“Crime is a Family Affair” is the tagline for Riff Raff, and damn if it doesn’t deliver on that promise. Dito Montiel’s latest film, adapted from John Pollono’s stage play and featuring an outstanding ensemble cast, is a genre-blending ride – equal parts dysfunctional family drama, crime thriller, and dark comedy.

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Ed Harris plays Vincent, a former criminal who’s managed to build a peaceful life with his wife, Sandy (Gabrielle Union), and their teenage son, DJ (Miles J. Harvey). As DJ prepares to leave for college, the family retreats to their remote cabin for some quality time – until Vincent’s estranged, screw-up son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) bursts onto the scene, dragging along his very pregnant girlfriend, Marina (Emanuela Postacchini), and Vincent’s chaotic ex-wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).

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But Rocco isn’t just stopping by for a family reunion. He’s in big trouble, and before long, we learn that two notorious gangsters – Leftie (Bill Murray) and his dim-witted but dangerous protégé, Lonnie (Pete Davidson) – are on their way to settle a score. What follows is a tense, darkly funny, and sometimes shockingly violent standoff as Vincent’s past sins literally come home to roost.

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Montiel, who’s no stranger to assembling killer casts (see also: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) knocks it out of the park here. Harris is a grizzled powerhouse as Vincent, embodying the weight of his character’s violent past with every weary glance. Union wonderfully balances him out as Sandy, using razor-sharp sarcasm to cut through the tension while still delivering a surprisingly grounded performance. Her comedic chemistry with Coolidge is especially sharp.

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Speaking of Coolidge – she’s peak Coolidge here. As Ruth, she stumbles into the chaos completely clueless, wondering if she’s been drugged and struggling to piece together her reality. But she’s not just comic relief; she’s the kind of dysfunctional relative we all recognize, and her exasperation adds layers to the film’s family dynamic.

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Pullman plays Rocco with jittery desperation, selling his character’s panic without ever going over the top. Postacchini, meanwhile, is a fantastic foil. She’s so matter-of-fact and comfortable in her own skin, yet she can turn on a dime to drop a killer one-liner.

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Harvey is a scene stealer as the nerdy, overly analytical high schooler whose “highly detailed topographical maps” turn into a key plot device – think Chekhov’s Google Maps. His innocence, played against the hardboiled nature of some of the other family members, is quite literally the soul of wit here.  

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And then, of course, there’s Murray and Davidson. These two bring a mix of deadpan menace and absurdist comedy, reminiscent of the best darkly comic criminals in cinema (Grosse Pointe Blank comes to mind). Their scenes are laced with lurching, impending doom, yet they also manage to land some of the funniest moments in the film.

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Balancing comedy with crime and family drama isn’t easy, but Riff Raff pulls it off with style. One minute you’re laughing at Coolidge fumbling through a drunken existential crisis; the next, you’re holding your breath as Leftie and Lonnie inch closer to the cabin. The action sequences, while sporadic, hit hard.

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Pollono’s script, adapted from his own play, is razor-sharp, and Montiel’s direction gives it a gritty, lived-in aesthetic. There’s an indie-punk energy here, fitting given Montiel’s roots in New York’s hardcore scene, and the film’s scrappy, raw feel only adds to its charm. And while the stage origins are evident in some of the dialogue-heavy moments, the performances keep everything moving at a brisk pace.

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Riff Raff is a bloody, deadpan blast – clever, tense, and packed with standout performances. It’s a dysfunctional family drama with real stakes, a crime thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and a dark comedy that doesn’t pull punches. The balance of humor and violence might not be for everyone, but for those who love their laughs laced with a bit of danger, this one’s a winner.