Name: Retro Film Review: Witness to the Mob (1998)
Item: Witness to the Mob
Rating: 50
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

Coppola's The Godfather is among the most influential films ever made and its vision of organised crime has inspired many film-makers all over the world. But the film-makers weren't the only people who took The Godfather as their inspiration. This could be seen at the very beginning of Witness to the Mob, 1998 television biopic directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan. In 1972 Sammy"The Bull" Gravano (played by Nicholas Turturro), small time criminal from the mean streets of New York, is quite enthusiastic about Coppola's film and dreams of becoming like silver screen mobsters. His wish begins to materialise after he commits his first contract killing, which is enough to join powerful Gambino crime family. Through years he steadily rises in the organisation, committing many contract killings while his wife Deborah (played by Debi Mazar) is blissfully unaware of her own brother being among Sammy's victims. Along the way Gravano befriends John Gotti (played by Tom Sizemore), another ambitious mobster. Their friendship and rising influence begins to worry Paul Castellano (played by Abe Vigoda), aging but powerful head of Gambino family. Gotti and Gravano organise Castellano's murder after which Gotti becomes new head of family and Gravano becomes his right-hand man. Nothing seems to stand in Gotti's way except federal government. Once he finds himself behind bars, Gravano begins to question his loyalty to Gotti.

Witness to the Mob doesn't bring anything particularly new, at least to those who had already seen Gotti, award-winning cable television film about the most famous mobster in recent American history. The only exceptions are slightly different perspective and actors. By concentrating on Gotti's right hand man and enforcer, this film portrays much uglier picture of American organised crime than Gotti. Nicholas Turturro, one of America's most underused character actors, tries very hard and for the most part succeeds in making Gravano as dislikeable as possible. Tom Sizemore and The Godfather veteran Vigoda use the very same approach and make Witness to the Mob very disturbing story to those who expected glamour and mystique presented in Coppola's film. In our cynical times the audience has learned some unpleasant truths, but insight into the world of Mafia still remains fascinating, making this film worthy of recommendation.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 9th 2004)