“The Red Maple Leaf” (** out of four) was a misguided underworld thriller about an alcoholic detective (Frank D’Angelo) grieving over the recent tragic death of his wife (Mira Sorvino) and daughter and is assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a U.S. ambassador (Michael Pare) but finds that the path to the truth is a minefield of coverups and hidden information. Star-laden thriller turns out to be a vanity project for writer/director/star D’Angelo; he peppers this story with such great supporting actors as James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Eric Roberts, and Robert Loggia but gives them almost nothing to do! D’Angelo is strong in the lead role but story offers little surprises and thus has little impact although admittedly it remains watchable throughout.