Coup risqué

Any movie that can make mishandling an Uzi with a touchy trigger seem almost cute can't be all bad, right? And the based-on-a-true story gangster drama "Rob the Mob" is certainly not a bad flick. The likes of Andy Garcia, Michael Pitt, Burt Young and Ray Romano pretty much guard against that.

I found myself laughing, wincing and damn near shedding a tear while watching this oddball odyssey about a young couple who get rich from, and revenge against, those who have it coming. And all the while giving little thought to the reality that there may well be hell to pay for sticking it up the wazoos of some chillingly bad wise guys.

The media didn't christen these crazy kids "Bonnie & Clyde" for nuttin', pal.

And by saying you're good, you're probably better than any of the characters involved. It's one of those things that "real-life" stories have issues with. It's tough to find anyone sympathetic in this one. Characters seem to be on the wrong side most of the times (at least those shown here).

While I wasn't familiar of the story itself and there might have been a couple of changes to make it more interesting for the general viewing public, this still has some very tough things to say. And as another reviewer already mentioned, do not think or put this near any Scorsese movies. The actors have a great time and it's nice seeing some of them, even if you could argue some are pigeonholed.

After watching a run of really terrible movies (Monuments Men, I Frankenstein, Invasion Day) I was desperate for a good movie....well I found it! Not just a good movie, but a great one. I was not holding out much luck from the hopeless title of Rob The Mob, but 5 minutes in and I was sold. Nina Arianda as 'Rosie' absolutely steals this movie, and is a joy to watch, her facial expressions are hilarious, and really draw you in to liking the character, in fact every performance in this movie is good, and whoever put the cast together deserves a 'well done' for a brilliant ensemble troop of players. If i have one slight criticism then it is that the Mob are about as threatening as a box of kittens! They are depicted as a bunch of fat guys sitting around playing cards and making rice balls, but the guy at the back of the club who seems to know where everybody is, made me laugh out loud. This movie deserves to be up there with some of the greats of the mobster movies. There is also a great soundtrack.

It's 1991 NYC. Rosie (Nina Arianda) and Tommy Uva (Michael Pitt) are small time stick up armed robbers. They get caught robbing a florist. After 18 months, Rosie is working at debt collecting. He gets released from jail and she gets him a job at the agency. Tommy comes up with an idea to rob mafia social clubs which doesn't allow guns inside and everybody has lots of cash. He has issues with the mob getting rough with his father. Mob boss Big Al (Andy García) doesn't want to kill them with all the heat. Then they hit a joint that is being monitored by FBI Agent Frank Hurd (Frank Whaley).

This is a quirky little Bonnie and Clyde story. The acting is pretty good and the story is sort of interesting. The main thing missing is some intensity. Raymond De Felitta doesn't have the intense directing style. He's more of a quirky family drama guy. The couple has a few fun moments. The rest of the movie needs to be either much more funny or much more intense. Part of the problem is the lack of energetic music. This movie should have lots of fun period music. It could be a hilarious comedy or a dark intense period piece. This isn't much of either.

Trolling through iTunes I came across Rob the Mob (2014) and decided to give it a go. Directed by Raymond De Felitta, Rob the Mob is a film about doing just that, robbing the mob. Starring Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda as Tommy and Rosie, a couple who make their living by holding up shops, florists and basically anywhere that has cash in the register. Then one day, after a stint in jail, Tommy comes up with an idea, why not rob the mob. In his eyes they are just a bunch of old men sitting around with no guns and lots of money. Plus who are they going to call, the cops? Not likely, it's the perfect crime.

The tone of the film was something which attracted me from the trailer, dark humour taking the form of the bickering between the couple about trivial matters while Tommy is holding an Uzi and about to hold up the mafia. The obvious comparison would be to Bonnie and Clyde, as they are the nicknames given to them by the press. But I related it more to True Romance (1993), a love-struck couple doing what they need to in order to make a life for themselves and getting in deeper than they intended with some bad people.

The film's charm was an unexpected pleasure, not only did I care about Tommy and Rosie and rooting for their success but we are treated to an inside look at the leader of that mafia family, his past and what he is going through. I found myself actually caring for his story and what would happen to his family when the inevitable happens and what his grandson would think of him when he grows up.

The humour played a huge part in the film, making light of the mafia, this age old organisation feared by many and believed by some to not even exist. It is clear that the director of the film has no love for the mob, making them look foolish, being undone by two kids with a gun while their family members are ratting on each other to save their own skin. This is something not often done in filmmaking, mocking such a serious crime syndicate, but Raymond did it and I was glad he did, it was hilarious.

Ray Romano played the part of Jerry Cardozo, a journalist covering the mob case in the court and the unlikely friend of Tommy and Rosie. Ray played the part well, the underpaid and cynical journalist who became an unlikely friend to the kids, helping them gain nationwide recognition. I haven't seen Ray in while and it was good to see him back on the screen. He is a likable actor and I hope to see him more in the future.

The standout performance was of course courtesy of Michael Pitt who you might know better as Jimmy from Boardwalk Empire. Michael, admittedly playing a similar role to his television series character, played an erratic and driven man fuelled by his passion for his girlfriend and his intent on reaping revenge for his father who was a constant victim of the mob.

Overall this film was thoroughly enjoyable for a random find. I had not heard anything about this film before stumbling across it but I am certainly glad I did. It provided some great laughs, likable characters and lovely direction techniques, particularly the end sequence. To top it off it was based on a true story which always helps bring that sense of realism to the film and makes the story even more impressive.