Witness to the Mob*
Please Read Notes Above)

The Story of 'Sammy The Bull'.
The Man Who Betrayed John Gotti.
All mafia films seem to be excellent. They just have that edge, tension and suspense to them which bulids up during the movie and then which is all released at the climax. Witness to the Mob is no exception. However what was unusual, being a mafia film, was that I cant remember any swear word said during the whole film nor was there hardly any blood. Most of the killings were done with quick, clean silencers. Violence was very limited. But it did not detract much from being a good well done movie which will keep the viewer's interest from start to finish. Tom Sizemore is the highlight and is just great, especially when he loses his temper, and is perfect for his role. I would definitely recommend Witness to the Mob to all mafia film lovers.

Cast (in credits order)
Nicholas Turturro .... Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano
Tom Sizemore .... John Gotti
Debi Mazar .... Deborah Gravano
Abe Vigoda .... Paul Castellano
Philip Baker Hall .... Toddo Aurello
Adam J. Roth .... The sign painter
Frank Vincent .... Frankie DeCicco
Lenny Venito .... Sal DiMaggio
Johnny Williams .... Angelo Ruggiero
Frankie Valli .... Frank LoCascio
Michael Imperioli .... Louie Milito
Vincent Pastore .... Mikey De Batt
Michael Ryan Segal .... Nicky Cowboy
Richard Bright .... Joe (Old Man) Paruta
Chris Cenatiempo .... Jimmy Falcona
John Cenatiempo .... Jake Falcone
Steven Randazzo .... Jimmy Rotondo
Richard Council .... Louie Di Bono
Nicholas Kepros .... Vincent 'The Chin'
Jessica Di Cicco .... Karen
Kathrine Narducci .... Lynda Milito

Bonanno: A Godfather's Story1999)

No Don ruled longer than Joe Bonanno
of the powerful Castellamarese family.
In the violent secret world of the mafia, no Don ruled longer than Joe Bonanno of the powerful Castellamarese family. This is the true chilling saga, told in his own words- a compelling journey that leads a small boy from Sicily to become the pre-eminent leader of America's vast criminal empire. Featuring a remarkable all-star cast, including Academy-Awards winner Martin Landau, Robert Loggia, Costas Mandylor and Edward James Olmos, Bonanno: A Godfather's Story spans many decades and international locations. The young "Pepino" flees his fascist oppressors in Italy to make a new start in America. His deep family ties and fiery ambition soon take him to the innermost circles of New York organized crime, where he rises to become the youngest Mafia boss ever. From his showdown with the deadly Gambino gang, his clashes with Lucky Luciano, his meetings with President Roosevelt, his backroom deals with Joseph Kennedy to his final betrayal by his own family, this is Bonanno's own true, inside account based on the best-selling autobiography. For over 40 years, Don Joseph Bonanno ruled with both ruthlessness and honor- and survived as the last of the Godfathers. Only now can his full story be told.arring: Marti

Boss of Bosses
Some people live by the rules.
Paul Castellano died by them.
This film follows the life of Paul Castellano, a mobster who rose in the ranks of New York City's Gambino crime family with the help of his considerable intelligence until he was picked to become the reigning don of the family in the 1970s. Flush with his power, he charts a new course for the mob with the emphasis on a low profile approach exploiting quiet crime business like labour union control while promising to deal with murderous severity anyone he catches dealing with drugs. Yet for all the sureness of his position's authority, his own indiscretions in his personal life provide complications of his own. With this being combined with the growing restiveness of his underling's discomfort with his quiet approach and the FBI agents who are determined to bring him down, then the stage is set for a tragic fall.
Director: Dwight H. Little

Bugsy

Glamour Was The Disguise.
New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womaniser with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.]
Director: Barry Levinson

Casino

No one stays at the top forever
Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modeled after on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.) Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and GoodFellas), but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese.: Martin Scorsese

Donnie Brasco

In 1978, the US government waged a war
against organized crime.
One man was left behind the lines.
This true story follows FBI agent Joe Pistone as he infiltrates the mafia of New York. Befriending Lefty Ruggiero, Pistone (under the name Donnie Brasco) is able to embed himself in a mafia faction lead by Sonny Black. Ruggiero and Pistone become tight as the group goes about collecting money for 'the bosses'. Eventually, the group become big time when Black himself becomes a boss, all the while Pistone collects evidence. However, the trials and tribulations of the undercover work become more than Pistone can bear. His marriage falls apart and to top it off, the mafia suspect a mole in the organization. The real dilemma is afforded to Pistone, who knows if he walks away from the mafia, Ruggiero will be the one punished.

GoodFellas
"As far back as I can remember,
I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill
This film views the mob lives of three pivotal figures in the 1960's and 70's New York. Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill, a local boy turned gangster in a neighborhood full of the roughest and toughest. Joe Pesci plays Tommy Devito, a pure bred Italian gangster, who turns out to be Henry's best friend. Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, the man who puts the two of them together, and runs some of the biggest hijacks and burglaries the town has ever seen. After an extended jail sentence, Henry must sneak around the back of the local mob boss, Paulie Cicero, played by Paul Sorvino, to live the life of luxury he has always dreamed of. In the end, the friends end up in a hell of a jam, and must do anything they can to save each other, and stay alive.
Director: Martin Scorsese

GOTTI (1996)

The rise and fall of New York crime boss John Gotti.
John Gotti, the head of a small New York mafia crew breaks a few of the old family rules. He rises to become the head of the Gambino family and the most well-known mafia boss in America. He is known as the Dapper Don for his expensive taste in suits, and the Teflon Don because none of the FBI charges against him will stick. Life is good, but suspicion creeps in, and greed, rule-breaking and his high public profile all threaten to topple him.

Hoodlum (1997)

Power is measured in enemies.

The film focuses on the war of two gangs in 1930s Harlem for the control of illegal gaming - one headed by black strategic godfather Bumpy Johnson and another by white ruthless hothead Dutch Schultz. Negotiations proposed by white syndicate boss Lucky Luciano never get under way, blood flows and Johnson gets jailed. When Johnson is paroled, he gets the work of enforcer for mighty Stephanie "The Queen" St. Clair. She is also jailed for racketeering and when she leaves she makes him promise "no violence".r: Bill Duke

Lansky (1999)

The mind that Orginized Crime.
This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very old man who is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in since the US courts have put out an extradition order for him to stand trial. It tells of a young man growing up in the Jewish ghettos of America's big cities at the turn of the century and of his bright intelligence which he used for moving into crime. "I'm only a gambler," he claimed, "just like most all Americans." When asked by a reporter to comment on the killings that occurred under his leadership he declined, thereby making this film's thrust that of personalities and relationships rather than of acts of violence or the workings of corrupt deeds.

Mobsters (1991)

They didn't take orders... they took over.
The rise of four of the most infamous gangsters of the 20th century. Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey play Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, respectively, best friends since they were kids on the mean streets of New York. When Prohibition hits, these young ambitious hoods--along with Bugsy Siegel (Richard Grieco) and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor) make their move to take over the rackets, even as it jeopardizes their friendship.

The Untouchables (1987)

AL CAPONE.
He ruled Chicago with absolute power.
No one could touch him. No one could stop him.
- Until Eliot Ness and a small force of men swore they'd bring him down.
Federal agent Elliot Ness assembles a personal team of mob fighters to bring Chicago crime boss Al Capone to justice using unconventional means during the mob wars of the 1920s. This fictionalized account of the arrest of Al Capone is heavy on style and gunfire. The end shootout combines a baby carriage and stairs with a nod to Eisenstein's "The Battleship Potemkin".

Eliot Ness was born in 1903 to Pete and Emma Ness. Pete was a baker. Eliot was a severe alcholic. He ran for mayor of Cleveland once and wrote the book "The Untouchables", but died just before it was published.

As a US Treasury agent, Eliot Ness was charged with the task to bring the mighty Chicago crime boss, Al Capone, to justice in 1929. To that end, he assembled a select team of 10 agents nicknamed The Untouchables, famous for their reputation that they could not be corrupted or intimidated. Contrary to popular legend, they were not directly involved with bringing Capone up on tax evasion charges that finally him convicted. However, The Untouchables' war against Capone did cause a great deal of damage to his operations, and they had built up a formidable case against him on Prohibition charges which was held in reserve in the event that Capone was aquitted on tax evasion.