Federal Hill
Dir: Michael Corrente
1994
****
My initial reaction to this film was not good. I thought it was trying too hard to be arty by being in black and white but still set in the present day (1994). It's much the same reason why I didn't think much of Clerks when it came out but I think I am alone with that one and it soon won me over. The characters gain strength in every frame and the story never stifles. It's got that early 90's hoodlum/gangster style but without the cliches or overused story-lines. It's a great little indie that seems to have flown way under the radar. It's not perfect but I really enjoyed it and glad I stumbled across it recently.