“Inspired by a true story” these words usually make me nervous. Why? It usually precedes an excuse for bad filmmaking. “10th & Wolf” inspired by the person that inspired the film “Donnie Brasco” doesn’t quite live up to the pedigree of that terrific film but it has a trio of terrific performances, strong cameos and a well written script/direction strong enough to make it a memorable film that could hold its own compared to similar tales. This sleeper mob movie deserves a wider audience than it received in its limited theatrical release. ***

James Marsden plays Tommy a street hood who returns to his home in Philadelphia after spending time in the military. He’s sucked back into the world he left behind coming into conflict with the very mob boss that forced him to escape to the military in the first place. He finds that his cousin Joey (Giovanni Ribisi in a riveting performance) has risen within the ranks from street hood to a mob boss himself. A pair of FBI agents (Brian Dennehy and Leo Rossi) push Tommy into becoming an informant against his family. As Tommy digs deeper into his cousin’s “business” he finds himself conflicted between loyalty to his family and betraying them to the FBI agents on his case. Marsden (“X-Men”, “Superman Returns”) gives a marvelous, complex performance that really surprised me. Director Bobb Moresco (co-screenwriter of “Crash”, co-producer of “Million Dollar Baby” and a former writer on the TV series “Millennium”) does a marvelous job of portraying the conflicted world of Tommy. Co-written with actor/writer Allan Steele (“NYPD Blue”) the script has an authentic ring to its tone. “10th & Wolf” surprised me with a number of terrific performances and top notch writing and direction. ---

Image & Sound:

“10th & Wolf” looks extremely good in this transfer. Much of the film takes place in dark alleys and at night but the film has remarkably good clarity and detail. There are occasional issues with edge enhancement but on the whole “10th & Wolf” looks quite good. Audio comes across with nice clarity and detail in the surround mix. We get both a 5.1 and 2.0 mix of the soundtrack. ---

We get a marvelous commentary track with Moresco discussing everything from the way things were shot (including how locations that occur again were lit and shot based on the changing dynamics of the story and characters) to changes in the script, improvised scenes, etc. FBI Agent Joe Pistone who provided the inspiration for “Donnie Brasco” discusses how he came across the people that provided the inspiration for this different and unique story covering similar ground. ***

We also get deleted scenes and a solid “Behind-the-Scenes” featurette about the making of the movie featuring the usual talking heads. What’s interesting is hearing the cast and crew discuss the challenges of making this type of movie and trying to bring a fresh perspective to a genre that has been overdone in the past twenty years. There is also a trailer gallery included as well. ---

Final Words: