Plot: What’s it about?
This movie tells the true story of John Gotti (Armand Assante), a man who knew how to take what he wanted and make sure he wasn’t taken down in the process. Gotti is in the business of crime, but not some small time operation, he is the leader of a tight group of New York Mafia men. He does some good while he is there and becomes one of the rising names inside the Mafia, which drives him to push even harder and rise even higher. He is mentored by Neil Delacroce (Anthony Quinn), an old timer who knows his way around a business deal and how to smash head if need be. Gotti throws the rules of the old times out the window though, using whatever means he can to climb the ladder and become the head of the whole operation. It works very well, as soon he heads up the Gambini family and while this seems like good news, it brings him a world of trouble also. The FBI tries to bring him in whenever they can, but none of the charges stick and his profile is very high among public folks. Sooner or later, the pressure is bound to build up too much, but what will Gotti do when it does?
This might be a direct to cable motion picture, but it is far and above most of the movies that share that label. This is of course, a true story so the events have that much more impact, since we know they really happened. I can remember reading about this and watching news reports on the trials, so it’s kind of cool to have a movie made so soon, while the story is still so fresh in my mind. Steve Shagan’s screenplay brings the events and characters across very well, but never creates stereotypes or cartoons out of them, which is of course a vital element to the film’s success. The acting is solid in all roles and the direction is terrific also. I wasn’t sure how this well this story would work as a movie, but I am very pleased with the results. I know there’s a stream of mobster movies out there, but this is one that deserves to be singled out and praised. I think genre fans will be most interested, but anyone looking for an excellent drama should be pleased with this film. The disc doesn’t offer much in terms of supplements, but the movie alone warrants a rental or purchase.
This film was directed by Robert Harmon, who doesn’t have a lot of experience, but still delivers on all counts with this movie. I’m sure Harmon didn’t have a long shooting schedule and large budget to work with, but he manages to make this seem like he had limitless time and money to spend. This is a dialogue driven piece for the most part and Harmon uses the camera to keep the pace fluid, which works very well I think. The pace is a little slow in a few places, but on the whole this one moves along briskly enough to keep you glued to the screen. The compositions also come through well and bring across the tone and mood of scene to perfection. If you want to see more of Harmon’s films I recommend The Hitcher, Nowhere To Run, and Eyes Of An Angel. The lead here is played with gusto and skill by Armand Assante, and why he doesn’t get more good roles, I will never know. Assante (Judge Dredd, Hoffa) is on throughout this film and never falters in the least. The rest of the cast is also quite good and includes Frank Vincent (Gun Shy, Casino), Dominic Chianese (The Godfather II, Cradle Will Rock), William Forsythe (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Hell’s Kitchen), and the always great Anthony Quinn (Last Action Hero, Lawrence Of Arabia).
Video: How does it look?
Gotti is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the film. This is a very nice overall transfer, but some compression problems surface that lower the score a lot. Small, but frequent instances of pixel breakup, moire patterns, and edge enhancement show up and that forces me to lower the video’s score of course. Aside from those problems though, this is a shining transfer in all respects. The print is clean and without serious marks, while the colors look bright, within a more natural scale. I never saw any bleeds or distortion, and flesh tones looked right on target. I found no errors with the contrast either, detail is good and shadow look deep and accurate. If this transfer were mastered with more care, this could have been a knockout visual impression.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a 2.0 surround track, which offers a wide and immersive soundscape for this film. Of course this movie doesn’t offer as much potential for dynamic as say, a science-fiction flick, but this is still an active and effective mix. You’ll hear a nice amount of directional use and surround activity, but it never becomes forced or overdone. The dialogue is clear and at a proper volume and though the accents can be pretty thick, I think you’ll be ok. This disc also has French and Spanish tracks and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains some cast and crew biographies/filmographies, but that’s the extent of the supplements.
