Little Odessa **** (1994, Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Vanessa Redgrave) – Classic Movie Review 1453

Writer-director James Gray’s 1994 dysfunctional family drama is dark toned, chilly and depressing but highly impressive, both emotionally and visually.

It is spurred along with a superb Tim Roth performance as Joshua, a cold-blooded Russian immigrant professional hitman, who returns to live in his boyhood home of New York’s Brighton Beach to carry out a hit.

There are also four other first-rate acting turns – from Edward Furlong (as his kid brother Reuben), Moira Kelly (as his girlfriend Alla), and Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell (the last two as Roth’s dad and mom).

It is Gray’s first film, made at the age of just 25. It received excellent critical acclaim and was the winner of the Venice Film Festival’s prestigious Silver Lion Award in 1994. His next film is The Yards (2000), followed by We Own the Night (2007), Two Lovers (2008) and The Immigrant (2013). That’s jus five films in 20 years!

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1453

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