Boss of Bosses

I'm a big mafia movie fan.I'v seen them all. Boss of Bosses does a good job in depicting the the come up of young Paul Costellano and Carlo Gambino. This is not bad for a TV movie and i give them full credit.

Unfortunately I have some criticism to share. The story lacks action like other mafia flicks. Also, in my opinion I think they portrayed Paul Costellano as a nice caring guy, come on who are they trying to fool. Finally they put the Icing on the cake when they show John Gotti. I couldn't stop laughing, this guy is the worst Gotti ever, he looks nothing like him. He looked like a wimp.

I Don't mean to take cheap shots at the film, but I am a movie buff and I am not going to b.s. anybody.

Boss Of Bosses explores the life of Paul Castellano who for a few years the top of the heap in his chosen occupation. Chazz Palminteri gives us a good and interesting performance in the title role which follows Castellano from his boyhood on the Lower East Side to that fateful day outside Spark's Restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. An interesting irony all things considered.

It's an interesting phenomenon in that the more successful you are as a gangster the more you attract the attention of law enforcement. The seeds of your own destruction are built right into criminal activity. Castellano added a few more.

The phrase "a good earner" came into our language in the film Goodfellas. If that was the only criteria for success than Castellano may have been the most successful of all, save for Meyer Lansky who never got convicted for a major crime. Castellano when taking over the Gambino crime family thought first and foremost of earnings. He forbade drug dealing and tried to steer his crime family into the more lucrative profession of the building trades and he was making more money with much less risk.

But as he complained for what he was doing he needed a few guys from Harvard Business School. How do you explain it to guys who got into the business with their main qualifications the ability to bust a few heads? As he grew away from the rank and file Castellano set himself up for trouble.

This same story was told in films where John Gotti and Sammy Gravano were the lead characters. Now told from Castellano's point of view it has all the elements of a Greek tragedy. Palminteri is a most tragic figure indeed.

I did like the trio of FBI agents who went after Castellano. Headed by Daniel Benzali the rest of the trio included Clancy Brown and Jay Sanders. Their activities included bugging Castellano's home on Staten Island and no doubt got a few jollies from his love making to his young Hispanic mistress. Twas rumored Castellano practically went into a second childhood over her.

Paul Castellano's rise and fall are part of our gangland lore now and it's a story well told in Boss Of Bosses.

"Boss of Bosses" isn't anything to get too excited about. When I first saw the promos for it, I was excited, because I have always been interested in La Costa Nostra of the United States. I found these movies have many differences between the book and other sources. Half of the conversation of Paul Castellano and the FBI agents never actually took place. If you see the crime photos, I believe that you never see a bracelet for the Don's mistress, and in the murder of Paul, John Gotti is seen with another man, not Salvatore Gravano. The performances are not to be viewed that highly either, the actor who played Gotti doesn't even looks like him, and Chezz Palmetiri, is a little shorter.

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.

This story has been modified for the screen without a doubt. For the assassination scene two eight-round semi-autos fired twenty-two shots with no visible reloads, leaving shell casings as evidence all over the place? Okay, so I have high standards for docudramas. The book this was based on was pretty good. It did not portray Paul Castellano as sympathetically as was done in the movie. For those with an interest in this story and no time to read it's okay, but don't kid yourself that this is the whole story.