Boss of Bosses

"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.

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."

This movie is fascinating to me on a whole variety of levels. First off I liked it alot as it has Roy De Meo featured in it (see message board for details). Chazz Palmenteri was also a good choice to play Paul Castellano as he had the look and the forceful character needed to pull it off. I thought it was brilliant how they tied in the initial scene and the last scene. I liked how they did the sequence of events leading up to demise of Paul and the Family. No this isn't a comprehensive look at the Gambino Family or Paul Castellano but it still gets the point across. This is the story of a racketeer (I don't use the word "gangster" here as that refers to street level type mafia men like Gotti or Dellacroce who were "blue collar" mobsters even though they really weren't) who thought he was a businessman. He has the brains but not the brawn to stay alive. All he wants to do is make more money and run things like a CEO instead of a real criminal. His soldiers neither fear nor respect him and things quickly spin right out of control right in front of your eyes. "This drug thing is too big there is too much money in it!" Piney Armone says, and Paul just doesn't get that. Paul really says one thing but does another time and time again. He makes the rules and does not follow them period. He systematically p***es off those who work under him and tries to kill every mob guy who crosses him. He finally meets his match when he tries to off John Gotti. Paul fails to appreciate the fact that while his friend Neil is keeping John alive he is also keeping Paul alive. He lost touch with the street and did not have the pulse of his men which is a recipe for disaster. If this movie teaches you anything about the mob its that no one is bulletproof not even and in some cases ESPECIALLY the boss and greed gets you killed quicker than sin. History has shown us that the boss can be the first one to die if the conditions are right and things don't go his way mob rules be damned. This movie is pro-Castellano but I gotta tell you it doesn't stick when you are in possession of the WHOLE truth. I end this review by saying this movie wasn't perfect or completely accurate but its an interesting, gripping story and very powerful from start to finish.

He plays 'em better than ANYbody. I'm just sorry he's been pigeon-holed in that way. He's really very talented but we're all just so used to him playing a Boss. Oh well - here we go again! I hated what happened to the housekeeper he took a liking to. She had that big sad story to tell over by the pool, began an affair with him & then her personality changed up! Now every time I see her in other roles, I can only remember the role she played in this. I think most of the other comments here pretty much tell it all...It's another Mafia Movie. Sorry, Chazz! But we still love ya! I taped this but missed the 1st 20 minutes or so. Can I get it on DVD?

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.