Tagarchief: Joe Pesci

Backtrack (1990)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘When murder is your business, you’d better not fall in love with your work.’

Directed by:
Dennis Hopper

Written by:
Rachel Kronstadt Mann, Ann Louise Bardach

Cast:
Dennis Hopper (Milo), Jodie Foster (Anne Benton), Joe Pesci (Leo Carelli), Dean Stockwell (John Luponi), Vincent Price (Lino Avoca), John Turturro (Pinella), Fred Ward (Pauling), Julie Adams (Martha), Tony Sirico (Greek), Sy Richardson (Capt. Walker)

Alright, so this is quite a strange film by Dennis Hopper. It was originally released as Catchfire, but that version was apparently so bad that Hopper had his name replaced in the credits with the pseudonym Alan Smithee. Backtrack is the 18-minutes-longer cut made for cable TV, with Hopper’s directorial credit restored.

Jodie Foster plays an artist who witnesses a mafia murder. The mob – led by the explosive Leo Carelli (Joe Pesci, in the same year he gave his ultimate mobster performance in GoodFellas) – hires hitman Milo (Dennis Hopper) to silence her.

What makes it puzzling is the sheer amount of talent involved: Jodie Foster, Joe Pesci (uncredited, despite a substantial role), Dean Stockwell, John Turturro, and others. The film also features familiar faces like Charlie Sheen, Bob Dylan (!), and Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts from The Sopranos). Yet, despite this very impressive cast, no one is given particularly strong dialogue – not even the two leads.

The bigger problem is that the film never decides what it wants to be. Is it a tense thriller? An arthouse experiment? A romantic gangster film in the vein of Bonnie and Clyde? Or an action movie given that out of nowhere, there’s a helicopter chase? The tone shifts constantly, leaving the viewer wondering: what exactly am I watching? That question is never answered.

It’s also unclear what motivates Hopper’s character, Milo, a saxophone-playing hitman. He suddenly falls in love with his target, but why? And why does she start to reciprocate? Their relationship feels entirely unconvincing.

Originally, Hopper’s cut ran 180 minutes. It’s difficult to imagine what his true vision for the film might have been. The studio, Vestron Pictures, disliked his version and re-edited it without his consent. Hopper was furious and sued, but by then the company had already gone bankrupt.

In short, Backtrack is a curious film for many reasons, but unfortunately the final product simply doesn’t work. It’s a shame, given the remarkable cast, but the movie is proof that without a strong screenplay, even great talent can’t save the day.

Rating:

Quote:
MILO: “There’s something going on here that I really don’t understand. But I like it.”

Trivia:
The movie includes three Oscar winners: Jodie Foster, Joe Pesci and Bob Dylan; and three Oscar nominees: Dennis Hopper, Catherine Keener and Dean Stockwell.

The Sopranos – 100 Greatest Moments: 60-51

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

60. Informal Investors

Episode: Mayham (SE6, EP3)
Characters: Christopher, Little Carmine, J.T. Dolan, Silvio, Larry Barese, Benny Fazio, Patsy, Vito and Murmur

Screenwriter J.T. Dolan is summoned to the Bing by Christopher to do a pitch on a new kind of slasher film. Present are potential investors, all wiseguys and the film’s creative team Christopher and Little Carmine Lupertazzi. The dialogues in this scene are quite hilarious. Especially funny is how scared Dolan is of the mobsters present. Silvio shows his knowledge of the entertainment business. “How is that a slasher movie? Michael Myers is an escaped mental patient. Jason and Freddy, different kind of movie.”

59. Making of a Legend

Episode: Amour Fou (SE3, EP12)
Characters: Ralphie, Jackie Jr. and Dino Zerilli

The Sopranos is so rich, so detailed. Every character has a whole history. The scene in which Ralph tells a legendary tale about the old days makes Tony even more larger than life than he already was at this point. After hearing the story of how Tony and Jackie Aprile, Sr. got on the fast track to getting made after robbing Feech La Manna’s card game, Jackie Jr. and Dino Zerilli get their stupid idea of pulling a similar stunt. And why didn’t Ralphie go along with the robbery? “Please, I’m still sick of it. I caught the clap from some hippie broad I was fucking. My dick was dripping like a busted pipe.” Whahahaha!!!

58. Playing the Part

Episode: Stage 5 (SE6, EP14)
Characters: Tony, Christopher, Carmela, Kelly Moltisanti, A.J., Bobby Jr. & Sophia Baccalieri, Paulie, Silvio, Gabriella Dante, Rosalie Aprile, Bobby, Janice, Joanne Moltisanti, Nica and priest

The tension between Tony and Christopher is tangible when they embrace at the baptism of Chris’ daughter Caitlin, for whom Tony becomes godfather. In therapy earlier, Tony said he thinks Chris hates him and wants to kill him. Judging by the look in Chris’ eyes, he seems to be 100% right! Great scene over which the song/poem ‘Evidently Chickentown’ by John Cooper Clarke is heard.

57. Reconciliation

Episode: Long Term Parking (SE5, EP12)
Characters: Tony and Carmela

Tony and Carmela get back together after almost a season of separation. The price tag: 600.000 dollars. Carmela will use this cash to build a spec house. Tony also promises that his mid life crisis will no longer intrude on Carmela’s life and the deal is sealed.

56. Making his Bones

Episode: Pilot (SE1, EP1)
Characters: Christopher and Emil Kolar

A wiseguy’s first hit is always a big deal in the Mafia. This is Christopher’s first; he wets Emil Kolar to hang on to a few garbage stops. His inexperience is noticeable, but so is his talent; he doesn’t hesitate for a second and whacks the Kolar kid GoodFellas-style. He shoots him in the back of his head and then shoots at his dead body as though he’s Joe Pesci. The location of the hit is a pork store which gives it something sinister. The shooting is intertwined with pictures of gangster cinema icons like Humphrey Bogart, Dean Martin and Edward G. Robinson. Since Christopher is a Hollywood inspired gangster, this makes this scene absolutely perfect. Also notice the meat cleaver on which Kolar snorts coke. Inspiration for Christopher’s gangster/horror movie ‘Cleaver’ later on?

55. Finn’s Testimony

Episode: Live Free or Die (SE6, EP6)
Characters: Tony, Christopher, Paulie, Silvio, Patsy, Carlo, Bobby, Dante ‘Buddha’ Greco and Finn De Trolio

Finn’s testimony for witnessing Vito greasing a security guard’s weasel is a hilarious moment. Imagine having to come into a butcher shop to tell this story to a bunch of wiseguys. The responses are priceless, especially when Finn says; “It was the other way around. Vito was blowing the security guard.” Carlo: “Pitching, not catching.” Oh boy…

54. Out of the Closet

Episode: Cold Stones (SE6, EP11)
Characters: Phil, Vito, Gerry Torciano and Dominic ‘Fat Dom’ Gamiello

Vito meets his demise at the hands of Phil Leotardo. He should have stayed away, but couldn’t handle a lifestyle that didn’t include the thrills of the mob. When Phil steps out of the closet, it is like an image straight out of a horror movie. Four alternative versions of Vito’s death were reportedly shot. But they rightly chose this one, the most unpleasant one. It is an ugly moment.

53. Bad Draw

Episode: Amour Fou (SE3, EP12)
Characters: Jackie Jr., Carlo Renzi, Dino Zerilli, Eugene Pontecorvo, Furio, Christopher, Sunshine, Matush Gia and Ally Boy Barese

Every time a couple of young guys try to get higher up in the Mafia, a disaster happens. This card game robbery by Jackie Jr. is perhaps even worse than Matt Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte’s attempt in Season 2. Jackie should have listened to his doubts rather than his friend Dino who says; “let’s do it before the crank wears off.” Oh, and remember never to hire Matush as your getaway driver.

52. Digging in the Past

Episode: Cold Cuts (SE5, EP10)
Characters: Christopher and Tony Blundetto

“My first. Czechoslovakian guy.” Christopher and Tony Blundetto are digging up corpses. It feels Shakespearian and that is because the scene in which Christopher holds the skull is a reference to the famous Yorick scene in Hamlet. The mood is very sinister, especially when Christopher is crushing the skull into tiny bits. Their complete lack of normal human emotions is mind boggling.

51. The Mix Up

Episode: Members Only (SE6, EP1)
Characters: Tony and Uncle Junior

The increasingly demented Junior confuses Tony for his former enemy Little Pussy Malanga and shoots him at the end of ‘Members Only’. Tony barely manages to dial 911 and then passes out. A true cliffhanger as they are rarely seen in The Sopranos. Great!!

The Sopranos – 100 Greatest Moments: 90-81

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

90. ‘Make It Happen’

Episode: The Blue Comet (SE6, EP20)
Characters: Phil, Butch DeConcini and Albie Cianflone

Phil declares war on Tony’s ‘glorified crew’, motivating his decision by stating that Jersey doesn’t live by the old mob standards anymore, ignoring the fact that nobody does and the mob is all about the money. Great scene, for the dialogues but also because it makes the tension level rise sky high. You know an old school mob war is about to break loose and anybody could get hurt. All bets are off now and the adrenaline is rushing through our bodies.

89. Louisville Slugger

Episode: Second Opinion (SE3, EP7)
Characters: Tony and Angie Bonpensiero

You gotta love how Tony handles this one. The widow Angie Bonpensiero is on Tony’s payroll since Pussy went MIA (whacked), but she’s still crying money problems to Carmela. When Tony arrives to sort it out, he sees that she is driving a Cadillac. His anger management lessons go straight through the window then and there. He takes a Louisville slugger from his car and takes out his frustration on the caddy. He then tells the frightened Angie: “You see my wife, you talk about oven cleaners. Anything else you come directly to me.”

88. The Oklahoma Kid

Episode: The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti (SE1, EP8)
Characters: Christopher and Bakery Clerk

The postmodern movie references are one element in making The Sopranos a great show. The best one appears in this scene. Christopher feels depressed because of his low ranking status in the mob, so he starts acting like a cowboy. “What is it, do I look like a pussy to you?”, he asks a bakery clerk who doesn’t, in his view, shows him the proper respect. Then he shoots him in the foot to teach him a lesson. The same thing happens to Michael Imperioli (who plays Christopher) in GoodFellas. He gets shot in the foot by Joe Pesci for forgetting to serve him a drink. Therefore Christopher’s reply to the clerks; “Arghh, you shot me in the foot”, is all the more hilarious. “It happens”, he says before walking out the door. Genius! Ps: That customer whom Chris sends away is indeed Vito in a different role.

87. Old Plotters

Episode: Pilot (SE1, EP1)
Characters: Junior and Livia

This little dialogue between Junior and Livia feels like a scene from a Roman tragedy like I, Claudius in which – not accidently – the evil mother character is also named Livia. During their drive to A.J.’s birthday party, Junior feels out Livia about a possible hit on Tony. First he pisses her off a little: “Remember the long hair and the drugs? Now, it’s fags in the military”, and then he says that “something may have to be done about Tony.” She doesn’t say anything! Brilliant set-up for one of Season 1’s major plot lines.

86. Bevilaqua’s Death

Episode: From Where to Eternity (SE2, EP9)
Characters: Tony, Pussy and Matt Bevilaqua

With Christopher almost shot to death, Tony is keen on revenge. This is an opportunity for FBI-informant Pussy to prove himself. He tracks down Bevilaqua and takes Tony there to whack him. Matt is understandably scared of what is coming, so he pisses his pants. After a brief interrogation, Tony finishes him off with a shot in the head. Matt is crying for his mother before the end. Then Tony and Pussy send out a message and pump Matt’s dead body full of lead. Afterwards, they go celebrate with a steak meal.

85. Phone Games

Episode: Whoever Did This (SE4, EP9)
Characters: Ralphie, Mrs Gualtieri, Vito and Eugene Pontecorvo

Ralphie figured it was Paulie who told the Ginny Sack joke to Johnny Sack. He calls Green Grove to get back at him. Paulie’s mum answers. Ralphie: “Hello, Mrs Gualtieri, this is detective Mike Hunt, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Police Department. We found your son in a public men’s room in Lafayette Park. I don’t know how to put this delicately; he was sucking a cub scout’s dick.” He goes on for a while and has everyone in stitches. Including the audience. Too bad Ralphie goes this episode; he is one funny motherfucker.

84. Popping Cherry

Episode: Sopranos Home Movies (SE6, EP13)
Characters: Bobby and Rene LeCours

While Carmela claims that Tony Soprano is not ‘a vindictive man’, he still sends out Bobby to commit his first murder because he kicked Tony’s ass in a fist fight a couple of days earlier. The murder scene is delivered in quite a dramatic way; Bobby is obviously upset and his victim – a young guy – is seen badly suffering. A clever detail is that the first bullet ends up in the Laundromat and is heard quaking around till the end of the scene.

83. Furious Debut

Episode: Big Girls Don’t Cry (SE2, EP5)
Characters: Tony, Furio, Dr. Melfi, Dominic and wife

Fresh from Naples, Furio is given a first assignment by Tony. He has to straighten out the owner of a bordello and his insubordinate Filipino wife. He passes the test. Within a minute, he has caused more physical damage, pain and fear than any of the other guys would have achieved. Tony is enjoying himself in the car while he listens to the anguish inside. Then Melfi calls that she wants to take him back as a patient. How appropriate.

82. Happy Times

Episode: Pilot (SE1, EP1)
Characters: Tony and Christopher

This is a beautiful early moment in the relationship between Tony and Christopher where everything is still peaches and cream. Chris is unhappy because Tony did not compliment him on solving the Triborough Towers situation (the hit on Emil Kolar). Instead of kicking his ass, Tony understands. He has gone all soft because of the therapy he has been having. “That’s how I was parented, never supported, never complimented”, Tony says. Very soon after, Tony explodes anyway after Chris starts babbling about writing Hollywood screenplays. “You gonna go Henry Hill on me now?” Then they makes nice again. “Everything is gonna be alright from here on in. What could be bad?” Well, with these highly unstable characters, quite a lot.

81. Cheese Fuck

Episode: The Happy Wanderer (SE2, EP6)
Characters: Silvio, Tony, Paulie, Christopher, Sunshine, Johnny Sack, Frank Sinatra Jr., Dr. Fried, Matt Bevilaqua, Sean Gismonte and Davey Scatino

During the high stakes ‘executive game’, things get tense when Silvio is on a losing streak. When Matt starts wiping cheese under his seat he explodes. It is hard not to laugh at the ridiculous outburst that follows; “Leave the fucking cheese there, all right? I love fuckin’ cheese at my feet! I stick motherfuckin’ provolone in my socks at night, so they smell like your sister’s crotch in the morning. Alright? Now leave the fucking cocksucking cheese where it is!” Chris had already warned Matt; “he’s a sick fuck when he gambles.” Yes, he obviously is.

Het defecte management control system van de maffia

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Lees ook:
– De maffiaboeken van Nicholas Pileggi – Deel 1: Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family
– De maffiaboeken van Nicholas Pileggi – Deel 2: Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas

Waarom gaat het altijd mis met gezworen maffialeden? Waarom kunnen ze niet gewoon hun mond houden en hun tijd uitzitten als ze gepakt worden? Sommige kunnen het wel: John Gotti bijvoorbeeld. Maar er zijn ook talloze ratten die hun familie verraden om hun eigen hachje te redden. De bekendste zijn Henry Hill, Joseph Valachi en Sammy ‘the Bull’ Gravano (die John Gotti levenslang bezorgde). De reden is dat het strakke managementsysteem van de maffia zich regelmatig tegen de organisatie keert.

In 1991 werd Alphonse ‘Little Al’ D’Arco – ‘made member’ en zelfs enige tijd ‘acting boss’ van de Luchese familie – bijna geliquideerd in een hotelkamer. Hij wist te ontkomen en besloot kort daarna getuige te worden voor de FBI. Hij was het lid met de hoogste rank binnen de maffia ooit die getuige voor de overheid werd. In 2013 verscheen het boek ‘The Life of Little Al D’Arco, the Man Who Brought Down the Mafia’ van Jerry Capeci en Tom Robbins over het leven van D’Arco.

D’Arco geloofde in de maffia; het bezorgde hem een inkomen en bovenal respect. In ‘Mob Boss’ beschrijft hij hoe hij na een lange loopbaan eindelijk officieel lid werd gemaakt van de Luchese familie. De ceremonie is al vaak beschreven: het mes en pistool op tafel, een prik in de vinger en het bloed van de ingewijde op de kaart van een heilige. Deze kaart wordt vervolgens verbrand en de leider van de familie zegt; ‘als je ons verraad zal je ziel eeuwig in de hel branden, zoals deze kaart’. Ook wordt duidelijk gemaakt dat de maffiafamilie voor alles komt, inclusief je eigen gezin. Dit lijkt een slechte deal, maar er komen ook voordelen met het lidmaatschap: andere criminelen kunnen niet meer aan je bezittingen komen; wat van jou is, is nu echt van jou.

Natuurlijk kunnen gemaakte leden van de maffia ook vermoord worden als ze de regels overtreden. D’Arco had hier begrip voor, al was hij het niet altijd eens met de manier waarop het ging. Zo was hij er getuige van dat gangster Tommy de Simone (in GoodFellas legendarisch neergezet door Joe Pesci) een bar binnenkwam helemaal in mooie kleding gestoken. Hij dacht dat hij gemaakt ging worden. Kort daarna zag hij hem in een pizzeria met twee ‘vrienden’. Het zou zijn laatste avondmaal worden. Ook al had DeSimone de regels gebroken (een made guy vermoord) vond D’Arco dit disrespectvol. “Ze zeggen dat ze hem gaan maken en ze whacken hem.”

Maar moord is soms nodig om het strakke regime van de maffia in stand te houden. Problemen ontstaan als het middel onnodig wordt ingezet. En dat is waar het misging in de Luchese familie en bij andere maffiafamilies. De baas en onderbaas van de familie – Vittorio ‘Little Vic’ Amuso en Anthony ‘Gaspipe’ Casso (ja, alle maffialeden hebben bijnamen) – werden gezocht voor een grootschalige bouwfraude en moesten onderduiken. Ze stelden D’Arco aan als tijdelijk leider. Het duurde niet lang voor het eerste moordcontract binnenkwam. Er zouden er vele volgen in korte tijd. De slachtoffers waren meestal andere leden die ervan beschuldigd werden verrader te zijn. D’Arco liet de contracten uitvoeren, maar begon steeds meer twijfel te krijgen bij de legitimiteit van de opdrachten. Toen werd hij er zelf van beschuldigd rat te zijn en had hij geen keuze om onder te duiken.

Wanneer je er als organisatie zulke extreme regels op na houdt is de ‘tone at the top’ nog belangrijker dan normaal. Bazen, zoals Paul Castellano, die hun mannen drugshandel verbieden, maar er zelf rijk van worden vragen erom dat hun manschappen gaan muiten.

Door deze hiërarchische machtsstructuur voort te blijven zetten heeft de maffia in de Verenigde Staten flink veel macht moeten inleveren. In de tijd voor Lucky Luciano (jaren 50’) – onder de oude ‘Mustache Pete’s’ (Siciliaanse bazen die de connectie met de oorspronkelijke maffia op Sicilië bleven onderhouden – werkte het nog. Toen kwam Luciano met de oprichting van de commissie en brak de glorietijd voor de Amerikaanse maffia pas echt aan. Maar door hebzucht begonnen de oude maffiawaarden in rap tempo af te brokkelen. In de jaren 70’s werden de boeken gesloten en namen de bazen lange tijd geen nieuwe leden aan omdat ze dan hun inkomsten dan met meer leden zouden moeten delen. Deze manier van denken heeft de maffia pas echt de das omgedaan.

Is het tijd voor een nieuw ‘losser’ maffia organisatiemodel voor de 21ste eeuw? Daar is het al veel te laat voor. De maffia had al veel eerder moeten veranderen hadden ze onderdeel van deze eeuw willen uitmaken. De macht die ze ooit hadden krijgen ze nooit meer terug. Dit is een les voor ondernemingen: organisaties bestaan uit niets anders dan het geloof van de mensen die er werken. Verliezen ze hun geloof, dan verliest de organisatie zijn macht.