Wisecracks, Red Vines and crime families; Hell’s Kitchen packs a lot into fifteen minutes of screen time. First time writer and director Steve Young gets off to an excellent start with this short film which will eventually form part of a full length feature.
Young wastes no time in exposing the characters for what they are: ruthless gangsters. The Redvine-munching, joke-telling Jimmy (played by Steve Young) brutally tortures a man who made the mistake of crossing him. Bloodied, beaten and then plunged into flames – this guy isn’t going to be causing more trouble any time soon. But the problems don’t end there. There’s still a rat on the ship. As the big boss, Jimmy (Serge De Nardo), wants it gone.
Set in New York, 1978, Hell’s Kitchen transports us back to a time of crime families, leather jackets and flares. The costumes are perfect for the film, fully immersing the viewer in the period. The locations are also excellent. The dingy junkyard providing a juxtaposition with the aged beauty of stained glass windows in the church.
The writing is witty and has depth; Young and Nardo both deliver speeches that are reminiscent of the great mobsters of film with great confidence. Steve Young, Serge De Nardo, Christopher Farrell, Andrew Lorenzo are all perfectly cast, capturing the blend of smooth criminal and total psychopath that makes for the most compelling of characters. The cinematography is excellent, creating visual parallelism within the frame that is violently disrupted when Jimmy discovers who the real rat is.
All elements of Hell’s Kitchen are expertly crafted and truly leave the audience wanting more. I really hope to see the feature length version of this film at some point in the future.
Watch the trailer below