Some of the usual suspects turn up in Witness to the Mob, based on the memoir by Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, a one-time “underboss” in the Gambino crime family. Nicholas Turturro (NYPD Blue) plays Gravano, backed by a supporting cast that includes such familiar crime-story icons as Abe Vigoda (The Godfather), Michael Imperioli, Frank Vincent, Lenny Venito, and Vincent Pastore (all of The Sopranos), Philip Baker Hall (Die, Mommie, Die!) and Tom Sizemore (Heat). Produced by Robert De Niro's Tribeca company, director Thaddeus O'Sullivan's 1998 TV-movie is an often fascinating and largely true story that dovetails with the public memories of John Gotti, the so-called “Dapper Don” who took over the Gambino family and made Gravano his right-hand man. The film's first half focuses on Gravano's rise to the top, as he makes his bones under then-Gambino head Paul Castellano (Vigoda). In time, Gravano's responsibilities as an enforcer extend to killing his wife's brother and others with whom he has had long relationships. Carrying that burden into the next phase of his career, Gravano begins working for Gotti, but has problems with the latter's desire for attention—a tendency that runs contrary to the mafia's historic circumspection—leading to a major fallout between the men. Fans of real-lie mob stories will find much to appreciate here. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
Witness to the Mob
Koch, 2 discs, 173 min., not rated, DVD: $29.98 February 16, 2009
Witness to the Mob
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