The Brooklyn Banker

They spent all their money on the cast, who basically reprise previous roles but their characters are all surface mannerisms. Every frame is a,lame homage/copy of better mafia films but it looks like a student production... the videography is amateurish and the direction, self-consciously awkward. These high ratings have got to be from the crew and their families, real cinephiles wouldn't award an amateurish movie with high ratings.

All the time people say "They don't make em like they used to." The Brooklyn Banker breaks that statement. I recommend seeing it if you are a true fan of old school mob movies like the Godfather and Goodfellas.

This film gave us an excellent taste of what we loved so much about these classics. Not only did it have two of the greatest mob actors of all time starring but the piece also transported us to the 1970's and has preserved on film a unique part of NYC Italian history & culture - The Giglio.

The irony of this film was so poignant and unique. It had a quiet elegance even though there was violence. Could make for an interesting sequel. Would love to see what could be done with a non- indie budget!

Note: *You will especially enjoy it if you spent any time growing up in Italian parts of Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx. It will feel like going home, even if for just a few moments. How often do we have that kind of opportunity? Thank you to the makers of this film. Keep em' comin'!

The Brooklyn Banker exceeded our expectations, especially with the excellent stand out acting by Garity and Proval.

The director obviously has a good eye for detail as the camera work, lighting, and locations chosen, transported one into a somewhat gritty looking Brooklyn in the 1970's. Hats off, too, to the costume and set directors for being such perfectionists in keeping every detail true to that decade. The realistic casting of the extras and use of locations was also quite effective in bringing that era alive.

The movie was well paced and built up by the good acting and story line which rang true. Refreshingly, it did not overreach.

Quite good genre/indie film with a Scorsese type ending.

Federico Castelluccio has a bright future as a director. I really did like this movie and it's story line, it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. But.....I thought the casting doomed this movie. Troy Garity is Bridget Fonda's son and from Beverly Hills, hardly a Brooklyn Banker. He was only average in the short lived series Boss, but as an Italian with deep Brooklyn heritage is no way remotely believable. He needs to learn how to become that person he's playing, he seems to much like a robot with little personality. He didn't even try to have a New Yorker accent, there seemed to be little preparation for his lead part. Paul Sorvino was way too old for this part. And the Secret Service agent was an important role, it could have given this film so much more intrigue and mystery, but again it was cast poorly, John Bedford Lloyd has been around a long time, yet it seems he didn't prepare for his part. The ankle holster was a bit different. 99.9% of law enforcement wears their sidearm on the belt, less than 1% might wear a backup holster on their ankle. However the ankle weapon did give me a surprise when in his other scenes we didn't see his belt holster, and then it wasn't until about his fourth scene we see it on his ankle. The rest of the cast was classic New York mobster types, but they've had lots of experience because they've all been in dozens of mafia movies.

From someone who grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn, this film captures what it was like to live during that time. The Mob was not revered like some of the Mob Genre films I have seen in the past. They were avoided and the story of a legitimate guy who unintentionally gets involved seems very real.

I enjoyed the cinematography that captured a gritty but beautiful view of the area as it was starting to change. Troy Garity, who I understand grew up in California, captured the nuances and cadence of the residents of Brooklyn who spoke was was on their mind, were loyal to a fault and protected their friends and family.

David Proval played a simmering psychopath who was ready to blow at any moment. Paul Sorvino was great as the goofy father in law who is smarter than he lets on.

All in all, I think this film will stand the test of time.