tommy loves Joey like a second brother.Agent Horvath explains that another wannabe boss in the area needs tobe caught on tape with incriminating evidence so that they can put himaway. Joey and Tommy's brother Vincent will be given an easy deal IFTommy cooperates.Tommy returns to 10th and Wolf, his true home, and rekindles hisfriendship with Joey. But once in tight with him, Tommy's values towardfamily and friends comes creeping up. That he cares deeply for Joey isall too evident; he may even care more for Joey than he does his ownbrother, something that is touched on in the film.In the end, Tommy has to make a tough decision that is supposed to savehis brother, but put Joey in harms way. Not willing to let Joey gothrough the danger alone, Tommy accompanies him into an explosivesituation, only to learn that his brother Vincent's mortal coil mayhave been shed already.Although fairly predictable, the story has some wonderful actingmoments. Giovanni Ribisi was flawless as the cocky start-up Joey. Everyscene he was in felt electrified. There's one in particular that standsout. It is where he and Tommy stand near a fence toward the end of thefilm and Joey speaks of trust and those who wear wires for "the goodguys." It is a very touching and dangerous moment, because the audiencedoesn't know if Joey is going to kill Tommy or if his cold heartactually has a place for Tommy in it.That there aren't any "big bosses" around adds a tension to the flickthat is often lacking in other more gratuitously violent mafiosomovies. Joey and another small time crook are trying to becomegodfathers of their own in the small community, and it is their battleswith the past, as much as with each other, that makes this film standout above its predecessors.

Billy McLellan 2013-05-20 14:59:57

straight to USA?

What an awful film. I caught a screening of it last night in Irvine,CA. I think the filmmakers would be lucky if it made it straight to USAor FX. It's not even good enough for Showtime. Seriously though. Everycliché in existence is thrown in, combined with REALLY bad acting andREALLY bad cameos from Val Kilmer and Dennis Hopper. What a waste oftime. The worst performance in the film probably comes from Lesley AnnWarren, who acts all Jennifer Coolidge-esquire in an over-the-top role.After seeing this movie, everyone will know that Paul Haggis is thereal brains behind "Crash," because what Bobby Moresco wrote here comesstraight from the lame examples you would find in a book on how towrite a screenplay. Trust me, and don't waste your time on this movieif it ever ends up coming to a theater near you, which it probablywon't. This was pure trash.

lastliberal 2013-05-20 08:59:57

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Basic story here is one of situational ethics.This is the kind of thingthat the right-wing nut-jobs on radio and TV decry except when it isused to do things like fight drugs or find terrorists.In this movie James Marsden plays a returning Desert Storm vet that gotin trouble and is used by the government (Brian Dennehy & Leo Rossi) torejoin his brother and friend (Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro) toinfiltrate the Philadelphia mob and bring down the drug lord. Tortureand murder are government-approved for this purpose.Marsden and Ribisi do excellent jobs here, and this is the best work Ihave seen by Piper Perabo. It even has a cameo by Tommy Lee, whichwould have been much better is it was Pamela instead.

lynn-ash 2013-05-13 01:08:35

A story of betrayal masked as a mob story.

Although this movie seems to be a mob story, the theme of this film isbetrayal. Tommy, the protagonist-narrator, had a boyhood hero- hisfather, who was the first to betray him. So when his father was killedbefore his eyes, his child-mind figured he had it coming to him. He andhis brother, Vinny, now orphans, go to live with his cousin Joey'sfamily, and he saw Joey's mother betray her husband and ultimately herson. The first villain was Uncle Matty, who cuckolded Joey's father,and then killed him, lying to Joey as to who did it. Joey depended onTommy's friendship, but Tommy's angst propelled him into the Marines,where his government and president betrayed him by not crushing Saddamin the first Iraq war. He winds up in a military prison, faced with long imprisonment. BrianDennehy's law enforcement "bail-out" was also a lie, because Vinny'sinvolvement in crime was not revealed until it was too late for Tommyto back out of his spying on the family "business" for the FBI, andthen he was forced into wearing a "wire."His family welcomes him home, not realizing his dual role of spy andhelper in the "business." He is trying to save them, but he's forced todo it in a backward manner. The only loyalty expressed and lived outwas that of his simple brother, Vinny, who pays the ultimate price forhis loyalty. The only way Tommy can prove himself with Joey, who hasbegun to suspect him, is to go into a suicidal mission to try todestroy Joey's head mob enemy, and the prize the FBI wants. Joey dies;Tommy survives. His only hope now is to leave the area with his new love and her son;her husband was also a victim of mob betrayal. "What doesn't kill youwill leave you stronger" is the final lesson from all this and theyleave town, hopefully to start over somewhere else.The acting was universally excellent, marking James Marsden's furtherdisplay as a serious actor in a serious adult film. Brad Renfro'sportrayal of the pathetic younger brother is all the more poignant; hewould die not long afterward. Ribisi played his role well. The morefamous actors: Dennehy, Hopper, Mihok, and Warren, to name a few, addedclass and stature to the film. This is my favorite Piper Peraboportrayal: she played a thoughtful and brave and a caring mother, aswell as a new bartender in a difficult situation. The directionportrayed moodiness and contrasts of color. One of my favorite sceneswas the opera aria, with Ribisi's reaction to it and Marsden trying tokeep a straight face. Truly enjoyable file, despite the subject matter.

2013-05-12 10:13:23

So What If It Wasn't Filmed In South Philly?

With due respect to Caesar Warrington, et al, who lamented the fact that this firm was not shot on location, how many films are? That's why sets were created to begin with. That's why films get shot in Vancouver. I can empathize with that area evidently being a close-knit community, but this was a Hollywood film, not a documentary. And it was a darn good one if you ask me. All the players stood out and the film kept me riveted. That's what I seek from a film, not whether it was authentically shot where the story takes place.

2013-05-11 21:26:16

The old neighborhood in..Pittsburgh?!

This is a moderately entertaining and acceptably acted film that, as mentioned before, has some credibility holes, both small ( a real Marine would laugh at the way the main character holds his gun ), and large ( if it was that easy to assault a mob boss's mansion, we'd ALL be kingpins ). Dennis Hopper fans should be warned that he appears for all of 10 seconds. As an honorary Philly boy, though, I should point out that, in order to 'capture the spirit' of a city, it helps if you actually shoot the film there..aside from the vocal accents being wrong, the exteriors were obviously done in Pittsburgh, Boston, or some other old NE city..I don't usually see foothills when I look north on Broad Street(!), and they could have at least painted the "SEPTA" bus white, even if they didn't have a copy of the logo..all in all, you'll have more fun watching a few episodes of "The Sopranos"..( exept the "Pine Barrens" episode; obviously shot at Delaware Water Gap! It's like real estate, people - location, location,..etc.! )

barrybush 2013-05-11 16:24:27

It's a sham

It was a mediocre movie with a good cast and lots of clichés. Plot wasnice, but predictable and unoriginal. Val Kilmer and Dennis Hopper weresimply there for BIG NAME billing and a waste of time. It was alsofunny to see Tommy Lee in a cameo. James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, andBrad Renfro were all excellent and were believable. I don't know, but Ithink Rocco was played by The Tony Luke, Jr. His roast pork sandwichesare fantastic.My main problem with the movie is that it was not filmed at 10th &Wolf. I grew up in Philadelphia and it looks nothing like the scenes inthe movie. Well, maybe they got a few street shots. There were too manybridges, streets too wide and too clean, and the properties were toowide to name a few examples. Even the scenes on 9th street (outside thebutcher shop scenes) were not filmed on the market that I know. It wasnot just a mediocre movie, but it was a sham.