A fairly raw, dark comedy, "Gravesend" is the kind of a cocky, seat-of-the-pants enterprise that makes up in sheer moxie what it may lack in originality.
Writer-director Salvatore Stabile, who's already being hailed as a baby Scorsese or a teen Tarantino -- he was 19 when he began this shoestring shoot -- makes little effort to disguise those influences (plus a little Cassavetes thrown in for good measure), but there's unmistakably a unique voice somewhere in the mix.
As a first-time director, meanwhile, Stabile's impressive blend of 16mm and Hi-8 on a $5,000 budget has not only attracted the attention of Oliver Stone (who's presenting the picture) and Steven Spielberg (who has rewarded him with a two-picture DreamWorks SKG deal) but should serve as renewed inspiration for would-be independent filmmakers everywhere.
Kind of a mini-"Mean Streets", "Gravesend" tells the story of four more-or-less delinquent Brooklyn buddies, namely Zane (Tony Tucci), Ray (Michael Parducci), Chicken (Tom Malloy) and Mikey (Thomas Brandise), whose go-nowhere lives abruptly begin to spin out of control when they find themselves with a fresh body on their hands.
After hothead Zane fatally shoots Ray's Big Brother, the close-knit group decides to avoid the hassle of calling the cops and dispose of the body themselves with a little help from Zane's associate JoJo the Junkie (Macky Aquilino).
JoJo would be happy to oblige by burying the body in his brother's cemetery, provided the boys come up with "$500 and one thumb." Scraping together the cash part of the deal proves to be a challenge that will take up the rest of the picture and result in adding a couple of more bodies along the way.
Narrated by an unseen fifth buddy (the filmmaker himself), the vehicle is full of the kind of in-your-face dialogue and gesturing that is the hallmark of Stabile's predecessors, but he does have something original to say about the kinds of things that keep friends together, even when they essentially dislike each other. And, at least until the overly sober ending, he also demonstrates an acute wit that goes a long way in fleshing out potentially stock characters.
He's helped considerably in that end by an extremely capable cast led off by Tucci (both physically and emotionally the DeNiro of the bunch) as the resident Loose Cannon, while Parducci, Malloy and Brandise, as the sensitive Mikey, all have their moments. Best of all is Aquilino as the shrugging JoJo. A retired city contractor, Aquilino is a natural, and Stabile would be wise to find a role for him in his future films.
GRAVESEND
Manga Entertainment
Island Digital Media
Oliver Stone presents a film by Salvatore Stabile
Director-screenwriter Salvatore Stabile
Executive producers Toni Ross,
Mark Ross & Daniel Edelman
Producer Salvatore Stabile
Director of photography Joseph Dell'Olio
Editors Miranda Devin & Salvatore Stabile
Music Bill Laswell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Zane Tony Tucci
Ray Michael Parducci
Chicken Tom Malloy
Mikey Thomas Brandise
JoJo the Junkie Macky Aquilino
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Writer-director Salvatore Stabile, who's already being hailed as a baby Scorsese or a teen Tarantino -- he was 19 when he began this shoestring shoot -- makes little effort to disguise those influences (plus a little Cassavetes thrown in for good measure), but there's unmistakably a unique voice somewhere in the mix.
As a first-time director, meanwhile, Stabile's impressive blend of 16mm and Hi-8 on a $5,000 budget has not only attracted the attention of Oliver Stone (who's presenting the picture) and Steven Spielberg (who has rewarded him with a two-picture DreamWorks SKG deal) but should serve as renewed inspiration for would-be independent filmmakers everywhere.
Kind of a mini-"Mean Streets", "Gravesend" tells the story of four more-or-less delinquent Brooklyn buddies, namely Zane (Tony Tucci), Ray (Michael Parducci), Chicken (Tom Malloy) and Mikey (Thomas Brandise), whose go-nowhere lives abruptly begin to spin out of control when they find themselves with a fresh body on their hands.
After hothead Zane fatally shoots Ray's Big Brother, the close-knit group decides to avoid the hassle of calling the cops and dispose of the body themselves with a little help from Zane's associate JoJo the Junkie (Macky Aquilino).
JoJo would be happy to oblige by burying the body in his brother's cemetery, provided the boys come up with "$500 and one thumb." Scraping together the cash part of the deal proves to be a challenge that will take up the rest of the picture and result in adding a couple of more bodies along the way.
Narrated by an unseen fifth buddy (the filmmaker himself), the vehicle is full of the kind of in-your-face dialogue and gesturing that is the hallmark of Stabile's predecessors, but he does have something original to say about the kinds of things that keep friends together, even when they essentially dislike each other. And, at least until the overly sober ending, he also demonstrates an acute wit that goes a long way in fleshing out potentially stock characters.
He's helped considerably in that end by an extremely capable cast led off by Tucci (both physically and emotionally the DeNiro of the bunch) as the resident Loose Cannon, while Parducci, Malloy and Brandise, as the sensitive Mikey, all have their moments. Best of all is Aquilino as the shrugging JoJo. A retired city contractor, Aquilino is a natural, and Stabile would be wise to find a role for him in his future films.
GRAVESEND
Manga Entertainment
Island Digital Media
Oliver Stone presents a film by Salvatore Stabile
Director-screenwriter Salvatore Stabile
Executive producers Toni Ross,
Mark Ross & Daniel Edelman
Producer Salvatore Stabile
Director of photography Joseph Dell'Olio
Editors Miranda Devin & Salvatore Stabile
Music Bill Laswell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Zane Tony Tucci
Ray Michael Parducci
Chicken Tom Malloy
Mikey Thomas Brandise
JoJo the Junkie Macky Aquilino
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/16/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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