Gravesend (film)

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Gravesend

DVD release cover

Directed by Salvatore Stabile

Produced by Daniel Endelman

Tori Ross

Mark Ross

Salvatore Stabile

Written by Salvatore Stabile

Starring Anthony Tucci

Tom Malloy

Thomas Bradise

Michael Parducci

Music by Bill Laswell

Edited by Miranda Devin

Salvatore Stabile

Distributed by Palm Pictures

Release date

1996 (Seattle International Film Festival)

Running time

85 Minutes

CountryUnited States

Language English

Budget $65,000[1]

Gravesend is a 1996 criminal drama film directed by Salvatore Stabile.

Plot summary

After a quick narration by director Stabile, as well as a flash forward, the film's plot begins with Zane,
Mikey, Ray, and Chicken spending a Saturday night in Ray's basement. Throughout the film, the
backgrounds of the four young men are explained by Stabile during scenes which pertain to the
respected characters the most: Ray's parents died while he was young, which left him to be raised by his
older brother Mark. Their upbringing together was bitter and would result in violent tendencies to grow
between them. Zane grew up without a father, and had trouble staying in schools before ultimately
being kicked out of his mother's house due to his behavior. Chicken developed drug habits at an early
age as a result of witnessing the murder of his older brother, and his mother abandoned him when he
was 15. Mikey, who experienced his parent's miserable marriage firsthand, was often humiliated and
abused by the rest of the group and had at least two previous instances in which he attempted to
commit suicide.

Early into their night, the four get into an argument which wakes up Mark and leads to him getting into
a fight with Zane. In attempt to intimidate Mark, Zane points what he believed to be an unloaded pistol
at him, resulting in Mark being fatally shot by accident. The group contemplates sending Mark to a
hospital or contacting authorities, however Zane instead forces the group to have the corpse be buried
by his associate JoJo the Junkie out of fear of being arrested for murder. Naturally this would cause
severe tensions to grow between Ray and Zane, with the two splitting the group into factions
throughout the rest of the movie.

After getting into a fight and avoiding getting their car towed away, the group convinces JoJo to help.
JoJo, a local drug dealer with a history of violence and arrests, agrees to bury Mark's body for a payment
of $500 and a severed thumb. The group spends the rest of the night doing various criminal acts in
attempt to scrap up money, such as a failed drug deal and an armed robbery at a convenience store.
Eventually, the group goes to Mikey's home to borrow money from his father, where they find him
having an affair with another woman. Getting into a heated argument, Mikey takes Zane's pistol and kills
both his father and the woman he's with, adding to the group's bodycount.

Finally, Mikey manages to borrow the money from his sister. JoJo, however, refuses to bury all three
bodies. Instead, the group leaves two of them at his basement and drives off with one in the trunk. They
park the car nearby the beach, sleeping for the rest of the night. The next morning, Mikey leaves the
group to jump off a bridge onto a freeway below, killing himself. Zane shoots Ray, and Chicken shoots
Zane while he attempts to dump Ray's body in the car. Chicken finally douses the car and the bodies in
gasoline, setting it on fire which kills him as well. The film concludes with Stabile explaining that he
moved out of Gravesend afterwards, and that the police investigation ended after a few months of
questioning.
Production

Gravesend initially started as a novel written by Salvatore Stabile at the age 15, with the characters
partially inspired by close friends of his.[1] Stabile, who later attended a film course at New York
University, was inspired to turn the story into a movie after watching Kevin Smiths Clerks.[2] Using
$5,000 in inheritance he received from his grandmother's passing, filming for the feature began in 1994
and took about three years to complete, with only a 16mm camera utilized due to costs. Due to the tight
budget, Stabile was only able to hire actors willing to perform for free.[2][1] After gaining the attention
of investors with the yet-to-be-finished material, Stabile was granted an addition $60,000 to use for
post-production, and eventually Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone convinced Manga Entertainment and
Island Digital to distribute it after meeting Stabile.

Release and reception

The film made its screen debut during the 1996 Seattle International Film Festival, and it later made its
European debut at the London Film Festival. After acquiring the distribution deal, the film received
another screening in New York on September 5, 1997,[3] and later began screening in Los Angeles later
that month.[1] In 1998, the film was released on home video VHS and DVD formats through Palm
Pictures.

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a "certified fresh" score of 60% based on 10 critic reviews.[4] Roger Ebert
gave the film two stars out of a possible four, concluding his review by stating that "there are flashes of
life here, a feeling of immediacy in the camera style, a lot of energy--and promise. But it’s not yet the
movie he’s probably capable of."[5] Writing for The New York Times, Stephen Holden criticized the
movie's plot and characters, ultimately dismissing it.[6]

Soundtrack

Music from the Motion Picture Gravesend

Soundtrack album by Various

Released August 19, 1997

Genre Alternative rock, hip hop, rap metal

Length 53:33

Label Island Records

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source Rating

AllMusic 3/5 stars[7]

To promote the film, a soundtrack album was released through Island Records. It combines the score
(composed by Bill Laswell) with tracks contributed by various artists. A music video for Lordz of
Brooklyns track "Gravesend (Lake of Fire)" was produced, featuring clips from the film.

Tracklisting

No. Title Artist Length

1. "Not Another Saturday Night" 0:04

2. "Saturday Night Fever (Part 2)" Lordz of Brooklyn 3:16

3. "Joe Joe's Place" 0:27

4. "Ninth Symphony" Call O' da Wild featuring Cypress Hill 2:45

5. "And a Thumb" 0:17

6. "Gravesend (Lake of Fire)" Lordz of Brooklyn 4:34

7. "And Three Thumbs" 0:17

8. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Local H 2:33

9. "Stupid" 0:15

10. "Kingdom Come" Lordz of Brooklyn 4:23

11. "Pussy" 0:26

12. "Some Nights (Are Better than Others)" Everlast 2:49

13. "Mary (the Slut)" 0:56

14. "Tag Along" Local H 2:49

15. "Mother" 0:22

16. "Multiply the Heartaches" Cake 2:47

17. "Brooklyn Lullaby" Lordz of Brooklyn 4:51

18. "Heaven" Jake 4:13

19. "The Abyss" Bill Laswell 1:31

20. "Gravesend Theme" Bill Laswell 2:09

21. "Sleepless Nights" Bill Laswell 1:43

22. "El Mariachi Loco" Bill Laswell 1:53

23. "Gravesend Prelude" Bill Laswell 1:09

24. "Gravesend Symphony" Bill Laswell 0:46

25. "Arch Angels" Bill Laswell 1:53

26. "Gravesend Theme" Bill Laswell 3:26

Cast

Anthony Tucci as Zane

Tom Malloy as Chicken

Thomas Bradise as Mikey

Michael Parducci as Ray

Sean Quinn as Mark

Mackey Aquilino as JoJo the Junkie

Carmel Altomare as Zane's Mother

Teresa Spinelli as Zane's Grandmother

Glen Sparer as Tow Truck Driver

David Auerbach as Tony

Mirada Devin as Mary

Maurice Carr as Terrance

Gregg Bello as the Cop

Anne Rollins as Mikey'S Sister

Armando J. Cerabino as Mikey's Father

Kira Burke as the Father's Girlfriend

Jinn S. Kim as the Store Clerk

Frits Zernike as the Convenience Store Customer

Gil Machucha as the Mexican Shop Owner

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Gravesend (film)