Tagarchief: The Sopranos

Kijken naar assholes (over onsympathieke televisiepersonages)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Ik kan me vergissen, maar het lijkt in televisieseries een trend te zijn om van de bad guys de hoofdpersonen te maken. Kijken naar slechteriken kan heerlijk zijn; GoodFellas is en blijft mijn favoriete film aller tijden. In veel hedendaagse series zijn de hoofdpersonen drugsdealer (Breaking Bad), seriemoordenaar (Dexter), demoon (True Blood), of een combinatie van deze identiteiten.

Toch, heb ik gemerkt, zijn er voor mijzelf grenzen aan wat ik kan tolereren aan ‘inappropriate behaviour’ van een personage. Bij de pilot van de serie Sons of Anarchy bijvoorbeeld, over een Amerikaanse motorbende, ben ik direct afgehaakt omdat ik het geweld onprettig en ondienstig vond. De personages kon ik werkelijk niet uitstaan. In de serie hebben twee motorbendes een conflict; de Mayans en de Sons of Anarchy uit de titel. De eerstgenoemde groep heeft automatische wapens gestolen van de tweede groep en deze gaan ze terughalen. Er vallen vier doden onder de Mayans.

Het moment van afhaken was het feit dat de hoofdpersoon een dynamietstaaf in de kont van een zojuist door hem vermoord bendelid stak en hem aanstak. Is dat zo’n groot probleem? Immers, in The Sopranos en Oz zitten alleen maar moordenaars en van die series heb ik absoluut genoten. Toch is er een verschil tussen deze series en Sons of Anarchy. Iemand vermoorden is één ding, maar een dynamietstaaf in iemands kont steken na zijn dood getuigt van dermate weinig respect voor het leven dat zo’n persoon zelf geen reet meer waard is. Wat kan het mij ná dit incident nog schelen of dit personage leeft of sterft? Niks.


                                       That’s not cool, man.

Toch is dit naïviteit aan mijn adres. Tony Soprano was geen haar beter dan de hoofdpersoon uit Sons of Anarchy. Hij vermoordde mensen voor geld of uit impulsieve woede, gaf geen moer om hun overgebleven families en als hij de kans zag te profiteren van iemand misère, twijfelde hij geen moment. Toch zat er een soort dualiteit in zijn personage, die hem ogenschijnlijk een schrijntje menselijkheid meegaf. Sons of Anarchy verhult de kwaadaardigheid van zijn hoofdpersonen niet: Dit zijn ze, mensen. Als ze dit al doen in de eerste aflevering, dan weet je direct waar je aan toe bent. In de pilot van The Sopranos ging hoofdpersoon Tony Soprano zwemmen met de eendjes. Zijn werkelijke aard kwam pas later aan bod.

Voor TV-makers zit het hem dus vooral in de aanpak. Tony had vaak vijanden die nog verdorvener als hemzelf waren. Ook deed hij af en toe iets dat okay was. Zo was hij een groot liefhebber van dieren, ging hij gezellig pizza eten met zijn zoon (vlak voor een koelbloedige liquidatie overigens) en hielp hij financieel een vriend die in de problemen zat. Dus TV-makers, als jullie naïevelingen zoals mij willen behouden nemen jullie The Sopranos als voorbeeld en tonen jullie niet het slechtste van de mens in ruwe vorm. Tenminste niet direct in het begin. Gewoon een vriendelijk advies.

Jeppe Kleyngeld

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.

This Thing of Ours (2002)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘21st Century Criminals, 21st Century Payoff…’

Directed by:
Danny Provenzano

Written by:
Ted A. Bohus
Danny Provenzano

Cast:
Frank Vincent (Danny Santini), Vincent Pastore (Skippy), Danny Provenzano (Nicholas Santini), Edward Lynch (Johnny Irish), Louis Vanaria (Austin Palermo), Christian Maelen (Robert Biaggio), Chuck Zito (Chuck), Michael DelGaizo (Patsy deGrazio), Pat Cooper (John Bruno), James Caan (Jimmy ‘the Con’)

During the height of the phenomenon that was The Sopranos, this low budget independent mob movie was released starring many familiar mob actors, some of whom that were featured in the show, like Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy Ponpensiero), but also Frank Vincent – who would be introduced in The Sopranos two years later, and also James Caan (!), although he is just in one scene, yet featured on the cover in a clever marketing move.

But the film’s most intriguing element isn’t on-screen, it’s the backstory. Writer, director, and star Danny Provenzano was reportedly connected. His script was obviously strong enough to attract these mob-film veterans, yet he barely got to enjoy the release. Weeks before its nationwide theatrical debut, Provenzano pleaded guilty to racketeering and began serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Can wiseguys thrive in the 21st century? That’s the central question of the movie. Provenzano plays Nicky, a mobster with an ambitious plan: using a special microchip to transfer over a billion dollars to a secret Cuban bank account. His uncle Danny (Frank Vincent) must approve and finance the scheme. Success would bring not just massive profits but also a rise through the rigid ranks of their crime family. The problem is that both the FBI and rivals within their own family are making plans as well, leaving the multi-million-dollar heist balanced on a knife’s edge.

The concept is solid, but the execution stumbles. Only one scene truly delivers on the promise of 21st-century mobsters. This happens when Nicky and his crew pitch their digital heist to their greasy old bosses. The rest of the film offers the usual wiseguy dialogue and violence, none of it fresh. It adds nothing new to the overexploited genre, and Provenzano’s intended statement about the Cosa Nostra – whether they can adapt or if the life itself is a curse – never comes into focus.

Rating:

Quote:
ROBERT BIAGGIO: “It’s about time we brought that thing of ours into the 21st century, huh?”

Trivia:
Apart from mob veterans Frank Vincent, James Caan and Vincent Pastore, it also stars other mob regulars Joseph Rigano (Casino, Analyze This), Vinny Vella (Casino, The Sopranos), and Daniel P. Conte (GoodFellas, The Sopranos).

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.