Ash Wednesday (2002)reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
"Ash Wednesday" is about Francis Sullivan, played by Burns (Sidewalks of New York), who is a former Irish mob hit man. Now that he's cleaned up his act, he has to deal with rumors that his younger brother is in town, even though he was once believed dead. His younger brother Sean, played by Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings trilogy), killed a handful of local mafia thugs on their way to kill his older brother and their father. However, the truth is, Sean is actually in hiding, fearing mafia retaliation. He and his brother are planning to get him out of town for good, but not without his wife Grace, played by Rosario Dawson (Alexander). Conflict is added when we find out Francis and Grace had an affair and are now in love with each other. The messages of redemption are done before, but they are still nice to see in this low budget mob flick. Burns shows his strength more as a writer than as a director with this movie. "Ash Wednesday" is like "Road to Perdition" meets "Unforgiven" with a little bit of "State of Grace" thrown in. The characters are definitely stronger than the story. The picture is very well paced intense through the third act. The most amusing aspect of the picture is the fact that Elijah Wood cusses like crazy in nearly every scene he has. It's so awkward to see him perform with such a harsh mouth. Burns and Dawson make a nice on screen couple, but Wood and Dawson playing a married couple is simply not believable. Overall, the movie is a very good meager mafia "sins of the fathers" type, that's more street routed without the gangsters in double breasted suits, riding around in convertible cadillacs. I think it's very well worth renting, but if you're easily offended by harsh language, I'd stay clear of this one. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
This movie is writer/director Edward Burns' darkest yet, involving ethnic mafia tension, blanketed with a religious aire.