No this isn't a comprehensive look at the Gambino Family or Paul Castellano but it still gets the point across. I liked how they did the sequence of events leading up to demise of Paul and the Family. I thought it was brilliant how they tied in the initial scene and the last scene. Chazz Palmenteri was also a good choice to play Paul Castellano as he had the look and the forceful character needed to pull it off. First off I liked it alot as it has Roy De Meo featured in it (see message board for details). This movie is fascinating to me on a whole variety of levels. Recommended only for Palminteri fans and/or those who just have to see all gangster films ever made. But these films never remind us that the downtrodden are the ones they use to gain their riches. It's awfully tiring to see these mafioso thugs being constantly portrayed in a flattering manner, using the old excuse of poor upbringing and wrong friends as the reasons for their life of crime, and then of course they are always generous to the downtrodden. The maid/mistress is not that much of a sympathetic character as she gives in too easily to becoming a mistress, but that's probably what actually happened. Most of us know he eventually dies anyway, but it's a completely pointless way of handling it. Big mistake to show the killing of Paul Castellano up front, then the rest as a sort of flashback. In fact, he and the very good supporting cast is what pulls this up to a watchable level. Palminteri has his usual commanding performance, yet even he cannot get far beyond the mediocre dialog and the overly dramatic and stereotypical plot devices. Pretty average for the type of film it is.
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January 2023
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