Review: Gotti (1996)

There are certain genres of film/ TV that a man is not obligated to like or enjoy. If a man does not like musicals that is okay. If a man does not enjoy watching a movie where everybody’s singing and dancing like a bunch of fruity idiots then he’s not obligated to do so. However there are certain type of movies that men need to watch & enjoy. That is not to say that every movie within this genre is a good one but if you don’t like the genre all together, then fuck you! Your man-card is revoked!

Mafia movies and TV shows are manly. If you ever hear a man say “I don’t like mob movies” rest assure a sex change operation is around the corner.

There have been plenty of mob movies over the years but in 1996 (3 years before “The Sopranos” premiered on HBO) HBO aired a movie based on the life of John Gotti starring Armand Assante that was a fucking great in my opinion.

John Gotti was an Italian-American gangster who became boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City.  The Gambino crime family was one of the “Five Families” that dominated organized crime in New York City, within the nationwide criminal organization called the Mafia or Cosa Nostra.

Movie starts out during the 70s. The movie chronicles John Gotti’s rise through the ranks of the organization. Gotti from the get-go had an attitude that differed from other old school gangsters. Some liked this about him, some hated this about him. Gotti was his own man that did things his way, his rule-breaking let him to the top of the organization but at the same time was a major factor in his downfall in the early 90s. This movie depicts that really well.

Robert Harmon who directed the manly  classics “The Hitcher” and JCVD’s “Nowhere to Run” directs a stellar cast here. This movie premiered on HBO on August 17th 1996 and at the time it was the highest-rated original movie. This led to many actors featured on this movie to end up playing parts in “The Sopranos” years later.

This is not a groundbreaking movie but what makes this movie really, really good in my book, is the performances that the actors turned in. Manly Legend Anthony Quinn plays Gotti’s mentor Aniello Dellacroce. Quinn’s character mentors and loves Gotti like a son but at the same time reveals and points out how cold-hearted the choices of the members of the organizations can be.

William Forsythe plays Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. Gravano is Gotti’s friend, underboss and hitman for the organization. Forsythe manages to bring depth to the role which at times calls for him to be a loyal friend and other times a cold hearted assassin.

But the real star of the show here is manly man Armand Assante as John Gotti. He anchors the movie from start to finish and he is brilliant in the role. Even though Assante won some awards for his portrayal of Gotti in this movie, I still believe that he’s quite the underrated performer. Assante brings Gotti to life with depth and manly bravado.

If you haven’t seen this mob movie or it’s been awhile since you’ve seen it, this is definitely a good one, it’s an entertaining film. Also it’s fun to spot so many of the actors that ended up playing roles in “The Sopranos” either as gangsters or FBI agents.

Gotti really was the last Don in an era gone by. He attracted a lot of media attention and he liked it. The man was no saint but he had style. In other words..Hoodlums of today: “Pull up your fucking pants!”

The movie is available for free on YouTube so if any of you manly readers wish to check it out, I recommend the movie.  An A movie IMO, Assante alone is worth the grade.

9/10