10th & Wolf (2006)

good back-story, and good acting

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The movie, mediocre at best. What a disappointment. Some great actors in not so great roles. I really think I started to lose interest every time I was reminded that the movie was NOT shot in Philadelphia. My mind would wander and take time to try to get back to the story. I really feel the movie lost its authenticity by not being filmed in Philly. I couldn't agree more with Sunee161. C'mon. Philly is one of the cheapest places to film ANYWHERE! Pittsburgh is a great city, but it's no Philly. The filmmakers had to keep reminding us of that with shots of mountains in the background, the Bud billboard with the Steelers logo on it, a route 837 North sign outside the Antique Gallery. REALLY??? Even the street signs didn't look like Philly. Ever hear of SECOND UNIT??? Couldn't you have used some stock Philly footage or some b-footage. How hard would the 5 1/2 hour DRIVE have been to get some real Philly footage? World War Z was shot in Glasgow, Scottland and looked more like Philly because at least they brought in newspaper honor boxes, parking signs, street signs and streetlights. Admittedly, the taxis were New York, not Philly. And jeffca from Ardmore, considering Philly was having it's "city wide government shutdown" I don't blame Knight for shooting Devil in Canada. He really wanted to shoot it in Philly like all the rest of his movies, but how long should he have waited, losing money, for Philly to get its act together. I agree, the film council has to be more aggressive and lure more film production to this city. I have a great idea for the producers of 10th & Wolf, how 'bout filming a movie that takes place in LA and shoot it in Paris. That should look convincing!

Although this movie seems to be a mob story, the theme of this film is betrayal. Tommy, the protagonist-narrator, had a boyhood hero- his father, who was the first to betray him. So when his father was killed before his eyes, his child-mind figured he had it coming to him. He and his brother, Vinny, now orphans, go to live with his cousin Joey's family, and he saw Joey's mother betray her husband and ultimately her son. The first villain was Uncle Matty, who cuckolded Joey's father, and then killed him, lying to Joey as to who did it. Joey depended on Tommy's friendship, but Tommy's angst propelled him into the Marines, where his government and president betrayed him by not crushing Saddam in the first Iraq war. He winds up in a military prison, faced with long imprisonment. Brian Dennehy's law enforcement "bail-out" was also a lie, because Vinny's involvement in crime was not revealed until it was too late for Tommy to back out of his spying on the family "business" for the FBI, and then he was forced into wearing a "wire."His family welcomes him home, not realizing his dual role of spy and helper in the "business." He is trying to save them, but he's forced to do it in a backward manner. The only loyalty expressed and lived out was that of his simple brother, Vinny, who pays the ultimate price for his loyalty. The only way Tommy can prove himself with Joey, who has begun to suspect him, is to go into a suicidal mission to try to destroy Joey's head mob enemy, and the prize the FBI wants. Joey dies; Tommy survives. His only hope now is to leave the area with his new love and her son; her husband was also a victim of mob betrayal. "What doesn't kill you will leave you stronger" is the final lesson from all this and they leave town, hopefully to start over somewhere else.The acting was universally excellent, marking James Marsden's further display as a serious actor in a serious adult film. Brad Renfro's portrayal of the pathetic younger brother is all the more poignant; he would die not long afterward. Ribisi played his role well. The more famous actors: Dennehy, Hopper, Mihok, and Warren, to name a few, added class and stature to the film. This is my favorite Piper Perabo portrayal: she played a thoughtful and brave and a caring mother, as well as a new bartender in a difficult situation. The direction portrayed moodiness and contrasts of color. One of my favorite scenes was the opera aria, with Ribisi's reaction to it and Marsden trying to keep a straight face. Truly enjoyable file, despite the subject matter.

Reading the cover the story seems un-original but with what seems a quality starring cast I viewed it without expecting much and upon the final scene I was right. First the use of Dennis Hopper and Val Kilmer whose parts totalled no more than five minutes, Val Kilmers character Murtha served absolutely no point what-so-ever and made me realise the only reason for the 2 big names was to give the film some oomph! The acting was good, and characters came across as believable and Giovvani Ribisi cast as a gangster boss broke the normal mafia mold. As for the rest of the film Brian Dennehy looks in his 70's, why would a man this old still be working frontline for the FBI? During the big gunfight no one ever re-loads their gun, Good guys are always winged in the arm or leg but still manage to hobble around in not much pain! Think how much a paper cut hurts not imagine a massive chunck of flesh gets torn away could you stand the pain and keep on going. I know this happens in most films but I'm looking for reality. On the whole average,average,average. Hire or buy Infernal Affairs or Departed instead

It was a mediocre movie with a good cast and lots of clichés. Plot was nice, but predictable and unoriginal. Val Kilmer and Dennis Hopper were simply there for BIG NAME billing and a waste of time. It was also funny to see Tommy Lee in a cameo. James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, and Brad Renfro were all excellent and were believable. I don't know, but I think Rocco was played by The Tony Luke, Jr. His roast pork sandwiches are fantastic.My main problem with the movie is that it was not filmed at 10th & Wolf. I grew up in Philadelphia and it looks nothing like the scenes in the movie. Well, maybe they got a few street shots. There were too many bridges, streets too wide and too clean, and the properties were too wide to name a few examples. Even the scenes on 9th street (outside the butcher shop scenes) were not filmed on the market that I know. It was not just a mediocre movie, but it was a sham.