`GRAVESEND' LOOKS LIKE START OF IMPRESSIVE BODY OF WORK.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic

``Gravesend'' is the flavor-of-the-month movie of the year. A rough, no-budget item from nowhere - more specifically, from the no-future neighborhood of Gravesend, Brooklyn, and the fertile young mind of 22-year-old writer-director-producer Salvatore Stabile - the movie has attracted the interest of Oliver Stone (who lent his name to the film's release) and Steven Spielberg (who's offered Stabile a two-picture development deal), among other industry notables.

Of course, there have been hyperbolic comparisons to early Scorsese and Tarantino as well. And while Stabile may not be quite in that bursting-with-fully-formed-talent range, ``Gravesend'' does show a lot of promise and a particularly good eye for stupid urban behavior. It's raw, funny and ultimately appalling, with a palpable feel for the jangly itch of self-destructive hopelessness.

All jumpy and hand-held, the film follows the misadventures of four idiots driving around all night with a dead body in the trunk. The corpse is the older brother of Ray (Michael Parducci), who seems less perturbed by losing a despised sibling than he does about just what a pain it is to dump the body so they won't get caught.

Zane (Tony Tucci, a terrifically charismatic and talented newcomer) accidentally shot Ray's brother because, well, he thought the gun wasn't loaded. ``Zane wasn't well-liked; we were his friends, and we didn't like him,'' Stabile intones on the movie's voice-over narration track (the young filmmaker, who likes to make up stories about himself, wants it to seem like this really happened to people he knew).

As Tucci plays him, Zane is indeed no prize, yet he dominates his circle of losers - Tom Malloy and Thomas Brandise play the others - by a combination of fast talk, hair-trigger personality shifts and, unusual for a sociopath, his crying need to be accepted by someone, somewhere. There's a poignancy to his wheedling, violent bullying. Gradually, the three buddies grow in surprising, distinctive detail as well.

The language is relentless, and the situation spirals into ever more absurd brutality, relieved by a comically botched convenience-store robbery here and fights with old girlfriends there. And while comparisons will inevitably be made to ``Mean Streets'' - as they are with every movie about screwed-up New York youth - Stabile and his ensemble have a fresh, unique perspective, simultaneously less civilized and more innocently sympathetic.

Most of all, though, Stabile captures the anything-can-happen thrill of cruising for trouble with bad companions. His vehicle may be too extreme for some tastes, but it's hardly unbelievable. Coupled with the inkiest of dark humor - the body-disposal guy demands more money than these mooks will ever get, plus one thumb per corpse (yes, more pile up) - Stabile's tonal and character control make ``Gravesend'' one flavor of the month with an aftertaste to savor.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Gravesend'' (R; violence, language, drug use).

The stars: Tony Tucci, Michael Parducci, Tom Malloy, Tom Brandise.

Behind the scenes: Written, directed and produced by Salvatore Stabile. Released by Island Digital Media.

Running time: One hour, 25 minutes.

Playing: UA Warner Center, Woodland Hills; UA Westwood; Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica.

Our rating: Three Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Tony Tucci, left, Michael Parducci, Tom Brandise and Tom Malloy in ``Gravesend.''