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Witness To The Mob

1999, Movie, R, 172 mins

Witness To The Mob: Review

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A cavalcade of Cosa Nostra cliches, this mini-series based on real-life events features wise guys whose idea of fun is doing lousy GODFATHER impressions. From his humble Bensonhurst beginnings as a car booster in 1972 to his notoriety as the Mafia's number one people-popper, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano (Nicholas Turturro) believed in his organization's code of honor -- at least, he did for two decades. Then Gravano broke with mob etiquette by turning state's evidence against John Gotti (Tom Sizemore); now his reputation as a back-stabber supersedes his renown as an executioner. The seeds of Sammy's discontent were sown after he became a made man; upon muscling into the construction rackets, Sammy watched his profits siphoned off by boss Paul Castellanos (Abe Vigoda). The equally discontented Gotti also began resenting Castellanos's fiscal hypocrisy, and an unbeatable team was born. The new order proposed by Gotti and Gravano was solidified by their unorthodox hit on Castellanos; unfortunately for cocky "teflon don" Gotti, the Feds had begun taping conversations about his illegal activities. When the wiretap evidence hit the fan in the 90s, Gravano deserted a sinking ship for a new career as judicial songbird. Ask yourself: Do you really want to spend 172 minutes watching Gravano come to the conclusion that Murder Inc. really isn't such a nice place to work? Casting the sweet-faced Turturro as notorious killer Gravano sets this overlong yet underdeveloped mozzarella-ball rolling down the path of utter implausibility, and it never manages to shed any light on the relationship that bound Gotti and Gravano until Gravano betrayed it. In addition, the movie's Mafiosi kill with such regularity that viewers need a pack of mobster trading cards to keep the players straight; if director Thaddeus O'Sullivan can't place this bloodshed in some moral or historical context, then what's the point of a trip down memory lane with Sammy the Bull? leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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