Mafioso: The Father, the Son

Geez, where to start? The casting, perhaps. Well, marginal actors with bad material can a real mess make, and this flick stonk so badly I'm longing for a shower. Rossi, with a writing credit (somehow I see him brainstorming with some no-talent hack real writer), crafts himself a plum role that proves the rule about how that's not a good idea. The actor cast in the lead as Vito, has got to be the ugliest, silly looking wop in Hollywood whose lips hang like a raw wound on a mug that could shatter a mirror. Vito's dad, however, deserves the most thumbs-down for believability. He's about as credible for being a mob boss as Andy Dick.

Next, the direction, the script, and the rest. Bad, and worse. I can only assume that this project launched due to Sopranos' success, and they supposed they could snag a low-budget masterpiece by casting their own buddies and their family with an inkling they could act. Sophia Coppola should have shown SOMEBODY in charge how that can work out.

Keep hunting if you want to watch a mafia movie with something to offer. This is a waste of time.

I saw this film at a screening and it can't help but be compared to the Sopranos. The three leading characters of this film are very intriguing, all with an interesting dynamic or relationship. I found that the relationship between the father (John Costanza) and his son (Sal Mazzotta) the most intriguing. Costanzo's softer side is shown when we realize that he just wants to take care of his son and his family, and that he's not in it just for the money, which makes their relationship unique for a Mafia film. As we watch the Mafia family suffer one tragedy after another, we realize this is not just another Mafia movie. Mazzotta and Vito's (Leo Rossi) relationship was also very interesting, particularly in the latter part of the film where their association takes a much uglier turn. Leo Rossi's performance was another one that had me hooked, I guessed early on what was going to happen between them but it didn't dampen the effect on the film for me at all. The acting was very good and unusual characters made this film just as interesting as the Sopranos, which I really am hooked on. I recommend this if you are ready for graphic violence.

I saw this movie at a screening and was thoroughly impressed. I was able to get comfortable with the characters very easily; the story grabbed and held my attention throughout. This is a very well put-together film. The cast was easy to warm up to, plenty of familiar faces from other films and their roles played out smoothly. The character of "Frank" (who I was not very familiar with) was played excellently and I can see him in future films for sure.

Being from the Philadelphia area, I found it easy to get into the movie and being familiar with the locations made it all the more enjoyable.

If you are into "mafia" type movies (or even if you're not), this is one movie that is worth seeing.

This far from particularly anything mafia movie is not worth bothering with. Its the story of two generations of gangsters in Philadelphia doing what gangsters do.

Its loaded with low level character actors, most of whom have made their careers playing these sort of roles. While they may be fine in support, here, as leads, they look more than a bit uncertain.

The real problem with this is the direction and the script which are on the bad TV movie level. I was laughing at it as the opening court room scene began. As the scene went on the film made me squirm more and more. This wasn't real, it was someones confused TV recollection of reality

Don't watch this. It has moments of okayness, but mostly its just bad gangster dress up.

2 out of 10

This movie was great, very well produced and all the actors were really good. I seen the the movie on ABC network, but the DVD was a lot better. If you like mob movies, i strongly recommend this film. The relationship between the father and the son was very believable and very moving. Sal Mazzotta, great work and i cant wait to see your next movie, as an actor you are really good. My mom and dad really liked the movie, they loved the actor who played your father, he was very good. This film reminds me of the Sopranos, very real to life. Hopefully you will consider Canada for your next project. I lived here my whole life and it is a great city to possibly shoot your next project.