Boss of Bosses

This story has been modified for the screen without a doubt. For the assassination scene two eight-round semi-autos fired twenty-two shots with no visible reloads, leaving shell casings as evidence all over the place? Okay, so I have high standards for docudramas. The book this was based on was pretty good. It did not portray Paul Castellano as sympathetically as was done in the movie. For those with an interest in this story and no time to read it's okay, but don't kid yourself that this is the whole story.

Pretty average for the type of film it is. Palminteri has his usual commanding performance, yet even he cannot get far beyond the mediocre dialog and the overly dramatic and stereotypical plot devices. In fact, he and the very good supporting cast is what pulls this up to a watchable level.

Big mistake to show the killing of Paul Castellano up front, then the rest as a sort of flashback. Most of us know he eventually dies anyway, but it's a completely pointless way of handling it. The maid/mistress is not that much of a sympathetic character as she gives in too easily to becoming a mistress, but that's probably what actually happened.

It's awfully tiring to see these mafioso thugs being constantly portrayed in a flattering manner, using the old excuse of poor upbringing and wrong friends as the reasons for their life of crime, and then of course they are always generous to the downtrodden. But these films never remind us that the downtrodden are the ones they use to gain their riches.

Recommended only for Palminteri fans and/or those who just have to see all gangster films ever made.

Chazz puts up a good fight here, trying to rise above the script and some lousy supporting players. Not to mention the fact that he looks nothing, and I mean nothing, like the real Castellano. The screenplay trots out every mob cliche in the book, with characters blabbering about "this thing of ours" and telling the Don, "I'll do anything to prove my loyalty." Ditto the FBI guys. "Let's tighten the noose! I want him." Oy vey. Paging Robert Towne....

The story also glosses over many of the more sordid personal problems of the BOB. Still, I was never bored. Definitely better than most made for TV "movies."

"Boss of Bosses" tells of the rise, reign, and fall of mob boss Paul Castellano (Palminteri) with the emphasis on his reign as head of the Gambino crime family. "BofB" plays as a rather ordinary made-for-tv biopic centered on a marginally interesting crime figure with Palminteri seemingly helplessly in need of some quality direction. Passable stuff only for the terminally bored or those with an interest in organized crime.

all i will say is that this movie was decent, nothing more, nothing less. it's not exactly anything to get excited about as it is no more than average. the whole way through the film, i got the impression it was trying to copy other mafia films. for example the flashback to when chazz was a young hood reminded me so much of the first half of once upon a time in america and the trip to florida resembled that of donnie brasco.

nevertheless, chazz was brilliant and i would recommend this 'movie' to any fans of him, its just a shame he was reduced to this when he far more capable of more challenging roles. it was also nice to see steven bauer but a shame he had such a small role in a virtually unheard of movie.

C+