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Summary
A documentary concerning the violent Italian 'poliziotteschi' cinematic movement of the 1970s which, at first glance, seem to be rip-offs of American crime films like DIRTY HARRY or THE GODFATHER, but which really address Italian issues like the Sicilian Mafia and red terrorism. Perhaps even more interesting than the films themselves were the rushed methods of production (stars performing their own stunts, stealing shots, no live sound) and the bleed-over...
Summary
Referenced in Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2, Uomini Si Nasce Poliziotti Si Muore (Live like a cop, die like a man, 1976) opens with an insane motorcycle chase that was filmed in rush hour in downtown Rome with no permission from the local authorities. To top it off, this is one of the most violent and unconventional Italian style action films of its time. The credit goes to the director, Ruggero Deodato, best known for his infamous and censored film...
Summary
Fernando Di Leo was a prolific filmmaker who explored the political extremism and mafia corruption in Italy during the 1970's. Master of garish, intricately plotted, ultra-violent stories about pimps and petty gangsters, Di Leo has perfected the genre with an uncanny accuracy. Di Leo's films demonstrate the degradation of the working classes and how the mafia corrupted them. Though he slipped out of public consciousness after his death in 2003, his...
Summary
A wild throwback to '70s grindhouse movies, Modus operandi is shockingly violent and even more entertaining. Director Frankie Latina took four years to direct this lovingly constructed ode to disreputable genre flicks, all of it shot in his hometown of Milwaukee. He mashes together Blaxploitation, gore, Italian giallo, Japanese gangster flicks and much more into an irresistible guilty pleasure.
Summary
No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone, from his girlfriend Billie Frechette to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillinger's gang thrilled many, Hoover made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One.
"This is a very good film, with Depp and Bale performances...
Series
Summary
Martin Scorsese’s contribution to the Century of Cinema series is a fascinating exploration of some of the landmarks of American cinema, as well as some of its lesser known byways. Under chapter headings such as The Director’s Dilemma or The Director as Iconoclast, Scorsese analyses the work of filmmakers as diverse as DW Griffith, FW Murnau, Sam Fuller and John Cassavetes. This is no academic history, but a declaration of passion for cinema from...
Summary
Two small-time grifters team up to pull off a big-time score involving a set of valuable counterfeit stamps known as the Nine Queens.
Dos estafadores menores se juntan para llevar a cabo un crimen de primera lainea que implica una colecciaon de valiosos sellos postales falsos, llamados las Nueve Reinas.
11) The Departed
Summary
In South Boston, the Massachusetts State Police are waging a war on Irish-American organized crime. Undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate, which is run by gangland chief Frank Costello. Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence. Colin Sullivan is a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate. Colin is rising to a position of power within the Special Investigation...
12) Scarface
Summary
Inspired by the 1932 classic of the same title, Scarface follows the violent career of a smalltime Cuban refugee hoodlum who guns his way to the top of Miami's cocaine empire.
13) Bonnie and Clyde
Summary
A mixture of comedy and brutal violence, this film is based on the exploits of the notorious American outlaws of the 1930's, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
Series
Summary
In the early 1900s, the young Vito flees Sicily for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy. There he kills the local Black Hand Fanucci after he demands his customary cut of the tyro's business. With Fanucci gone, Vito's stature grows. The family legacy is upended by Michael's business expansion in the 1950s. Now based in Lake Tahoe, Michael...
15) Goodfellas
Summary
Details the rise and fall of Henry Hill, a Brooklyn kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" from his neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero. In his teens, Hill distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his partner Tommy, he rises through the...
18) Jackie Brown
Summary
A sexy stewardess, a street-tough gun runner, a lonely bail bondsman, a shifty ex-con, a stoned-out beach bunny and an earnest federal agent converge in a quest for a missing half million dollars.
19) Donnie Brasco
Summary
This true story follows FBI agent Joe Pistone (Depp) as he infiltrates the mafia of New York.
Summary
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in Harlem. He does so by buying heroin directly from a source in South East Asia, and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his...