By
Todd Garbarini
When
The Sopranos ended its run on HBO in
June 2007, fans were forced to say goodbye to one of television’s greatest
series. It is a difficult thing to bid farewell to characters you have come to
know and enjoy watching, and Tony Soprano and his extended family and crew were
no exception. Fortunately, most of the people who appeared on the show have
gone on to other projects, some in a similar vein and others one hundred and
eighty degrees removed from the actions of La Cosa Nostra. Actor Tony Sirico, who portrayed Pauley Walnuts
since the series began in 1999, was himself involved in some criminal behavior
and did less than two years in jail prior to becoming an actor. While the Internet Movie Database lists his
first screen credit as appearing in The Godfather Part II (1974) - his
appearance is both unconfirmed and uncredited - his first speaking part might
have been as a car salesman in an episode of television’s Kojak during season five. The
first role I ever saw him in was as Patsy Riccamonza, a mobster who owes money
to Harvey Keitel’s father, in James Toback’s masterful Fingers (1978). Over the
years, Mr. Sirico has appeared in bit parts in dozens of films playing bad guys
and appeared to be typecast. Some of his
work included bits for Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese. It’s his role as one of Tony Soprano’s loyal
soldiers on the highly acclaimed HBO drama that made him a household name. Sopranos
fans who have been looking forward to seeing Mr. Sirico in his own movie might
initially be delighted to catch Zarra’s
Law, a 2012-lensed crime drama, which features him in a role that few would
expect him to play: a retired police detective. However, despite this, Zarra’s Law
is not the acting showcase that it could have been for Mr. Sirico, which is a
shame because he deserves to carry a film on his own. He has proven that he can act, and traded
some truly wonderful banter on the rightly acclaimed HBO series for which he is
best known. That being said, Zarra’s Law is a nice try, but doesn’t
come near to reaching the heights that have made Martin Scorsese
legendary.
The
premise is hardly new, but the film’s execution (no pun intended, of course) is
more interesting than one might expect. Tony’s
brother, obviously not on the same side of the law, is blown up in a car right
before his very eyes (think of Sam Rothstein in 1995’s Casino). Tony knows who is
behind it, and his nephew Gaetano (Brendan Fehr), a lawyer who lives 18 miles away
in Hackensack but never visits, wants to have more of a presence in Tony’s
life. Along the way, there are run-ins
with former childhood friend and current mobster Frankie Andreoli; unhinged Mafioso
Bobby Stax who is more short-fused than Sonny Corleone; and irresponsibly
negligent Arthur Pascano whom Gaetano is defending in court.
Newly
released on DVD, Zarra’s Law also features
fellow Sopranos actors Brian Tarantina
(he played Mustang Sally on The Sopranos),
Burt Young who did Mustang Sally in, and Kathrine Narducci, Artie Bucco’s
animated wife Charmaine. Mr. Tarantina
has got the “cold, calculating and violent scuzzball†act down pat. He also had a small role opposite Al Pacino
in Donnie Brasco (1997) and here he
doles out threats and violence to both sexes.
There
is a romantic subplot between Gaetano and a woman he meets (Erin Cummings), but
it’s a distraction, and I would have liked to have seen more of Mr. Sirico’s
character. The film’s best scene is
between him and his mother with whom he lives, and they have an argument about
how he gave up his life to take care of her. The scene is an emotionally pivotal moment, with real feeling that rings
true with a veracity that is unfortunately missing from many other scenes in
the rest of the film.
The
film’s director, Juha Wuolijoki, is Scandinavian and a curious choice to helm a
story like this.
If
you’re a fan of mob movies and Tony Sirico in particular (and who isn’t,
especially after his lost-in-the-woods act with a confederate in one of The Soprano’s best episodes), give Zarra’s Law a whirl. It ain’t Goodfellas…but
then again, what is?
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