American Cousins (2003)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Don Coutts

Writer:

Sergio Casci (writer)

Release Date:

28 November 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Family | Romance | Fantasy

Plot:

Two American mafiosi, Gino and Settimo, take refuge in the Glasgow cafe owned by their Scottish/Italian cousin...

Awards:

7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Gerald Lepkowski	...	Roberto
Shirley Henderson	...	Alice
Danny Nucci	...	Gino
Vincent Pastore	...	Tony
Eva Coutts	...	Young Sundae Girl
Dan Hedaya	...	Settimo
Russell Hunter	...	Nonno
Stevan Rimkus	...	JoJo
Olegar Fedoro	...	Taras (Ukrainian Dad)
Alan McQueen	...	Ostap
George McNeilage	...	Andriy
Rab Reilly	...	Mikola
Stephen Graham	...	Henry
Jake Abraham	...	Vince
John Byrne	...	Customs Official

Runtime:

Greece:115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Bard Entertainments

Soundtrack:

Non Ho L'Eta Per Amarti

Thoughtful mobster-comedy-drama fusion with independent mentality

A pleasant diversion from the mostly shallow and obnoxious gangster genre, American Cousins is a welcome script for wiseguy scenarios, injecting a surprising amount of tenderness and authenticity into the limited budget release. Taking place mainly in Scotland, the story revolves around two US mafioso's who end up having to stash away in this grey-splattered alternate universe, substituting guns and drugs with fish and chips. It is a charming little niche film that got a moderate amount of low-key critical praise, but will likely find a tough time among American markets. The whole Eurofellas vibe, while quite appealing to anyone looking for different angles to detail these types of characters, will largely go unnoticed by most organized crime fans from an emphasis focusing on the intimate and subtly amusing aspects of these hoodlums journey. Also, the heavy Scottish accents, paired with a somewhat bleak production should all but guarantee the movie need not appeal to the chief demographic it was made for on this side of the pond, which might be a good thing.

While the film may not be a hit for the Sopranos set (despite the extended cameo from Vincent Pastore), the gentle and impressively nuanced talent found in this heartfelt synthesis of writer, director and acting overrides most of the film's shoddy production. In turns funny, heartfelt, and vengeful, potency found within this mild hybrid becomes solidified by the great casting choices exemplified by the understated romanticism of lead Gerald Lepkowski and anchored by an always gruffly adorable Dan Hedaya. Do not let the generic cover art fool you, this is about as indie and subtle the gangster drama has veered.