Mafia salad...

I've just caught it on TCM and can't wait the 5 weeks till it comes out on DVD. This is a gangster spoof at its best, full of lovable characters well played by top actors of the mob genre. Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo make a great loser couple, Dan Hedaya stars as the dreary mob boss, whose henchmen include Frank Vincent and hilarious Lou Albano that steals every scene he's in. We even get to see Harvey Keitel in a classy supporting role! The plot is simple and has been done before and after, but rarely with such charm and lightness. With a current rating of 5.2, it's a severely underrated gangster comedy able to deliver entertaining evening for every fan of the genre.

I like Danny devito. His sense of comedy and timing are really what make the movies he makes fun to watch. He is perfectly casted in "Wise guys" which is Brian De Palmas attempt at a comedy. The movie is pretty much a parody of the gangster genre which was popular in the 70's. The movie also stars Joe Piscapo as his bumbling Jewish friend Moe. The story is of these two men and their jobs in an organized crime syndicate were they are treated with low regards, even from their boss. harry (De vito) and Moe don't really have it easy in the mob. After screwing up on a simple job the main boss decides to have them both be given a contract to kill each other without either of them knowing. The comedy is good and fresh. particularly the scene at the church which still makes me crack up. Captain Lou albino is great as Frankie the fixer. The chemistry between Harry and Moe is well deserved in this buddy comedy. I think it was overlooked because they expected De Palma to make more serious oriented films that critics were used to like "Scarface", "The Untouchables" and "Carrie". Its disappointing that they passed on this film cuz:

1. I thought it was really good. 2. Each character got some good screen time 3. Its a great parody that even Scorsese would appreciate 4. De vito is just funny and thats always a plus.

If you like gangster films but prefer to see the genre itself be given fresh material, please look at this film, Its worth a rental.

Mildly enjoyable diversion seems grossly out of place it De Palma's canon. The premise is interesting - two loser hoodlums (Danny DeVito and Joe Piscapo) try to screw over a mob boss and end up getting hunted down. However, it is never particularly funny and the story isn't really that interesting. De Palma's directorial mastery is nowhere to be seen here - the direction is competent but the script never really gives him a chance to demonstrate his skills. Not as bad as some make it out to be, but certainly a failure, especially considering that it came between Body Double and Casualties of War, two of De Palma's best films.

I don't know why this film was so horribly panned when it was first released, its just a harmless and lightweight gangster comedy. I will admit that director Brian DePalma who has directed such classics as Scarface and The Untouchables was taking a huge risk by agreeing to take on this lightweight comedy, but I think it ended up turning out just fine. DeVito and Piscopo have surprisingly good on-screen chemistry and DePalma's directing style shows through and works well in this film. This was certainly one of Danny DeVito's better comedies in the 1980's. I was also glad to see that Roger Ebert actually gave this fun comedy a good review. ***/****. Great fun.

This is a great gangster spoof movie. It is probably one of the funniest gangster movies ever. Devito and Piscopo are great together, however, Lou Albino, as Frank the fixer, steals the show. He stole every minute of the film that he was in. It was almost like watching an old marx brothers film, where you only keep your eyes on groucho, in the scenes that he is in. In this one, you keep your eyes on Frank the Fixer. The acting is funny and the script is also very clever. I would put it as one of the funniest movies of the 80's