Tagarchief: Gangster Films

Smokin’ Aces (2006)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘May the best hitman win’

Directed by:
Joe Carnahan

Written by:
Joe Carnahan

Cast:
Ryan Reynolds (Richard Messner), Ray Liotta (Donald Carruthers), Jeremy Piven (Buddy Israel), Andy Garcia (Stanley Locke), Ben Affleck (Jack Dupree), Alicia Keys (Georgia Sykes), Taraji P. Henson (Sharica Watters), Vladimir Kulich (The Swede), Peter Berg (‘Pistol’ Pete Deeks), Common (Sir Ivy)

The Guy Ritchie formula can be and has been used to successfully create crowd-pleasing crime comedies. Smokin’ Aces comes across as such an attempt, but misfires badly in many ways.

In its setting, the US Cosa Nostra is nearly completely dismantled by the government. Two remaining fractions are entangled in an all-out war, while the feds are closing in on both of them. One fraction belongs to Vegas showman Buddy ‘Ace’ Israel (Jeremy Piven), who is about to spill the beans on the entire organisation of his former protégé, the dying mob boss Primo Sparraza.

To prevent Israel from talking, Sparraza puts out a million dollar contract on his head, which attracts every loony hitman- and woman from the country and beyond. They all head towards the coke snorting Israel, who is holed up in a Lake Tahoe casino-hotel, while two FBI agents (Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) want to get to him first and make him participate in the Witness Protection Programme.

This set-up ensures some fireworks, but a complete lack of character development takes away the impact that the many deaths could have had. Closest things to a main character is Reynolds’, whose agent has no background story whatsoever. When the ridiculous plot twist at the end establishes him as just a puppet on a string, he becomes another potentially interesting character that is hard to give a toss about.

Richie’s early films teach us that in order to make a film like this work, you’ll need more than just flashy camera tricks. For one thing, violence needs to serve the story or it becomes gratuitous like it does here. You also need humour and a light tone. It is unexplainable why director Carnahan uses such dramatic music all the time. It makes it seem as though there is a message. There is none.

Finally, all the different plot threads need to seamlessly fit in the greater whole. Smokin’ Aces leaves plots dangling or delivers unsatisfying outcomes. Not that you’ll care, since there are barely intriguing characters in this movie. It will just make you wonder who has green lit this thing and make such an impressive ensemble cast go to waste.

Rating:

Quote:
GEORGIA SYKES: “These two dudes are sitting in the elevator all shot up. Whatever it was, it got way past words.”

Trivia:
The song played during the final credits Play Your Cards Right is performed by Common, who stars in the movie as Sir Ivy.

Carlito’s Way (1993)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘He wanted out. There was only one way to get there.’

Directed by:
Brian De Palma

Written by:
David Koepp (screenplay)
Edwin Torres (novels)

Cast:
Al Pacino (Carlito Brigante), Sean Penn (David Kleinfeld), Penelope Ann Miller (Gail), Luis Guzman (Pachanga), Viggo Mortensen (Lalin), James Rebhorn (District Attorney Norwalk), John Leguizamo (Benny Blanco), Joseph Siravo (Vincent Taglialucci), Richard Foronjy (Pete Amadesso), Ingrid Rogers (Steffie)

Brian De Palma’s career is often seen as a mix of brilliant, boundary-pushing filmmaking and controversial, uneven output. About his contributions to the gangster genre (Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way), there can be no doubt however: they belong to the absolute best. It’s right up there with Coppola’s and Scorsese’s output.

Carlito’s Way is largely set in the barrio of Manhattan’s Spanish Harlem, one of New York’s tougher areas that is filled with poverty, drugs and Latino gangs. This is the area in which Judge Edwin Torres grew up, who wrote two novels about the main character Carlito Brigante. It seems that in this neighbourhood, there are only two options in life; escape the slumps or join a gang. And those to go for option B have a way bigger chance on an early funeral (Carlito’s cousin) than to rise to the relative top (Carlito).

The Puerto Rican Carlito Brigante (Pacino) was a major heroin dealer before the law caught up with him and locked him up. His slick attorney David Kleinfeld (Penn) gets him an early release due to the DA’s usage of illegal wiretap evidence. The now free and seemingly new man Carlito desperately wants to change his ways. But many players, both old and new, intent to drag Carlito back into the deadly game of crime.

Despite the many temptations, Carlito manages to stay legit. He gets back together with his former girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) and cooks up an exit plan. As soon as he has saved sufficient money by running a nightclub, he wants to take Gail to the Bahama’s and start a new life together. But then faith strikes and Carlito is placed in an impossible dilemma from which there is no escape. Kleinfeld – who Carlito feels he owes for giving him a fresh start – is in big trouble and he needs Carlito’s help with a very dangerous task.

The job turns sour, but leaves Carlito with enough cash to escape. It also puts him in a bad position with both the feds and the mob. Both his dream and downfall are now closer than ever.

Although the story of a criminal who wants out is nothing new, Carlito’s Way tells a beautiful tragedy. The deeper layers provide for a much more satisfying viewing experience than a clichéd gangster tale.

The acting is excellent. Pacino is solid as a rock as always, but the real joy here is Sean Penn. He portrays the manic, coke addicted lawyer Kleinfeld to perfection. His haircut deserves a special place in the gallery of wrong.

The finale of Carlito’s Way is an extremely suspenseful showdown with an ending that will leave no viewer unmoved. The fantastic escalator shoot-out – that looks as if Hitchcock could have directed it –is the highlight. It also pays a fitting tribute to the baby carriage scene in The Untouchables, which in turn paid tribute to Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin.

De Palma has delivered a movie that is very rewatchable. Not only is it extremely entertaining, it is also character driven and manages to touch the viewer in the heart. Carlito’s ‘way’ turns out to be a fascinating one.

Rating:

Quote:
CARLITO: “Now I ain’t saying that my way would have been different had my mother been alive when I was a kid, cause that’s just bullshit.”

Trivia:
The exterior of the hospital where Carlito visits his bedridden attorney is the same one where Vito Corleone is taken in The Godfather (1972), also starring Al Pacino.

Brooklyn Rules (2007)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘Not made to be broken’

Directed by:
Michael Corrente

Written by:
Terence Winter

Cast:
Freddy Prinze Jr. (Michael Turner Jr.), Scott Caan (Carmine Mancuso), Alex Baldwin (Caesar Manganaro), Jerry Ferrara (Bobby Canzoneri), Mena Suvari (Ellen), Monica Keena (Amy), Robert Turano (Mr. Canzoneri), Phyllis Kay (Mrs. Canzoneri), Ursula Abbott (Angela), Paulo Araujo (Young Michael)

The premise of friends growing up in a mob-infested neighborhood is a natural fit for coming-of-age dramas like A Bronx Tale. Brooklyn Rules unfolds against the backdrop of Aniello Dellacroce’s death, a pivotal moment that sparked a violent power struggle within the Gambino crime family.

Amid this turmoil, the film follows three close friends – Michael, Bobby, and Carmine – from their 1974 church service, where a young Michael (Freddie Prinze Jr.) steals from the collection plate, to their complicated lives in 1985. Perhaps because of his early lack of conscience, it’s Carmine (Scott Caan) who gravitates toward the mob, drawn into the orbit of Gambino captain Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a ruthless figure who dominates their neighborhood.

Bobby (Jerry Ferrara), the gentle soul of the group, dreams of a simple life: marrying his girlfriend and becoming a mail clerk. Michael, however, faces a more complex path. Though intelligent enough to attend Columbia and pursue a law career, he finds himself increasingly desensitized to the violence around him. A brutal brawl with a local thug forces the friends to confront their mortality, and Michael’s choices grow darker; stealing from a church is one thing, but murder is another.

Written by Terence Winter, known for his sharp work on The Sopranos, Brooklyn Rules delivers a solid screenplay about friendship, choices, and growing up. While it lacks the razor-sharp edge of The Sopranos, director Michael Corrente compensates with an authentic atmosphere, a stellar soundtrack (featuring ‘Sympathy for the Devil’), and evocative Brooklyn locations.

The trio of lead actors brings their characters to life, making their friendship feel genuine despite some uneven dialogue. The romantic subplot between Michael and Ellen (Mena Suvari of American Beauty) adds a welcome layer to the story. Though not groundbreaking, Brooklyn Rules is a worthy entry in its genre, offering an engaging 90 minutes for viewers.

Rating:

Quote:
MICHAEL: “He got a necklace with a fucking ear on. Cut it of some gook in the war.”

Trivia:
Scott Caan is the son of screen legend James Caan.

TV Dungeon: Corleone

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(2007, mini-series, Italy)
AKA: Il capo dei capi

Directed by: Alexis Cahill & Enzo Monteleone

Cast: Claudio Gioè, Daniele Liotti, Simona Cavallari, Salvatore Lazzaro, Gioia Spaziani, Massimo Venturiello, Marco Leonardi

How does one become ‘il capo dei capi’ or boss of all bosses? That question is answered in the mini-series Corleone. In a fifty year period, Toto Riini grows up from little boy in Corleone on Sicily to the highest ranking member of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra (literally ‘Our Thing’). He does so by slowly murdering anybody who opposes him or who has any real power within the Mafia.

The Corleoneses, Toto Riina and his underboss Bernardo Provenzano, are provincial Mafiosi. They join the Mafia at a young age to escape from poverty. They rise to the top of the organisation quickly. In Sicily’s capital Palermo, the Corleoneses are perceived as hicks by the Mafia, but they are smart, ambitious and extremely ruthless as the Palermeans are about to find out. Riina was known as ‘the Beast’. It is a well chosen name considering the extreme high bodycount that can be attributed to him.

The mini-series is based on the book by Giuseppe D’Avanzo and Attilio Bolzoni. The makers wanted to not only show Riini’s rise to power and how he made it to the top, but also show the struggles of the law that wanted to put an end to him and his Mafia. Many judges and policemen died in this decade long battle. That much becomes clear in Corleone. For a long time, the law didn’t stand a real chance, but through sacrifice and perseverance they eventually got results.

To make the distinction between the good side and the evil side, the writers of this mini-series introduced a fictional character in this otherwise largely fact-based story. The true-hearted Biagio Schirò grows up with Riini in Corleone, but rather than becoming a mobster like his friends he joins the police. He follows Riini’s career closely and tries to bring him down, along with many real historical law figures, such as judge Giovanni Falcone. They stand for everything that the mob doesn’t.

In terms of production design, the makers did a good job of capturing the old times on the beautiful Sicily. Dramatically however, the series falls short. There isn’t enough suspense or character development to keep the viewer entertained for six times 100 minutes. Not even close. They could have told this story in a three hour mini-series. Now it quickly becomes repetitious. A shame, because the right basis is there.