Little Odessa (James Gray)

Rating: 3.0

Solid little film buoyed by strong performances by Tim Roth, Edward 
Furlong, Vanessa Redgrave, and Maximilian Schell.  Remarkably (and 
admirably) restrained for a film about a hit man; this is the sort of 
low-key filmmaking that I almost always find absorbing, provided the 
script and the acting are up to snuff.  Gray made terrific use of the 
infamous New York blizzard of 1993--his Brighton Beach looks like 
Siberia.  Not as flashy a debut as those of Tarantino and Rodriguez, but 
quietly impressive in a way that suggests a potential first-rate 
director.  I'm eager to see his next film.