Little Odessa

Director: James Gray James Gray

Overview

"A hit man must choose between the lure of crime and family loyalty in this stark crime drama from Artisan. Presented in 1.33:1 pan and scan and featuring a closed captioned English Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack, this release features an outstanding performance by Tim Roth."

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2002
UPC:	0012236120551
Original Release:	1994
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	44,807

Special Features

Full Frame version; 2.0 Dolby Stereo Surround; Scene index; Interactive menus; Digitally mastered

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tim Roth	Joshua Shapira
Edward Furlong	Reuben Shapira
Moira Kelly	Alla Shustervich
Vanessa Redgrave	Irina Shapira
Maximilian Schell	Arkady Shapira
Paul Guilfoyle	Boris Volkoff
David Vadim	Sasha
Mina Bern	Großmutter Tsilya
Boris McGiver	Ivan
Mohammed Ghaffari	Pahlevi
Michael Khumrev	Yuri
Dmitry Preyers	Victor
David Ross	Anatoly
Ron Brice	Actor
Jace Kent	Actor
Marianna Lead	Clara
Gene Ruffini	Actor
Natalya Andreichenko	Actor
Matt Damon	Actor
Camille Cottin	Actor
Abigail Breslin	Actor
Lilou Siauvaud	Actor
Deanna Dunagan	Actor
Idir Azougli	Actor
Anne Le Ny	Actor
Moussa Maaskri	Actor
Isabelle Tanakil	Actor
Naidra Ayadi	Actor

Technical Credits

James Gray

James Gray	Director,Screenwriter
Paul Webster	Producer
Claudia Lewis	Executive Producer
Rolf Mittweg	Executive Producer
Nick Wechsler	Executive Producer
Drew Jiritano	Special Effects
Douglas Abiel	Casting
Roy Farfel	Stunts
Liza Chasin	Producer
Steve Golin	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Given its star, aesthetics, and date of release, it may come as no surprise that Little Odessa was nearly relegated to obscurity shortly after its original theatrical run in mid-1994. Those expecting an energetic, Tarantino-style crime film may have recoiled at this broodingly bleak, somber tale of an unfeeling professional killer who returns to his childhood neighborhood in Brighton Beach to perform a job, though those with the patience to give this quietly desperate, introspective gem a chance will find a somber but rewarding tale of moral decay and its repercussions on loved ones. As the killer in question, Tim Roth provides a quiet and expressive low-key performance which richly visualizes his struggle to connect with his family and old flame. His desperation to be understood is off-balanced by an emotional wall of ice he has created in order to effectively carry out his work; Roth's quiet desperation resulting from his inability to communicate with those closest to him provides viewers with a chilly sense of impending doom. As he interacts with his admiring younger brother (an effective performance by the sometimes shrill Edward Furlong) and his hardened love interest, Roth's expressive manner quietly conveys everything that his character can't verbalize. Cinematographer Tom Richmond's muted color scheme externalizes the dank emptiness of his subjects' souls, effectively projecting their despair onto the surroundings they inhabit, and rendering the scenes with Roth's dying mother and conflicted father heart-wrenchingly real. This case should also be made for the punctuated and decidedly non-glamorous violence in the film. A thankful contrast to the flood of stylishly violent crime films that came in the wake of Tarantino's films, Little Odessa's violence is present to serve a purpose, making it all the more effective and horrifying when characters do ultimately succumb to its deceptively seductive and ultimately soul-shredding allure.