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Rating:  - Again in circulation
This item was banned of circulation for many years in VHS format. It was a very hard to get. Fortunately due to the marvels of DVD it is again on circulation. As a movie collector I am I am very glad of seing again Charles Bronson acting with his wife, beautiful Jill Ireland, that at the time of the movie production (1972) has been suffering a severe illness that finally cut short her life a few years later. If you like Mafia, mobsters movies, this is a good item for you to buy. It tells chronologically a resumee of the life of JOSEPH VALACHI, the guy who opened the secrets of the COSA NOSTRA to the public on the 60's decade. Supposedly it is based on the BOOK THE VALACHI PAPERS by PETER MAAS, but -for good- there are some differences from the book in the movie that makes it more interesting due to the interpretation of DIRECTOR ROGER CORMAN (Also, Director of St. Valentine's Day Massacre, 1967, and many others)
Rating:  - Some DVD Info and Clarification
Against the information provided here by Amazon, the DVD packaging and on-screen info give the rating of this film as PG (not R). There is some brief nudity and some mild swearing. Maltin's movie guide indicates the film was originally released with an R rating, but was subsequently edited to the 125 min. PG rated version featured here. The disc is widescreen anamorphic as well, not full screen as noted by Amazon (the packaging also only notes "widescreen".)
Rating: - 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.
Rating: - MovieHistorian
This is one of the best movies on organized crime available. It is along the lines of "Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco" although it takes place at a much earlier time in history. It is gritty and factual although artistic license is expected. The movie focuses on Joe Valachi who was the first of the Mafia informants and set the stage for others to follow. The movie gives explicit and factual information on the history of the American Mafia from the original "bosses" through the making of the syndicate on through the Vito Genovese regime. It is a must see for anyone interested in the history of organized crime from its very beginning on to the beginning of their decline.
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