Talk about a film that has been maligned and mistreated. Bronx-born Abel Ferrara had to get financing from France to get this otherwise all-american film made. This is the director of Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, The Addiction and The Funeral, all amerindie darlings. 'R XMAS opened in two screens in L.A. and N.Y. and video last November and barely got any notice. It features drug dealers who are happily-married, altruistic, devout catholics with a rich family life. This is not a thriller, it is a crime drama with strong sense of its time and place, NYC in '93. Ferrara is still using DP Ken Kelsch but couldn't find a part for Chris Walken this time. Soprano regular Drea De Matteo excels here as "the Wife" surrounded by a mostly latino cast. The film is not devoid of incident but it refuses to pander to the violence-and-action crowd. 'R Xmas keeps the focus on the quotidian, the little moral dilemmas, the texture of life, verisimilitude triumphs over artifice. The film deserved at least some attention. Ferrara will be heard from again.