Tagarchief: Gangster Films

Mafia Wannabe’s (2000)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘In the mob you’re either made men or…’

Directed by:
Charles A. Addessi
William DeMeo

Written by:
William DeMeo

Cast:
William DeMeo (Angelo Argono), Conor Dubin (Paulie Argono), Ray Serra (Uncle Tommy), Daniel Margotta (Pete), John Palumbo (Dom), Joe Viterelli (Santo), Joseph D’Onofrio (Vinny), John Glenn Hoyt (Eddie), Vinny Vella (Carmine), Joseph Daleo Jr. (Lenny)

Angelo and Paulie are two young brothers from Brooklyn. They grew up without parents, and the only family they have is their uncle Tommy. They pay their rent with waiter jobs, which increasingly frustrates Angelo. He feels like he and his brother are nobodies who often have to suffer humiliation.

The boss of the neighborhood is Santo Minera. Angelo tries to impress him, which irritates Santo’s hot-headed son, Vinny. Tired of the insults, Angelo convinces his brother to start a bookie business together with their two close friends, Pete and Dom.

Their first steps into crime do not go smoothly. But after a while they start earning good money and expand the business into numbers, loansharking, and eventually extortion. This attracts the attention of Santo, who decides the boys can continue operating if they kick up to him.

The young crew starts doing well, but Angelo decides that his brother is not fit for the mob life and tells him to step out of it. Santo is very happy with Angelo, who earns well and uses his brains. Vinny grows increasingly frustrated with his father’s liking of Angelo and starts to pose a serious threat to everyone involved.

I was expecting another new-millennium Sopranos cash-in movie, but this one surprised me in a positive way. Sure, we’ve seen stuff like this before, but watching the young crew rise from nobodies to respected associates of the mob was convincingly done. This is thanks to the solid acting of the young cast and some realistic writing. The movie also avoids the typical mob clichés and delivers a pretty surprising ending. If you’re a Mafia film fan, try to pick up a copy of this flick – it’s well worth your time.

Rating:

Quote:
YUPPIE: “Why don’t you go home and watch the Sopranos? You dumb guedo!”

Trivia:
Writer, co-director and lead actor William DeMeo has an extensive mob film resume that includes playing the character Jason Molinaro in The Sopranos.

Mafioso: The Father, the Son (2004)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘Kill or be killed’

Directed by:
Anthony Caldarella

Written by:
Sal Mazzotta
Leo Rossi
Tony DiGerolamo

Cast:
Sal Mazzotta (Frank Paradiso), Leo Rossi (Vito Lupo), Freddie Ganno (Vince Lupo), Robert Costanzo (Antonio Paradiso), Johnny Williams (Danny Defino), Tamela D’Amico (Gina Paradiso), Susan Priver (Lisa Paradiso), Ken Lerner (Sid Freeman), Tony Devon (Louie Eggs), Frank Adonis (Luca Veneri)

This low budget Mafia film revolves around an Italian crime family in Philadelphia. The leader, Antonio Paradiso is a man of old tradition. Antonio’s son Frank is like his father in many ways. He is ready to succeed his father as the new leader of the family. The times are changing however, and other gangs are waiting to move in on the family business. When members of the Paradiso family are being hit, Frank has to fight to survive, protect his family and find the ones responsible.

Standard and cliché modern day mob movie. It deals with some of the same themes as HBO Series The Sopranos, but doesn’t even come remotely close to touching that level. It does contain a fair amount of mob violence and action but most of it comes across as cheap exploitation.

The screenplay is of an acceptable quality, but offers nothing new or surprising. Most of the actors do reasonable, only leading man Sal Mazzotta doesn’t convince as the boring, monotone Frank.

The art-direction of this film should have definitely been better. Some of the murders just don’t look good at all. There are some familiar faces from mob films, Leo Rossi from Analyze This, Johnny Williams (Johnny Roastbeaf) from GoodFellas, and Frank Adonis (Anthony Stabile), also from GoodFellas.

This film is what it is, a direct to DVD mob flick. Not recommended for those that want thrills other than a man having his nuts roasted.

Rating:

Quote:
FRANK PARADISO: “You want the hitter? Fine. But I want the heart of the one that paid him.”

Trivia:
Screenplay writers Sal Mazzotta and Leo Rossi collaborated again for the short sci-fi thriller Frankie the Squirrel in 2007.

Capone (1975)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘The man who made the twenties roar! Now, after 45 years, his true story can be told!

Directed by:
Steve Carver

Written by:
Howard Browne

Cast:
Ben Gazzara (Al Capone), Harry Guardino (Johnny Torrio), Sylvester Stallone (Frank Nitti), Susan Blakely (Iris Crawford), John Cassavetes (Frankie Yale), Frank Campanella (Big Jim Colosimo), John D. Chandler (Earl ‘Hymie’ Weiss), Peter Maloney (Jake Guzik), Royal Dano (Anton J. Cermak), Dick Miller (Deputy Sherrif Joe Pryor)

Alphonse Capone wasn’t Mafia strictly speaking. But his outfit in Chicago was much more powerful and feared than the many mob families in the US. In this biography, we follow him as he rises from the streets of Brooklyn to the top of the Chicago underworld.

His mentor was Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino) , a business oriented gangster who saw major opportunities in the upcoming prohibition and potential in the thuggish Al Capone. When Torrio moves to Chicago to profit from the opened-up illegal booze market, he brings Capone along as his second man. After ridding themselves of a local big shot, they quickly build a vast empire that generates millions of dollars monthly. The roaring twenties have begun.

But North Side gangsters, such as Hymie Weiss, Dion O’Bannion and George ‘Bugs’ Moran oppose the rising power and a gang war ensues. Torrio, who doesn’t have a stomach for blood, leaves Chicago after a failed assassination attempt and Capone inherits the business. This results in more bloodshed, right until the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and the demise of Capone along with the end of the prohibition.

This movie contains a lot of Tommy gun action, tit shots and fist fights, making it little more than an exploitation flick. No wonder, since Roger Corman, King of the B’s, is the producer. The cast is pretty B too and the acting no more than okay. Gazzara’s portrayal of Capone relies too much on yelling and tough guy talk, while the then unknown Sylvester Stallone shows little promise here. Only Guardino is excellent as Torrio.

Capone starts promising, but for a biography, it remains way too shallow to really captivate the viewer. We just don’t get to know Capone. All we really see is that he is a hothead with a big mouth and a Tommy gun. Also the historic accuracy of this film should be taken with a big grain of salt.

Rating:

Quote:
JOHNNY TORRIO: “Chicago is a beer drinking town. No law can change that.”

Trivia:
In the film, Capone’s henchman Frank Nitti frames Capone, resulting in his conviction for income tax evasion. He then takes over the outfit. In reality, Nitti was convicted for the same felony and received an 18 months sentence.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Directed by:
Roger Corman

Written by:
Howard Browne

Cast:
Jason Robards (Al Capone), George Segal (Peter Gusenberg), Ralph Meeker (George Clarence ‘Bugs’ Moran), Jean Hale (Myrtle), Clint Ritchie (Jack McGurn), Frank Silvera (Nick Sorello), Joseph Campanella (Albert Wienshank), Richard Bakalyan (John Scalise), David Canary (Frank Gusenberg), Bruce Dern (Johnny May)

Roger Corman’s gangster movies are generally enjoyable. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that follows the famous violent event on February 14, 1929 has got to be his most boring one.

On this specific St. Valentine’s Day, Al Capone set a legendary trap for seven men that were working for his opponent Bugs Moran. In the gang war preceding it, Moran tried to kill Capone to take over the bootlegging and gambling profits in Chicago. The movie uses a sort of journalistic approach. A narrator introduces every character involved and covers the events in a newspaper sort of way.

Al Capone, played by Jason Robards, is the unchallenged leader of Chicago’s most powerful underworld organisation. Robards portrays ‘Alphonse’ as an uncontrolled and ruthless hothead. He yells too often, but still turns in a decent performance. All the supporting characters get a detailed background story provided by the narrator. Unfortunately, there are way too many to remember.

If you enjoy technically proficient Tommy Gun action, you may find something to like about this film. Otherwise, the too factual approach and lack of drama will probably leave you as cold as one of the stiffs from the massacre.

Rating:

Quote:
NARRATOR: “In the years following the passage of the National Prohibition Act of 1920, the nation’s underworld rises to power and battles amongst itself just as modern nations and corporations do.”

Trivia:
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’ is also an important event in Capone (1975), a gangster film produced by Roger Corman and starring Ben Gazzara as Al Capone.