Ash Wednesday (2002 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Ash Wednesday

| image = Ashwednesday2002poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Film poster

| director = Edward Burns

| producer = Edward Burns
Margot Bridger

| writer = Edward Burns

| starring = Edward Burns
Elijah Wood
Rosario Dawson
Oliver Platt

| music = David Shire

| cinematography = Russell Lee Fine

| editing = David Greenwald

| studio = Malboro Road Gang Productions

| distributor = Focus Features
IFC Productions

| released = {{Film date|2002|5|11|Tribeca|2002|10|11|}}

| runtime = 99 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English
Spanish

| budget =

| gross = $2,942

}}

Ash Wednesday is a 2002 American crime drama film written and directed by Edward Burns. It stars Burns alongside Elijah Wood and Rosario Dawson.{{Cite web |title=Ash Wednesday (2001) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8620e2fa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123164600/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8620e2fa |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 January 2021 |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=BFI |language=en}} The film is set in the early 1980s in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and tells the story of a pair of Irish-American brothers who become embroiled in a conflict with the Irish mob.

Plot

In Hell's Kitchen on Ash Wednesday in 1983, rumors are spreading that Francis Sullivan's (Edward Burns) younger brother Sean (Elijah Wood), who has been presumed dead for three years, has reappeared. However, when it seems that Sean's life might be in danger again, Francis helps to get Sean and his wife Grace (Rosario Dawson) out of the city while avoiding a war between rival factions. However, Francis stays back to stop Moran (Oliver Platt). The film closes with Francis wiping the cross of ashes from his forehead before stepping outside the pub and being killed by a gunshot.

Cast

{{castlist|

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 holds a 25% "rotten" rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes based on an aggregate score of 16 reviews.{{rotten-tomatoes|1119133-ash_wednesday|Ash Wednesday}} On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 40 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews.{{Citation |title=Ash Wednesday |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ash-wednesday |access-date=2022-12-10}} The film was released in two theaters and grossed less than $3,000.