La mafia

This is a fine old film about the beginnings of the mafia in America. Their nemesis was the Italian squad of the NYPD of which my grandfather was a part and whose notes and case books were used in the making of the film. The mafia at the time was called the black hand and was made up in this country of cheap hoods who mostly ran protection rackets on the small business owners of little Italy. They were backed by the dons in Sicily and the Italian squad's task was to shut the rackets down. They tried hard but the squad was pretty much broken up after the death of Lt. Petrosino in Sicily. This film shows the good and bad guys of the time and what my grandfather called, very un-pc,"one guinea killing another".

I am the great half niece of Lt. Petrosino. I have seen the movie many years ago and have been trying to purchase it on either video or DVD for many years now. Ernest Borgnine did a great job playing the part of Lt. Petrosino. If anyone knows how to purchase this movie, could you please email me? I have tried to contact the Petrosino Lodge (Sons of Italy) without success and have been searching many websites. It is something I would love my children and grandchildren to see and to have. I can remember my Uncle Joe Petrosino, who looks much like Lt. Guiseppe Petrosino, who now all go by Petrosine. Thank you for any input... Please email me at lindarae1948@aol.com

"Pay or Die!" is a very good film....not the least of which is because it's amazingly accurate for a Hollywood biopic. It's about Lt. Joseph Petrosino (Ernest Borgnine), the first Italian-speaking cop in New York City...and a crusader against organized crime.

When the story begins, various members of the Italian-American community are being harassed and threatened by 'the black hand'...an Italian organization based on extortion. The problem is that despite the damage they cause the community, everyone is afraid to cooperate with the police for fear of reprisals from this group. What Petrosino doesn't realize, however, is that the problem is much larger and well organized than he thinks and is actually part of the Mafia. To combat this, Petrosino starts an Italian Squad--a group of Italian-American cops who integrate undercover into the community to get the goods on the mob. What's next? See the film.

Why did I score this one so high? Much of it is because the acting is so good...as is the writing. The characters seem real and you really find yourself caring about Petrosino and his friends. Additionally, the film generally sticks to the true facts and is a nice history lesson. Well worth seeing...and quite exciting.

This movie stars Ernest Borgnine in a straight dramatic role, and he pulls it off quite well. Set in New York City in 1906, newly arrived Italian immigrants are preyed upon by the Black Hand (La Mana Nera), which eventually became the Mafia. Borgnine plays lieutenant Petrosino, an immigrant himself, who realizes that the new immigrants will not cooperate with the police because the police in Italy were corrupt, and they expect the same in their new country. Petrosino realizes that he needs a squad of men - immigrants themselves - who speak the language, and can convince the people that things are different here. The Police Comissioner - who happens to be Teddy Roosevelt - agrees with him, and he gets his Italian Squad. Some violence ensues, as the Squad goes about breaking the power of the Black Hand, including a plot to kill Enrico Caruso, the greatest tenor of his time. Zhora Lampert plays the role of Petrosino's girlfriend, and later wife with excellent restraint, and the final scenes (this is a true story) are wrenching.

Great historical mafia movie. Terrific depiction of the early infiltration of the "Black Hand" in America. From its earliest beginning, to its deepest & darkest connections back to its Italian roots, the film delivers an in-depth incite into the powers and horrors of organized crime. The storyline and depiction could easily have been a inspiration for the "Godfather". This is a great film in which the cinematography, the acting, the art direction, and the script all coming together to create a seamless masterpiece. Ernest Borgnine as police Lt. Petrosino delivers an inspiring performance. This film is a lost classic that needs to be released in DVD.