Rating: 
Summary: "Ash" burns
Review: It's gritty. It's dirty. It's violent and scary. It has little ash crosses on it. In a nutshell, it's Edward Burns' latest movie, "Ash Wednesday," a surprisingly poignant and thrilling action movie about two Irish-American brothers caught in a very dangerous position. Though it's a little uneven, especially in the first half, the intensity makes it worth seeing.The date is Ash Wednesday, 1980. The place: Hell's Kitchen. Sean Sullivan (Elijah Wood) is tending bar when he overhears three thugs plotting to kill his brother Francis (Edward Burns). So takes out a gun and kills all three of them to keep Francis alive. After that night, everyone hears that Sean is dead, and life continues for Francis and Sean's young wife (Rosario Dawson) for three years. What no one knows is that Sean is really alive. And soon Francis begins to hear rumors that Sean has been seen hanging around the neighborhood. Little brother wants his wife back (unaware that he now has a baby son). Problem is, if he is still alive, then there are some scores yet to be settled. And Francis may have to pay the price to keep his family safe. Revenge stories have been with us since... well, a very long time. And "Ash Wednesday" is noteworthy less for the complexity of its story (it really doesn't have any) than for HOW it's told. Family loyalty in movies is something that can rarely be done without sappiness, but amazingly Burns strips it down and makes it very moving. The first half is kind of slow, with a lot of Burns walking around and looking grim. But things pick up and compensate in the second half with more guns, dangerous strangers and family problems. Burns' directorial style is as gritty and shadowy as the place he sets his film in; the brief twenty-day shooting schedule probably added to the feeling of urgency. Symbolism abounds in Burns' latest flick; for example the ash crosses, part of a Roman Catholic ritual right before Lent, serve as a reminder of mortality. During some of the most important (and potentially deadly) scenes, Burns and Wood have those marks on their foreheads. It's a nice extra dimension, considering that most action flicks don't have more than one or two levels on them. Burns does an excellent job with a character who has a rather rotten past, and now has a need to protect the people he loves. Wood doesn't appear for much of the movie, but does an exceptional job when he does; his wide range is evident through the movie, whether he's cooing at his baby son or snarling as he guns down the thugs. Dawson doesn't really have a chance to do much, but is quite good with the confusion her character feels. Burns' sharp-edged flick about choices and loyalty goes a bit deeper than your average revenge flick. Though flawed by an uneven pace and simple story, "Ash Wednesday" is well-acted and very compelling. Certainly worth a watch.
Rating:
Summary: No Blarney
Review: Nicely turned crime drama concerning vendetta among the Hell's Kitchen Irish. Directed by Burns (who also handled the script, I believe), but by no means an "actor's film" as in Sean Penn's various follies. Burns has a good eye, an excellent sense of place, and a full understanding of the camera.
Which is not to slight the acting. Burns himself is fine and understated in the lead, Elijah Wood (after a few false minutes) demonstrates that there is life after childhood, there's a surprisingly good turn by Malachy McCourt as a Mick crime lord, and Oliver Platt cements his status as evil heavyweight of the decade.
I understand that Burns has a "Long Island Trilogy" already under his belt, which I intend to check out soonest. If this one's any indication, Burns is a man to watch.
...and a fine St. Paddy's Day to you all.
Rating:
Summary: "Ash Wednesday" by Edward Burns
Review: Perhaps my opinion is biased because I am a huge Edward Burns fan but I truely enjoyed "Ash Wednesday". It's dark and haunting quality makes it very different from Burns earlier works. The music is great and the cast is phenomenal. I would have liked to see a more intimate relationship between Francis and little Sean and I am suprised that he neglected to address this since it could have been pivotal to the storyline. As screenwriter, director and the star of the film, it is his call as to which direction he takes with his characters. A good example of this is Claudia in "No Looking Back" and Francis in "Ash Wednesday" but it would be interesting to hear his take on where he chooses his characters to go, both emotionally and physically. "Ash Wednesday" will not leave you with that "happily ever after" feeling but I give it 4 stars and will be proud to add it to my growing collection of Edward Burn's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Ash Wednesday ... crashed and burned!
Review: Please unless you like hearing the "F" word every other minute, or you are so bored that you are thinking of lying down in the middle of a busy street or you are so in love with Elijah Wood that you must have this movie ... Save your money because "Ash Wednesday" crashed and burned! Wood is the only good part of this movie. I even understand why he wanted to do it as it places him in an adult role and not as an innocent goodie two shoes youth. Wood is good in this movie as are a few of the other actors. However actor talent just wasn't enough to get past a bad script. I am not joking about the use of the "F" word, it was so over used and the film was so boring that my friends & I decided that it would make a great drinking game ... One shot for every time someone says the "F" word, two shots for when Elijah Wood's character says it and three shots for the one and only use of the word
"s#@t". Again if you love Elijah and want this for your collection then have at it.
Rating:
Summary: Ash Wednesday ... crashed and burned!
Review: Please unless you like hearing the "F" word every other minute, or you are so bored that you are thinking of lying down in the middle of a busy street or you are so in love with Elijah Wood that you must have this movie ... Save your money because "Ash Wednesday" crashed and burned! Wood is the only good part of this movie. I even understand why he wanted to do it as it places him in an adult role and not as an innocent goodie two shoes youth. Wood is good in this movie as are a few of the other actors. However actor talent just wasn't enough to get past a bad script. I am not joking about the use of the "F" word, it was so over used and the film was so boring that my friends & I decided that it would make a great drinking game ... One shot for every time someone says the "F" word, two shots for when Elijah Wood's character says it and three shots for the one and only use of the word
"s#@t". Again if you love Elijah and want this for your collection then have at it.
Rating:
Summary: Frodo in Hell's Kitchen??
Review: The good news is that this endeavor should finally put to rest any lingering thought that Edward Burns has any particular talent, writing or otherwise. Maybe now he'll just go away. Bad casting, mindless storyline, repetitiously, inane dialogue, and a grating score are the foundation of this waste of film.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting mood piece, not much of a crime drama
Review: This Edward Burns movie tries to investigate a subject that is close to its creator's heart - lives of Irish Catholic brothers in NYC.
This may cause a lot of people to see Burns as a one hit wonder, since his movies & characters do seem to have a lot in common - so much, in fact, that the stories themselves might not be the movies' main attraction for people who can't destinguish the smaller details between them.
Having said that on the story, the other aspects of the movie aren't that bad, actually. The acting seems genuine - including Elijah Wood (in his first post Frodo role) which has the innocent look to carry off his character. The mood & environment are very well established.
Edward Burns' commentary track may be of special interest to people who are interested in the making of indie / low budget films, even though I think this subject comes up in many of his commentaries.
Rating: 
Summary: Yo, Edward!
Review: This is an extraordinary film, considering that it was shot in only 20 days for a cost of two and a half million. It obviously wasn't a 'Something for Everyone' film, manufactured for the same crowd that scarfs up Brittany Spears records, buys into the 'Atkins' diet, or enjoys watching 'reality' shows on television. That alone is refreshing.
I enjoyed 'Ash Wednesday' thoroughly. However, I'm sure that this film will have a narrower demographic appeal than films like 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Star Wars', simply because of the religious, ethnic and class issues that define the structure of 'Ash Wednesday'. If your background is something other than Irish Catholic, you're not male, and you're not familiar with life in the big city, then you'll probably have to work at understanding the film's characters and the story itself.
Ed Burns is Francis Sullivan, the oldest son of a union boss, a former longshoreman, and a first-class killer. Elijah Wood is Sean Sullivan, Francis' younger brother, a killer by default. Sean is exiled to a place somewhere out of the neighborhood for his own good, but one day, he returns to Hell's Kitchen and the story begins. Without going into a plot synopsis (I'm not going to explain something you can see for yourself), I will say that the plot is character-driven, and that it unfolds in a very logical manner. The story is well thought out, and as a writer myself, I appreciate Burn's craftsmanship.
Burns (as always) is enjoyable to watch, and Elijah Wood is believable as Sean. Unlike other reviewers, I thought that the casting was good. I didn't bother to see 'Lord of the Rings' because I just don't care for the juvenile premise of fantasy. I don't know anything about the character he played in 'Lord of the Rings', but if you think that someone of Wood's age, demeanor and appearance wouldn't be capable of multiple killings under duress, then you may want to do some reading about soldiers in combat.
Is a love relationship even feasible between Elijah Wood and Rosario Dawson? Well, considering what happened between Whoopie Goldberg and Ted Danson, why not?
The soundtrack was good, and so was the cinematography. As a director, Burns did a great job. The Director's commentary on the CD was extremely interesting and pointed out things about the production of the film that were less than obvious. As a comparison, 'Sleepers' was another film that dealt with some aspects of Hell's Kitchen, even though the story was vastly different. Even so, parts of 'Ash Wednesday' had the same sort of feel. Maybe it was the mindset.
I hope that Edward Burns continues to make films as well-crafted as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This movie had a very interesting plot. Though they say the "f" word quite afew times, it doesn't take away from the action filled Plot.Also Elijah Wood is my favorite Actor, and I think he does a very good job in this movie.
Rating:
Summary: not your usual action movie
Review: This movie isn't bursting with action, but after it's all through, you realize action is a part of it. The beginning of the film is kind of slow, but I think the speed fits in well with the rest of the story. The music in the movie, which is a beautiful piano track, is another factor in this movie doesn't make it feel like an action movie. It does, however, project just the right feeling. One of my favorite aspects of this movie is a chase scene in which the only sounds you can hear are the characters breathing and their thudding footsteps. This appealed to me because during the scene you realize that this chase is happening in a normal neighborhood, and gives you a surreal, sort of disturbed feeling. This made the scene much more interesting than the typical loud, booming music of action scenes that most movies fall to. Edward Burns does a convincing job of the turnaround criminal Francis. Francis's want to change but his need to protect those he loves and cares for gives us a sense of a man who has resigned to live with what he's been given. Elijah Wood is cast as Francis's brother Shawn, a young man in hiding who makes us realize that people can do anything out of love and fear for the people they care about. Shawn is portrayed as a man who has done something he'll always regret, but knows that he can't let that get in the way of him living the life he once knew. The only flaw with Shawn is that he seems somewhat naive to the danger that he is in. This is somewhat understandable, what with his immense want to return to his previous life, but still makes you wonder why he's not taking the stituation a bit more seriously. Rosario Dawson does a great job of conveying a confused, betrayed woman who's trying to figure out whether or not the right decision is the one she should choose. Overall, the performances by the entire cast fit in seamlessly with the movie's mood and theme. The ending of the movie gives a basic resoultion, but raises questions about what happens to the characters and what the characters' reactions would be. It also may raise questions about yourself. Most of all, the movie teaches us that revenge can be a way of life, but it doesn't have to be. It teaches us that whether or not the action is small or large, right or wrong, when it comes to our family, love is behind everything we do.
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