Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2002
Ash Wednesday (2002 film)
Buy Ash Wednesday (2002 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Ash Wednesday' is a 2002 American crime drama film written, directed, and starring Edward Burns. The film also stars Elijah Wood and Rosario Dawson. The film is set in the Hell's Kitchen of the early 1980s and is about a pair of Irish-American brothers who become embroiled in a conflict with the Irish mob.
Plot
Hell's Kitchen on Ash Wednesday, 1983: As rumors are flying that Francis Sullivan's (Edward Burns) younger brother Sean (Elijah Wood) who has been presumed dead for three years, appeared out of nowhere. It was afraid that the old killers might take a second stab at Francis's and Sean's life. An upstart approaches the local mob boss, who is Francis's protector for a hit job. Sean's wife, Grace (Rosario Dawson) believed she was a widow all these years until Sean came back for her. The parish priest who was deceived initially, is feeling anxious. As bad guys with guns are closing in, Francis should get Sean and his wife out of the city. Can Francis avoid a war between rival factions, and hold onto a new found morality? Will the cross of ashes on his forehead protect him?
At the end, Francis helps Sean reunite with Grace and his son, Sean Jr., as they head out of the city together in the back of a van. But Francis decides to stay back to stop Moran (Oliver Platt). The film closes with Francis wiping the cross of ashes from his forehead. The final credit consists of Francis being shot dead, while stepping outside the pub as the sniper leaves the scene before the police arrives.
Cast
* Edward Burns as Francis "Fran" Sullivan
* Elijah Wood as Sean Sullivan
* Rosario Dawson as Grace Quinonez
* Oliver Platt as Moran
* James Handy as Father Mahoney
* Brian Burns as Mike Moran, Moran's Cousin
* Vincent Rubino as Vinny Boombata
* James Cummings as J.C. Moran, Moran's Brother
* Pat McNamara as "Murph" Murphy
* John DiResta as Pete
* Malachy McCourt as "Whitey" Smith
* Peter Gerety as Uncle Handy
* Brian Delate as George "Crazy George" Cullen
* Jimmy Burke as "Red" Kelly
* Teresa Yenque as Mrs. Diaz
* Julie Hale as Maggie Shea
* Kathleen Doyle as Mrs. Flanagan
* Marina Durell as Mrs. Quinonez
* Michael Mulhern as Detective Pulaski
* Michael Leydon Campbell as Jimmy Burke
* Dara Coleman as John Coleman
* Penny Balfour as Callie
* Kevin Kash as Paulie "Numbers"
* Gregg Bello as Larossa, Vinny's Brother
* Joe Lisi as Charlie, The Wiseguy
* Jack DeFuria as Sean "Little Sean" Sullivan Jr.
Critical reception and box office
The film received a 29% "rotten" rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The film was only released in two theaters and grossed less than $3,000.
References
Buy Ash Wednesday (2002 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2002