Product: The Valachi Papers (1972)
Rating: 3.0
Not bad, but don't expect "The Godfather"
Having come out almost right after "The Godfather" (though the book came out much earlier), this movie tried to capitalize on Coppola's masterpiece and the publics' appetite for mob flicks, so it had big shoes to fill. By that comparison, it pales. On its own, it fits into the category of movies like, "The St. Valentines Day Massacre." It leaves a little bit to be desired in performances (cerainly in brand name actors aside from Charles Bronson), dialogue and editing/continuity. But the story it tells is true, based on a book that by itself tells the story of a mobster turned informant because of the contract unjustifiably put on his head. The movie satisfies those who crave the ingredients offered in the mob genre- violence, hits, blood, betrayal, loyalty, misguided power hungry individuals, and mistrust. And it can be argued that the cast of largely unknown Italian actors lends a feel of authenticity to the movie. But it does come down to script, dialogue and what is done with it by those actors, and in that, though the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, it does come up short. But it does detail the hierarchy of the mafia over several years, how that changed due to power struggles, and how it affected those who lived within it. Bronson's Valachi character is the sympathetic figure in this movie and the movie is told from his perspective and that of the FBI agent to whom he provides information- in violation of the oath of mob code of secrecy he's sworn to- in exchange for protection from his assailants (the agent being the only other familiar face in this movie- he from a late 60s/ early 70s police TV show, perhaps "The Mod Squad"). There is some unforgettable dialogue, but unlike "The Godfather," it's for more forgetable reasons. Example? At the funeral of an executed mobster, his widow pleads to Salvatore Maranzano, the head of the mob at the time, to bring life back to her husband. Maranzano's reply? "I no can bring back the dead. Only keel the living." That said, that's actually part of the appeal to this movie. It doesn't purport to be anything it isn't. On it's own devices this is an informative, if not entertaining movie. Not all mob movies, parcularly of this era or earlier, strived to the award winning excellence of "Goodfellas," "The Godfathers," even "Bonnie and Clyde," or "A Bronx Tale"- movies where the dilogue is as vital as the action. In this movie, the dialogue merely pieces the story together, and not much more. Couple other points of note. Jill Ireland, Bronson's real life wife, plays his wife in this movie. And perhaps the most notable to those who are fans of this movie, the sight of the Twin Towers in the background during one scene, in a movie that takes place starting in the 30s. That aside, taken on its own merits, as far as mob movies from its period, this one ain't so bad, which I admit isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.