When I heard that Twilight Time was going to release THE
VALACHI PAPERS I was ecstatic. As a fan of Charles Bronson it was one of the
few films of his I hadn’t seen in some time. Not only that if you wanted to see
it you had to pay an arm and a leg for a copy of the film since it was out of
print. Before this release I’d seen copies going for around $50 online!
To start with the odds are pretty good that a number of
viewers aren’t even aware of who Joseph Valachi was. In the sixties Attorney
General Robert Kennedy was aiming at taking on organized crime. The problem was
most members of the organization kept quiet. Until Joe Valachi, after an
attempt was made on his life in prison, came forward willing to tell all. It
changed history as it presented the structure used by the organization and
helped create a data base for law enforcement. His story was then told in book
for by author Peter Maas who also wrote Frank Serpico’s autobiography.
With this in mind the story was ripe to make into a film.
The movie opens with an older Valachi in prison where he is given the “kiss of
death” by mob boss Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura). When he fears he is being
attacked, Valachi defends himself only to discover the man he killed was not
part of the mob. Sentenced to life with no hope of parole and fearing another
attempt on his life, Valachi agrees to inform on the mob and contacts federal
agent Ryan (Gerald O’Loughlin) to tell his tale.
The movie progresses in flashbacks to the early days of
Valachi as a young man on the streets committing crimes like burglary. When it
becomes apparent he’s willing to do what it takes to make his bosses happy, he
is recruited to become a member of the mafia. But it is also around this time
that things are changing and a mob war is going on with two different factions
wanting to take control. He survives this battle but comes out of it in the bad
side of his boss, Tony Bender.
The film shows various crimes Valachi was involved in, his
romance and marriage to the daughter of his boss (played by Bronson’s real life
wife Jill Ireland) and how things in the mob itself changed over time. It’s
never a deep rooted film based so much in facts and figures as it is the story
of one man and the things seen through his eyes. Low budgeted and filled with a
number of Italian actors since this was a film made in Italy, the movie is more
of a glossed over slice of history rather than a dead on depiction.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t an entertaining film with plenty
of story to tell. Bronson shines here, allowed to not only play the aging
gangster but to play him in all parts of his life. This was something he rarely
had the opportunity to do and one of the main reasons he agreed to play the
part. There is enough action and bloodshed to keep people happy but Bronson has
a chance to act rather than just be the tough guy here. The movie is
interesting and moves at a steady pace that holds your interest from start to
finish.
Twilight Time has done a solid job, as always, of offering a
well-made presentation of this movie. The picture quality is fine and presents
the movie in the best possible quality. The extras are limited to a single
item, a partial isolated score track. The odds are that nothing was made to
help promote the film when it was originally released making anything else
non-existent. As with all Twilight Time releases this one is limited to only
3,000 so if you want this one at an affordable price then by all means pick one
up immediately before they’re all gone. If you’re goal is to collect all movies
starring Charles Bronson act fast.
Click here to order.
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