Rob the Mob

After watching a run of really terrible movies (Monuments Men, I Frankenstein, Invasion Day) I was desperate for a good movie....well I found it! Not just a good movie, but a great one. I was not holding out much luck from the hopeless title of Rob The Mob, but 5 minutes in and I was sold. Nina Arianda as 'Rosie' absolutely steals this movie, and is a joy to watch, her facial expressions are hilarious, and really draw you in to liking the character, in fact every performance in this movie is good, and whoever put the cast together deserves a 'well done' for a brilliant ensemble troop of players. If i have one slight criticism then it is that the Mob are about as threatening as a box of kittens! They are depicted as a bunch of fat guys sitting around playing cards and making rice balls, but the guy at the back of the club who seems to know where everybody is, made me laugh out loud. This movie deserves to be up there with some of the greats of the mobster movies. There is also a great soundtrack.

And by saying you're good, you're probably better than any of the characters involved. It's one of those things that "real-life" stories have issues with. It's tough to find anyone sympathetic in this one. Characters seem to be on the wrong side most of the times (at least those shown here).

While I wasn't familiar of the story itself and there might have been a couple of changes to make it more interesting for the general viewing public, this still has some very tough things to say. And as another reviewer already mentioned, do not think or put this near any Scorsese movies. The actors have a great time and it's nice seeing some of them, even if you could argue some are pigeonholed.

"They're criminals so they aren't gonna call the cops and the cops ain't gonna care if we rip off some wise guys." Tommy Uva (Pitt) has just been released from prison and wants to start a new a better life with his girlfriend. When the jobs they get don't pay nearly enough Tommy comes up with an idea to get rich quick. After going to the trial for mobster John Gotti he hears of an address and decides to rob a mafia social club. This idea becomes more dangerous when they find out who is is, but when Tommy finds "the list" things become worse then he imagined. I'll start be saying that I love mafia movies so I was excited about this one. The fact that this is a true story made me that much more excited. I was not disappointed. The movie does start off a little slow but is a movie that you should keep watching because it is very worth it. You are forced to pick who is the bad guy, the robbers, the mob, or the FBI. On one hand it's hard to root for a robber, but when he robs the "bad guys" it doesn't seem so bad. Andy Garcia as the head of the family is pretty likable so you can't totally feel that Tommy and his girl are doing the right thing. To me the fact that all the lines of right and wrong are blurred makes this that much more fun and enjoyable to watch. I would not put this in the same category as Donnie Brasco or any Scorsese movies but this is very much worth seeing and you will not be disappointed. I liked it. Overall, a very good true story/mob movie that is well worth your time. I give it a B+.

I like movies based on true stories. It makes it a bit particular to watch. But if this one is really based on true events then they must be the dumbest robbers in history. Or wannabe gangsters with a death wish. Nevertheless the movie is fun to watch. Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda did a very good job playing Tommy and Rosie, the two lunatics robbing the mafia. The movie is simple and easy to follow, with I guess then a storyline based on true events. A bit unbelievable if you ask me but then again nothing can really surprise me anymore. If you like mob stories then you will probably like this movie. I did for sure, wasn't bored for a second.

When a small time stick-up man attends John Gotti's trial he finds out that everyone goes unarmed at the Mafia social clubs. He and his girl friend start stealing from the mob.

Raymond De Felitta tackles a daunting task in his handling of Jonathan Fernandez's script. None of the characters is the least bit appealing at the beginning of the movie. The leads are selfish and stupid, Ray Romano's reporter is just in it for the story and Andy Garcia's crime boss seems a murderous enigma. Yet by the end of the movie, they are all sympathetic characters caught up a mess they have no control over.

A kind word should also be offered to Chris Norr for his fine cinematography. The street scenes, mostly shot in northern Queens, are hideous yet illuminating.