We recently reported on the trials and tribulations
everyone associated with “Gotti†experienced over the seven years expended in
attempting to bring the biopic to the big screen (the film has more producers
credited than the entire population of Lichtenstein.) . When the film did open,
it earned the rare distinction of being unanimously panned by the critics
surveyed on Rotten Tomatoes. So, I guess I’m out there on my own when I say I
found the film to be quite satisfying on any number of levels. Mind you, I’m
also a defender of Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gateâ€, so you should take that
into consideration. To read the reviews of this troubled production, one would
think it was genuinely awful. It isn’t. In fact, there is much to recommend
here, not the least of which is the very effective performance by John Travolta
as the titular New York crime boss John Gotti. It’s a bold performance by
Travolta, as he ages on screen from a young, aspiring mob member to an older
man dying from throat cancer while locked in solitary confinement in a federal
penitentiary. Travolta looks the part and captures the swagger of Gotti. His
performance here represents his most ambitious and impressive work on screen in
many years.
The film, directed by Kevin Connolly, rather
superficially chronicles Gotti’s rise from lowly Mafia henchman to a mid-range
boss under the command of Gambino crime family cappo du tutti capo Paul Castellano (Donald John Volpenhein). Gotti
is displeased with “Big Paul†because he inherited his status in the mob as
opposed to having coming up from the streets and earned respect the
old-fashioned way. Worse, Castellano resides in a mansion on a hill and has
never developed personal friendships with his underlings. That’s not only a
job-killer if you’re in the Mafia, it’s also a trait that doesn’t bode well for
anyone looking forward to enjoying old age. The film depicts Gotti plotting to
use a team of confederates to assassinate “Big Paulâ€, with the tacit approval
of his immediate superior and mentor Neil Dellacroce (marvelously played by
Stacy Keach), who everyone believes should hold the position “Big Paul†now
enjoys. But Dellacroce is terminally ill and he gives his blessing for Gotti to
“off†him which infamously occurred when the target and his driver were dining
at Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. Gotti is then established as the boss of
the Gambino crime family.
The screenplay by Lem Dobbs and Leo Rossi is admirable on
several counts. The dialogue rings true to anyone who grew up in or around New
York City (yes, I know guys who still joke “I wouldn’t fuck her with your dickâ€) and there are some powerful
scenes that truly resonate from a dramatic standpoint. But the writers err by
failing to tell the tale in a linear manner. Instead, events hopscotch all over
the decades. In one scene Gotti is a young hood looking to impress his bosses
by performing a hit. Next we see him as a middle-aged man trying to cope with
domestic problems and grieving over the death of his young son in a traffic
accident. (Gotti’s wife Victoria is played by Travolta’s real-life wife Kelly
Preston in a fine and convincing performance.) Next we see an almost
unrecognizable Gotti as a bloated older man fighting terminal throat cancer in
prison. The constant intermixing of varying eras is befuddling and matters
aren’t helped by an over-abundance of chyrons identifying various minor
characters who don’t play a major part in the goings-on.
The movie accurately portrays Gotti’s reputation in
Queens as that of a folk hero among the local working class. His annual ad-hoc,
unauthorized Fourth of July street fair and fireworks show involved dispensing
free food and drinks to anyone who showed up. When the police tried to stop the
extravaganzas, Gotti accused them of being unpatriotic and he was allowed to
continue. This manipulation of the middle class was essential in maintaining
his grass roots support. He wasn’t the first authoritarian figure to realize he
could manipulate naïve people by tossing them some crumbs while obtaining
significant ill-gotten gains for himself. He also wasn’t the first dictatorial
personality to wrap himself in faux patriotism, and history has proven he wouldn’t
be the last. One would think that working class people would resent a man who
wore expensive suits and lived the high life, but the image of the swaggering,
unapologetic narcissist only endeared him to his supporters. Where Gotti erred
was in not following the tradition of the older mob bosses who kept a low
profile, never gave interviews and avoided being photographed. Gotti couldn’t
resist playing to his image and loved seeing his face on TV and in the New York
tabloids. He also wasn’t a criminal mastermind. He continued to plot crimes at
his inconspicuous “social club†despite knowing the place was thoroughly bugged
by the FBI. He wasn’t a great judge of character and was ultimately the
betrayals by some of his closest confidants such as Sammy “The Bull†Gravano
that resulted in the “The Teflon Donâ€â€™s luck running out. His years of fame and
fortune paled in comparison to his lonely, painful death in prison, largely
estranged from his family.
Where the film succeeds is in the performances. Travolta
is very convincing as the swaggering mob legend, showing his charisma and
volatile temper and unpredictable nature. He’s helped immensely by makeup
artists Ashley Flannery and Michael Fontaine, whose remarkable work adds significantly
to the impact of Travolta’s performance, which is his best work in many years. John
Gotti Jr (known by one and all as “Juniorâ€), whose memoir served as the basis
of this film, is played by Spencer Rocco LoFranco, who gives an impressive
performance but the impact is somewhat diminished by the fact that he doesn’t
resemble the man he is playing in the slightest. Pruitt Taylor Vince (you gotta
love the name) gives an excellent performance as Gotti senior’s boyhood friend
and trusted mob confidant Angelo Ruggiero.
The film’s production woes resulted in a planned $70
million “Godfatherâ€-like epic reduced to a threadbare budget of only $10
million, with primary shooting done in Cincinnati, Ohio. The real-life Junior
complained that the resulting cuts in budget compromised the story, especially
with the film’s abbreviated running time of only 100 minutes. Still, it’s a
slick, glossy production, well-directed
by Kevin Connolly. The movie also retains the look and feel of New York City
with clever and judicious use of second-unit footage shot there. There has been
controversy about the use of music in the film, with period standards
interwoven with new songs by Pitbull, the latter being attacked by some critics
as an absurdity. I disagree. The old songs are interwoven effectively with the
Pitbull contributions and add some atmospheric elements to the production that
I didn’t find disturbing.Similarly, the film has been criticized for its extensive use of grainy actual newsreel footage that documents the real Gotti and his high profile arrests and trials, with accusation being that this is a gimmick to eat up some running time. Actually, it enhances the film quite a bit especially for those of us of a certain age who witnessed these circus-like occurrences dominating the New York media. "Gotti" has also been accused of glamorizing crime. This is an old standby criticism that extends back to the early days of the genre when Warner Bros became so concerned with the message of their crime movies that they issued an in-studio edict that the leading characters must always pay a terrible price for their misdeeds. The ploy never worked because audiences just had to cheer for the likes of Cagney, Bogart and Robinson. In fact, most major studio crime movies cast great actors in larger-than-life roles. The fact that we can recite exact lines of dialogue from films such as "Bonnie and Clyde", "The Godfather" films and "Goodfellas" doesn't mean any sensible person would want to enter a life of crime. It simply means these were well-made movies. If anything, "Gotti" presents anything but a glamorous depiction of the "life", with its namesake suffering a slow, horrific death, dependent upon the efforts of the prison authorities he so despises to keep him alive.
Because this is Junior Gotti’s version of life in the
mob, one must take it with a boulder-size grain of salt. We see Junior as a
young man enrolling in a military academy with the hopes of attending West
Point- and with the tacit permission of his father. However, he chooses to quit
and take up life in the mob, a decision that would ultimately see him running
the Gambino crime family while still taking orders from his father in prison.
Junior’s life would mirror his father’s: prison time, costly court battles and
a tenuous hold on power over mobsters who became disenchanted with him. The
film presents Junior telling his old man that he’s thinking of cooperating with
the government in order to get out of jail and look after his family. Gotti
senior takes this hard and tells him he has to follow his example and be
willing to die in jail before informing on his associates. Ultimately, Junior
beats some raps due to hung juries and maintains he has led an exemplary life
since emerging from prison in 1999. However, the influence of Junior on the
film leads to its derailment in the final few minutes when he is presented as a
“Father of the Yearâ€-like character who overcame many obstacles and became a
textbook example of a profile in courage. This masturbatory-like whitewashing
of a life in crime reminded me of the epilogue footage in Spike Lee’s otherwise
impressive “Malcolm X†in which notable figures of the day try to influence
viewers to believe that the film’s namesake was indeed a great man. How about
letting the audience draw its own conclusion? Well, at least Lee didn’t use the
opportunity to immortalize himself. Ironically,
the whitewash of Junior’s reputation wasn’t needed. There is a certain amount
of sympathy that can be accorded to anyone who grew up in a mob family. It’s
safe to say they had three strikes against them at birth and the lure of loot,
liquor, status and women would tempt any young man to follow in his father’s
footsteps. In fairness, Junior is seen voluntarily eschewing a "normal" future to take control of the family business, much as the Michael Corleone character does in "The Godfather". One can also hardly blame him for not opting to spend the rest of his life in jail especially since the Mafia was being brought to its knees by highly successful nationwide efforts by law enforcement. Gotti himself adhered to the old code of Omerta but there was virtually no one left who deserved his allegiance. He had been betrayed by the very people he trusted the most.
“Gotti†is no “Godfather†or even “Godfather IIIâ€, but it
succeeds in enough key areas to deserve more respect than it has received from
most critics. For the record, I am not an adherent to the current campaign to
promote the film by implying that somehow there is a vast conspiracy among
critics to deceive the masses about the film’s merits. The absurd campaign
reeks of desperation and diminishes the admirable aspects of the movie that can
stand on their own merits, although given the vast number of American’s who
believe in conspiracy theories, you might think there’s a sucker born every
minute (or a schmuck born every minute, as Gotti might have put it.) “Gotti†maybe an offer critics can refuse but
I do think it will have a more successful afterlife through streaming and home
video sales. Audience ratings pertaining to the film have been very positive. Ironically, knowing the troubled production
background of “Gotti†makes the film seem more impressive. It’s a small miracle
it made to the screen at all. If you like mob movies, I believe you’ll find
very worthwhile if no other reason than John Travolta’s very impressive
performance. I think this is a film that will ultimately
defy critical opinions and enjoy a good reputation among movie fans.