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Money Kings

1999, Movie, R, 100 mins

Money Kings: Review

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For years now, tavern owner/bookie Vinnie Glynn (Peter Falk) has run a smart operation for the Mob, even if he occasionally lets wastrel debtors like Frankie (Tim Hutton) slide a bit. An Irishman with a soft touch, Vinnie isn't exactly "family," so when his boss Pete (Frank Vincent) hires his nephew Tony (Freddie Prinze Jr.) as muscle, Vinnie has no choice but to go along with the new arrangement. However, this is only Pete's first salvo in forcing Vinnie into early retirement. Immediately disliked by the habitues of Vinnie's bar, Tony lets his drug-lust interfere with collecting the "Vig" (profitable repayment of debts with interest). When Tony accepts a huge bet from Frankie and later forces Frankie's wife Marybeth (Lauren Holly) to pay it off with sex, Vinnie desperately determines to find a way to outsmart Pete. Using its beer-joint setting as a melancholy microcosm of the modern business world, this tightly constructed slice-of-life drama crossbreeds William Soroyan and Mario Puzo to show how commerce slowly but surely erodes human decency. At no time, however, does it patronize its eclectic array of barflies and bookies, superbly underplayed by veteran actors like Falk and Daly. Unfortunately, Hutton, Holly, and Prinze, Jr., seemingly overexcited by the script's tangy dialogue, giving unduly flashy performances. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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