Vendetta: Escravos do Ódio

A very good made-for-TV-movie.

A great cast , some good performances, but above all, a great story. As is almost always the case, the best stories are the true stories, the ones that actually occurred. Often they exceed our imagination, as is the case with this one. Hadn't I known that this was a true story, I would have deemed the plot to be far fetched, unrealistic... Goes to say...

Watch this film if you can, it will teach you a little about the past and how some great fortunes where made at that time, the movie is definitely worth it.

Vendetta is a tough film to watch without feeling sadness and outrage, but such is the stuff that HBO churns out, honest pieces of history that sting you with their refusal to honey coat or gloss over the nasty details (I'm looking at you, History Channel). This one takes place in 1890 New York City, a time of mass Irish and Italian immigration which spurred a ton of unrest among those already settled and raised in that area. Everyone is fighting tooth and nail for a piece of the pie and a chance to feed their families, and the ones with a bunch of pie just greedily want more. The influx of Italians is a cause for insidious worry for James Houston (Christopher Walken), an obscenely wealthy and deeply corrupt piece of schit. He's joined by equally nasty William Parkinson (Luke Askew), and Mayor Joe Shakespeare (Kenneth Welsh), as the trio cook up an evil scheme to implicate a few young Italian men in the mysterious death of a sympathetic and kindly Irish police chief (Clancy Brown). This sets in motion a tragic outbreak of riots and and angry acts of violence against the Italians. Even their union representitive Joseph Macheca (Joaquim De Almeida) cannot bring peace or stop what Walken and team have started. You may think why make a film of this, as it heads straight for the bleakest of resolutions, but I think it's important to shine a light on even the darkest patches of history, in order to understand the levels of deception and human cruelty so that we may see it coming before it's too late next time around. This was a terrible, terrible event and the film hits you square in the face with it's blunt truth and unwavering honesty. Kudos to HBO fpr taking it on. Watch for the late Edward Herrmann and Bruce Davison as rival lawyers in the chaos.

No wonder this movie was never exhibited in theaters, after all, who would believe a Hollywood movie plot that doesn't portray Italians as belonging to the mafia? This movie is a good reminder that every group that has ever existed has had its problems and it's persecutors, and that the animosity usually boils down to economic reasons. Every group has something to be resentful about, the successful ones are those that put the past behind them and look to the future. I do have trouble with the title though, unless of course it was meant as an ironic title, since there was no Vendetta in the main plot. Christopher Waken stands out with another great performance, he is totally believable in his role, and his acting doesn't disappoint.

This movie could have been much better if it hadn't brushed over the personal lives of the characters, but I think the filmmakers had to decide on whether to concentrate on the factual story or an in depth character study of the immigrant experience. Had they decided to pursue both in this case it probably would have made an excellent mini-series

I loved the movie! It had a great story behind it, and the acting was terrific! As a member of the City of Kingston, I was proud to have lived in the city during the filming period! but then again, thats just my opinion, go rent it, and judge it for yourself, not everyone has the same taste in movies. I was absolutly Superb! Enjoy the show!

African Americans were not the only group lynched in the US. In the 1890s, there were six lynchings of Italians, three of them in Louisiana. This is the story of one such lynching in New Orleans.

After the emancipation in 1865, the power in New Orleans imported Sicilians to replace the African American. After a time, they came to regret this decision, as the Italian population grew to about 30,000 by 1890. They, particularly James Huston (Christopher Walken), set about trying to play the two factions of Sicilians (the Machecas and the Provenzanos) against each other.

It should be noted that politically correct terminology is not used for the two races.

Since the Sheriff (Andrew Connolly) wouldn't go along with the Mayor (Kenneth Welsh) and the other leaders, he was disposed of. Another policeman (Luke Askew) reported that "dagos" did it and riots ensued. Six men were pointed out by a "witness" that was intimidated by the police.

A "trial" was held, but the results weren't what the town expected, so they took matters into their own hands, stirred up by the Mayor with threats by Huston that it will be done "with you or without you." Of course, many more were murdered in the real event that took place, but this is a movie.

Huston got what he wanted.