Ash Wednesday

PëRMBLEDHJE

Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan) produces, directs and stars in this routine New York-set tale about Irish-American family ties. At the time, however, it was the presence of Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood that generated the most interest, and may have accounted for the film's UK release almost 18 months after its American debut. Wood plays Sean Sullivan, a young man whose death has to be faked after he thwarts the attempted murder of his hoodlum brother Francis (Burns) by a rival gang. Three years later - on Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance - Francis has reformed and Sean daftly "resurrects" himself in order to woo back his wife (Rosario Dawson). And so all hell breaks loose in Hell's Kitchen. Overwrought and underwritten, this wasn't really suited to the big screen, but is worth a look on television.