Don Q

First-time co-writer (with Mott Haven) / director Claudio Bellante's cheap NY dramedy "Don Q" has a sound premise & the likeable Armand Assante in its lead - but weak production, some abysmal support performances, and a meandering screenplay render it a poor & painful watch. Lifelong Little Italy resident Assante's so obsessed with mob books & movies that when straying from his mental illness meds he believes he IS a local mafia don, which some neighbours find amusing while others try exploiting... but where will his spiralling delusions end? Sadly it all ends down the crapper, which is a shame as there coulda been a good movie here... but this one ain't it.

The film's interesting plot could have done with better direction and/or screenplay. While the acting is a little off, the humour underlying the dialogue seeps through and hits home every now and then. The last fifteen minutes of the film are profound, acting as the saving grace for a film that's about sixty minutes of just following a man around aimlessly. The dialogue in the film attempts to be quote worthy and in some instances it achieves it but to no great effect that would make it lasting memory. In the closing scenes, realism vs fantasy, and the result of our actions creating the world we seek make for a good ending to a film that had dragged for too long. Some scenes come off as rather pointless, however comedic or artistic the intentions behind them were. These scenes should not have been so long, or in the film at all. Don Q is a bad film I would not mind watching again. It is understandable that only cinephiles will enjoy (or endure) a film like this. My rating is a 5/10 and 4 of those points come from the last scene of the film and Amanda Assante being the only decent things about the film.

A drama with many comedic moments. First off, Armand Assante gives a wonderful performance. He has the ability to perform out right comedic roles aas well as serious dramatic ones and in this film he combines both in a nicely measured blend. Although there are some scenes that are slightly confusing (is it real or Don Q's imagination) all together the story unfolds nicely and has no serious flaws. I found the insight into the "Little Italy" culture, although at times leaning into some cliched elements, overall interesting. It took me a while to catch on that the storyline was an "update" of a classic novel (which I won't spoil for you), once I did get it I found it quite wonderful. I don't understand some of the negative criticism posted here. For me, the film was an enjoyable one and worth it just for Assante's fine performance.

I enjoyed this movie from start to finish. So fun to see some familiar faces especially Ernie Rossi and Baby John DeLutro among many others. Mulberry & Grand is the center of the universe for Don Q played by the masterful Armand Assante. His consummate performance of the delusional Don and all of the characters emotional episodes really were done well. The story line is convincing and the well cast actors displayed great chemistry. Kudos to Chuck Zito as the imposing Rocco and Vinny Pastore added great comic relief with witty dialogue. I really enjoyed the cinematography and how it was lit. The steadycam/gimbal shots and distortions were good. I definitely recommend.