There are a lot familiar wise guy faces in this movie. That is the one redeeming thing about this film. Jimmy Caan, Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore, Pat Cooper, Vincent Vella. You certainly can't blame the mediocrity on these guys. They are capable of giving you high level gangster.
To me, the single biggest mistake is that Director Provenzano, decided to take the lead role. This movie would have gained at least a single star average rating if Christian Maelen had played the lead rather than the buddy. He seemed smoother, more 'mob' like, was better looking, and he acted at least decently. (Although all the young gang were doing the Soprano Jersey Wise Guy Act a little to obviously).
Provenzano needed to put more time into the script writing and directing. First, they way overdid the Goodfella's wise guys telling stories schtick too much. It came across as unoriginal and forced.
Although somewhat low budget, the issue was the really basic framing of scenes, and lack of thought or style put into them.
The story itself needed work. "How much are we going to make?" "oh...1 Billion, maybe 2 Billion, maybe more. We want 400 million, you can have the rest". I mean...this sounds like a meeting between Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer...not real gangsters....oh wait...nvm.
So none of that seemed very well considered or developed. But that lack of realism would not have mattered as much, the banal hit scenes wouldn't have mattered as much, if we related more to the young gang. Instead, we just see some stiff standard wise guy scenes were guys get whacked and people talk Soprano talk. We don't really get to know their personal lives, their girl friends...why the hitman who appears to be a 'made guy' is Irish. There is a trip to Florida where one guy goes on a boat and talks to some Cuban mobsters...but that seems completely pointless to the story. There is a murder in a restaurant that makes little sense. The back-stabbing mobsters do obviously dumb things for no real sensible reason, except as the excuse needed to get rubbed-out for the story's sake.
And the black guy who played the FBI Agent in charge of hunting the Gang seemed liked a random guy they brought in off the street. The entire FBI contingent of the story was horribly done.
It's too bad. Jimmy Caan and Frank Vincent deserved better.
To me, the single biggest mistake is that Director Provenzano, decided to take the lead role. This movie would have gained at least a single star average rating if Christian Maelen had played the lead rather than the buddy. He seemed smoother, more 'mob' like, was better looking, and he acted at least decently. (Although all the young gang were doing the Soprano Jersey Wise Guy Act a little to obviously).
Provenzano needed to put more time into the script writing and directing. First, they way overdid the Goodfella's wise guys telling stories schtick too much. It came across as unoriginal and forced.
Although somewhat low budget, the issue was the really basic framing of scenes, and lack of thought or style put into them.
The story itself needed work. "How much are we going to make?" "oh...1 Billion, maybe 2 Billion, maybe more. We want 400 million, you can have the rest". I mean...this sounds like a meeting between Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer...not real gangsters....oh wait...nvm.
So none of that seemed very well considered or developed. But that lack of realism would not have mattered as much, the banal hit scenes wouldn't have mattered as much, if we related more to the young gang. Instead, we just see some stiff standard wise guy scenes were guys get whacked and people talk Soprano talk. We don't really get to know their personal lives, their girl friends...why the hitman who appears to be a 'made guy' is Irish. There is a trip to Florida where one guy goes on a boat and talks to some Cuban mobsters...but that seems completely pointless to the story. There is a murder in a restaurant that makes little sense. The back-stabbing mobsters do obviously dumb things for no real sensible reason, except as the excuse needed to get rubbed-out for the story's sake.
And the black guy who played the FBI Agent in charge of hunting the Gang seemed liked a random guy they brought in off the street. The entire FBI contingent of the story was horribly done.
It's too bad. Jimmy Caan and Frank Vincent deserved better.
