Der Untergang der Cosa Nostra

"Gotti" is the TRUE STORY about the notorious rise and fall of mobster, John Gotti. As a student of organized crime history, I can honestly tell you, that this movie gives you MAJOR insight into the life of John Gotti. Was he a good guy who took care of his people or a vicious bad guy?. For those who don't know, John Gotti, became very early a legend on the streets of New York City. He became a made man of the Gambino family in the early 70's. Gotti made a lot of money for the family and he quickly earned the trust of his boss, Carlo Gambino. The movie starts by showing, how Gotti seemed to have problems following [the mafia] rules at first and almost gets killed. This sets the movie very well off and gives us a better insight in, not only Gottis life, but the mafia and how they see it. Sort of like GoodFellas, but only that was the Lucchese family. The Gambino family has a alot more history and a family that was originally started by Lucky Luciano in 1931. Armand Assante who plays Gotti makes an outstanding performance here and really triggers the movies atmosphere. Anthony Quinn who plays mob kingpin Neil Dellacroce, Gottis mentor, does a wonderful job. His presence is absolute stellar. GoodFella, Frank Vincent and Bill Forsythe do a great job too. This is not a movie, this is a tv movie done by HBO and it's a rare thing to see a good tv movie these days. The director of this film, Robert Harmon, sure knows what he is up to here!!. If you liked GoodFellas, Casino and The Godfather movies then I would really recommend you to see this one.

This movie focuses a LOT more on just the actual man John Gotti rather than all the affect he has. Armand Assante is very convincing and did an excellent job acting. However, unlike The Godfather, this is a REAL story. That makes it all the more fun to watch. It's definitely worth watching if you're a gangster movie addict like me

It's definitely no Godfather, but if you're looking for something new...give it a shot

8/10

I have watched 'Gotti' over 100 times. If you like quotable dialog you will love this movie. It is one of my all time favorite movies of any genre. Armand Assante is awesome as John Gotti. If it wasn't an HBO movie I believe Assante would have been nominated for an academy award. Anthony Quinn is also excellent as Neil. The dialog is spoken in a hastened Queens/Brooklyn accent so turn the subtitles on so you don't miss any lines. This movie has become a cult favorite in my circle of movie fanatic friends. It is on par with Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Carlito's Way and the like. If you liked these films you should like 'Gotti' as well.

Some years ago I was in Canton, Ohio going to my hotel in a cab and when the driver learned I was from New York he asked me kind of hesitantly that being from the Big Apple had I ever run into John Gotti. I learned there and then what an impression Gotti had made with his Dapper Don public persona. So in this film Gotti I can easily understand that brief scene where the couple from Rochester gush over Armand Assante when they meet him in a restaurant. And Assante plays it to the hilt ordering champagne for the couple's table. You would have thought they met Cary Grant.

The made for TV movie Gotti hits all the noted incidents in the Gotti legend. Based in part in the research and writings of Jerry Capeci who used to report on gangland activities in the Daily News the script gives us a three dimensional portrait of Gotti.

It used to fascinate me that when Joey Gallo was killed and later Joe Columbo was shot and lived in a coma for about 7 years it would resonate once and for all that publicity seeking gangsters don't really make out in the end. It makes them a more visible target to shoot at.

I like very much what William Forsythe did with the part of Sammy the Bull Gravano, Gotti's underboss and total opposite of him in personality. Forsythe who was Al Capone in the revived Untouchables series does the gangster persona very well.

In fact this film also boasts the casting of a pair of old Hollywood oldtimers. Marc Lawrence did gangster parts in old Hollywood plays the aging Carlo Gambino and Anthony Quinn who did a few of those parts as well in his varied career plays Gotti patron Neil Dellacroce the Gambino underboss. Quinn has some great scenes with Assante trying to warn him of the error of his ways.

This film should have gotten the theatrical release it was originally intended.

If you enjoyed the Sopranos then you should enjoy this piece, despite its age. It has weathered well. It's not as disjointed as the modern adaptation with John Travolta, and Armand Assante gives at least an equal showing, if not slightly better, not as vicious and calculating, but certainly ferocious and believable. It's better cast than the modern version and consequently the street speak of these players comes across as more authentic. It's not as jumbled as the modern version, and the timeline is one of its greater strengths. Anthony Quinn is supreme, and brings all my compliments above to the fore. Here you'll see many of the Sopranos actors in their earlier roles. Delightful for movie buffs. If you're into mob movies then this is as essential as The Godfather or Goodfellas or Casino.