‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’

Directed by:
Bob Giraldi

Written by:
Rick Shaughnessy
Brian S. Kalata

Cast:
Danny Aiello (Louis Cropa), John Rothman (Gary Lieberman), Edoardo Ballerini (Chef Udo Cropa), Vivian Wu (Nicole Chan), Kirk Acevedo (Duncan), Mark Margolis (Fitzgerald), Sandra Bernhard (Jennifer Freely), Frank Bongiorno (Enrico Coventie), Jamie Harris (Sean the Bartender), John Corbett (Ken Roloff)

Louis Cropa (Danny Aiello) is the owner of Italian eatery Tribeca, a joint with a major buzz. He also runs a bookmaking operation with his partner Enrico. When Louis is considering turning over the bookie business to two wiseguys Black and Blue, his partner ends up dead after turning the wiseguys down.

On a busy night in the chaotic restaurant, many different things are going down. The son of Louis, the perfectionist chef cook Udo, wants to run the restaurant without interference from his meddlesome father. Sous chef Duncan has a gambling debt and is messing around with Udo’s girl Nicole. And Black and Blue show up to shake down Louis for a piece of the restaurant.

Director Giraldi turns this ‘Foodfellas’ into an engaging little film where we get to have a good look at the hectic catering industry. Aiello is good as always as a business man who only wants to make some money. But as his free entrepreneurship is threatened, he has to start thinking like a wiseguy to get himself and the ones he cares about out of the frying pan.

All the Italian food in the movie looks great and the eatery is filled with interesting patrons, including Sandra Bernhard as a restaurant critic and Mark Margolis as an art gallery owner. All the plots are worked out cleverly and easily digestible.

Buon appetito!

Rating:

Quote:
LOUIS: “Everything you touch turns to shit. Except for these sausages.”

Trivia:
The filming was done in 21 days.