Quase, Quase uma Máfia

I always want to see a movie that has Robert DeNiro starring in it, so seeing him play Mario an imported Italian bicycle racer who will steal anything even if it is nailed down, was unique. This movie was made in 1971 when Mr. DeNiro was very hungry for lead roles so you can't blame him for the movie's poor content and flow. The movie evolves around a band of goofy dressed Italian mobsters led by Jerry Orbach as Kid Sully who spoof the Mafioso, and Kid Sully's Big Momma (the Godmother figure) is played by a convincing Jo Van Fleet. She certainly nailed her part and blends sweetness with ripe viciousness.

There were some smaller parts for good actors such as Burt Young, as Willie Quarqulo the bomb maker, Jack Kehoe as a scared bartender assigned to spike two of the rival gang's drinks, and Lionel Stander as the made man Baccala.

I guess the animal rights groups made pictures like this a target for changing the times, as the poor lion was mistreated in front of the camera by a few of the actors, including a scene which shows the fully grown lion shackled to the conveyor belt in a car wash and forced to go through the car wash even if it was just with sprayed water. The lion appears in quite a few scenes and does some stunts that needed a great Animal Trainer to handle. I was very surprised that the lion did not receive any acting credit what so ever, nor did the animal trainers. Shame on you MGM.

Well I wouldn't roar about this movie, (no pun intended) but it is a victim of the times, and the screenplay could have been a lot stronger even for a mafioso spoof.

Robert DeNiro has a comedic role in this movie as a member of an Italian cycling team who is stranded in New York City. It is the first movie in which I saw him, and I still recall his wonderful portrayal of a not too bright guy who raises money by impersonating a priest. He is very funny.

I bought this film because it's one of DeNiro's first roles. Based on a book by Jimmy Breslin, the movie has a dated flavor to it that renders it rather stale; my kids didn't care much for it. However, it can still charm at times and the cast was very good overall. Orbach, without a drop of Italian blood in his veins, does a first-rate penny-ante mobster. There are plenty of sight gags, some more subtle than others, and many do make the viewer groan. The real problem is this type of movie requires a serious attention span on the part of the viewer, something sadly lacking in the modern era. DeNiro was no disappointment---he was fresh, funny and charming. The price of the video was worth every cent just to see him in such an unusually lightweight role. Who knew from watching this that he'd end up as one of film's toughest dramatic actors? In summary, not a great movie, but not awful, either.

I don't read much in the way of fiction, but one of the exceptions was Jimmy Breslin's wry novel The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. It was based in part on Joey Gallo's buccaneering crew in South Brooklyn challenging the big Mafia bosses. It didn't Breslin any fans, but Gallo would soon be in no position to exact any vengeance.

The film has some good moments, but overall it should have been a lot better. Jerry Orbach is the Gallo character who thinks he and his crew hasn't been getting enough of a split from the big capo Bacala played by Lionel Stander.

In the meantime a young Italian bicycle rider just come to this country gets caught up in the war mainly because he's interested in Orbach's sister Leigh Taylor-Young. The bicycle rider is Robert DeNiro who would really make his mark in these kind of films.

Two blacklisted people of note are prominent in The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Lionel Stander who had up to the mid 60s been doing films in Europe and screenwriter Waldo Salt.

Two performances really stand out. One is Jo Van Fleet as Big Momma who is Orbach's and Young's mom. I'd worry about getting on the bad side of that woman. The second is crusading for the camera District Attorney Philip Sterling. I've seen so many politicians like him.

A lot of the subtleties from Jimmy Breslin's work are missing here. Nice Brooklyn location shooting helps. It's good entertainment, but it isn't the classic it should have been.

"Comedy" about two warring Mafia gangs in Brooklyn.

Purportedly the original book is hilarious and this movie has a great cast--but something went wrong. The jokes aren't very funny and the cast just seems to be unable to put across the punchlines. Flat direction doesn't help either.

I'm only giving it a 3 for Leigh-Taylor Young and Robert DeNiro (who are both very good and play a very appealing couple) and Jo Van Fleet who has the movie's only funny lines in a very broad, over the top, amusing manner.

But, all in all, this really isn't worth seeing.