American Cousins

When they run afoul of the Ukrainian mob during an international summit of organized-crime figures, American wiseguys Settimo (Dan Hedaya) and Tony (Vincent Pastore) decide to go underground until things cool off. The pair select Glasgow as a hiding place, taking refuge with Settimo's distant cousin, mild-mannered café owner Roberto (Gerald Lepkowski). Reminiscent of Bill Forsyth's Local Hero, this amiable comedy is full of fairly obvious culture-clash gags, but it also gives character actor Hedaya a sizable role in which he acquits himself nicely. Although filmmaker Don Coutts' American Cousins failed to secure theatrical distribution, it's been making the film-festival circuit and has picked up a few prizes. Recommended. (E. Hulse)