Mob Blog: Mob Movies, May 30, 2013

 

[dcs_p]Mob Blog: Mob Movies, May 30, 2013[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Louie Morelli doesn’t like mob movies. As a Mafia prince, and the firstborn and only son of the mobster reputed to have mastermind JFK’s assassination, Louie takes offense to Hollywood’s dramatization of the life. He kind of takes it personal, particularly when documentaries show footage of his long deceased father and dredge up the conspiracy theories Louie’s had to live with for all of his life.[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]On the other hand, Louie’s loyal soldier, Victor, loves mob movies. He’s got a collection of every mob movie ever made, and when Louie says, “Victor, it’s all a bunch of bulls__t,” Victor is quick to point out that it might be BS, but there is always a little bit of truth in fiction, and what the heck, it is entertaining.[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]“Come on, Lou,” Victor says, extolling the virtues of Goodfellas (1990), Victor’s absolute favorite mob movie. “You gotta admit Scorcese nailed it.”[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Louie doesn’t tell Victor what he thinks. He admits it’s entertaining. Louie likes Vegas, and he does favor the Vegas themes: Casino (1995) and Bugsy (1991). He likes some of the old stuff too, like On the Waterfront (1954) and Angels With Dirty Faces (1938).[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]But Louie doesn’t like to talk about it. Ironically, he’s never viewed himself as a mobster, but Stella di Mare would make a hell of a mob movie and Hollywood couldn’t dream up a better mobster than savvy Louie Morelli. A dark hero on the silver screen.[/dcs_p]]

 

[dcs_p]Victor’s a bit of a romantic. He tells Louie’s youngest son, Michael, that “your old man doesn’t like for people to misjudge him.”[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Hmm. And Michael’s just learning the family business, or some of whatever it is that the Feds refer to as “the last vestiges of the New Orleans mob”. Michael doesn’t know everything and Victor assures him he never will. “It’s all water under the bridge, kid,” he says. “Ancient history. Just think of your old man as a real estate investor and forget the rest.”[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]“That’s quite a lot to forget,” says Michael. But he’s not getting any answers from his father, who can be maddeningly elusive. He gets more out of his cousin, Anthony, who runs the day-to- day ops of those last vestiges the Feds refer to.{/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Michael doesn’t have a problem with mob movies either. In fact, they’re his favorite type of movie. Sometimes, he debates their merits with Victor. Michael thinks Godfather 1 (1972) & Godfather 2 (1974) are the tops, with Goodfellas (1990) a sweet third. They both agree that Godfather 3 (1990) is garbage and doesn’t rate. Michael’s brother, Tony, concurs with this.[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Michael recently saw Key Largo (1948) for the first time. Ordinarily, he doesn’t like old movies—certainly not if they’re in black and white, but Victor assured him it was worth watching. Coincidentally, they were on the Stella di Mare, cruising off the coast of Key Largo, and Victor started feeling nostalgic. Casually mentioning that he did “a job down here recently”, Victor popped in the DVD and upped the volume. Michael noticed his father and Victor exchanging glances, but before he could comment, Bogart was on the screen.[/dcs_p]

 

[dcs_p]Michael had to admit it was a good movie. He guessed Louie liked it too, because he watched the movie along with them. Later, when the credits were running, Louie said, “They don’t make movies like that anymore, Victor.”[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Then Louie asked Victor if he had The Maltese Falcon (1941), which Michael knew wasn’t a mob movie. But Victor liked Bogart. He had the movie.[/dcs_p]

[dcs_p]So here’s the question: What is your favorite mob movie?[/dcs_p]

[dcs_p]Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime  and mob thriller books, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. Books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also in ebook format.[/dcs_p]