The plot: In the 1950s, notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese vie for control of the city streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that reshapes organized crime forever.
This film was overshadowed.
Pros: I keep credit forRobert De Niro doing double duty both narrating & playing two different characters. I like a lot of the realistic aesthetic fitting the time period this film is set in. Debra Messing did a dynamite performance as frank’s wife & How it the ending in unesthetic ways.
Cons: The film was dull. It feels like they use every gangster trout every deceived. They didn’t explorer more into the friendship between Frank and Vito properly. A lot of the editing through charming and this should’ve never been 2 hours long.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Directed by Barry Levinson
Produced by Irwin Winkler, Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, Charles Winkler, David Winkler
Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi
Starring: Robert De Niro; Debra Messing; Cosmo Jarvis; Kathrine Narducci & Michael Rispoli.
Edited by Douglas Crise
Cinematography: Dante Spinotti
Music by David Fleming
Production companies: Winkler Films
Distributed by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast:
- Robert De Niro as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese
- Debra Messing as Bobbie Costello, Frank’s wife
- Cosmo Jarvis as Vincent Gigante, a rising soldier in Vito’s crew
- Kathrine Narducci as Anna Genovese, Vito’s wife
- Michael Rispoli as Albert Anastasia, boss of the Mangano family, member of the commission and a close ally of Frank
- Michael Adler as Charles W. Tobey, a United States Senator on the Kefauver Committee.
- Ed Amatrudo as Rudolph Halley, a leading New York City councilman with ties to Frank
- Joe Bacino as Joe Profaci, Boss of the Profaci family and member of the Commission
- James Ciccone as Carlo Gambino, a powerful mobster who serves as Anastasia’s underboss
- Anthony J. Gallo as Tommy Lucchese, Boss of the Lucchese family and a member of the Commission
- Wallace Langham as Estes Kefauver, a prominent United States Senator
- Belmont Cameli as Frankie Boy
- Louis Mustillo as Joseph Bonanno, Boss of the Bonanno family and a ruling member of the Commission
- Frank Piccirillo as Richard Boiardo, Vito’s principal enforcer
- Tim Livingood as Waiter #4
- Matt Servitto as George Wolf, Frank’s personal attorney
- Robert Uricola as Anthony “Tony Bender” Strollo, a mobster who serves as Vito’s right-hand man
I worse skip this one.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Ryan Balkwill:
Resident film reviewer,
Level Best Art Cafe