Customer Reviews

Family Enforcer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I stumbled upon this film at a local video store. Aside from Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent, most of the actors are pretty much unknown. The plot of the story is solid and believable, but the picture quality is very poor (and this is the DVD version!) and the soundtrack and the time-to-time nudity makes it seem like a cheesy porno flick. Joe Pesci's character, Joey is simalar to the phsyco character he portrayed in "Goodfellas". Another unique aspect is that the main hitman is African-American (Keith Davis), pretty rare for a Mafia movie. Based in New Jersey it's pretty much a 90 minute episode of "The Sopranos" before the series was even thought of! This would make a great remake. If you can survive the poor picture quality, you'll probably enjoy this film.

Family Enforcer

This low budget film had very little point to the plot. Scenes and events were depicted with little or no judgement by the director; he acted as a silent narrator to tell a story. The thing is, I liked this little movie quite a bit. Even though it looked like an 8-mm home movie, there were moments of surprisingly good acting and scene tension. I was really interested to see what happened next.

Basically, this guy, played by Cortese, needs money so he gets a job collecting for a small time don who likes Cortese for some unknown reason. Cortese is not particularly appealing, and he's a loose cannon who refuses to give respect to the families when he feels that respect is unearned. This doesn't make him a hero. It just makes him stupid considering with whom he deals. Cortese has zero screen charisma. He's not that attractive, which wouldn't matter if there were something about his character that was even remotely compelling, but it just ain't there. The funny thing is, the other characters in the movie treat this mediocre meat puppet as if he's something special. Mainly he just pisses off the wrong people and causes problems for everybody around him. What's not to love?

Joe Pesci doesn't look that different in 1971 as he does in 2001 except he's got a lot more hair. He ain't pretty, but he lights up the screen in every scene in which he appears. He is the master of understatement, making what he says count for so much. Pesci mixes drama, comedy, and violence into a perfect blend for his character. As usual, Pesci holds an audience in the palm of his hand, because whatever his character says, Pesci will make interesting. I don't understand why people don't worship this guy as god.

The film is typical seventies machismo and there are no three dimensional female characters. The appearance of women in the film is incidental and then only for full frontal nudity and to tell Mr. Tortellini he has a phone call. There is a girlfriend, but mainly her job is simpering around the main character. The movie doesn't really care what she has to say; it's just that a real man needs a woman around.

I suspect even in all its crudity, Family Enforcer is more of a real slice of lower echelon Family machinations than anything presented thus far on the screen. I feel as if Little Guido ran around with his home movie cam and did A Day in the Life on his Uncle Vinnie and I got to watch. I can find a hundred flaws in this film. I also liked it. I'd watch it again.

I give it 3 1\2 Gats.

This is the Thing, this is pesci's first film,and he's a wiseguy, he takes down scores, he has this idea for one,and gets his friends involved,after the friend is coaxed by doing a favor for the local mob boss, the film is very 70's, but it ain't so bad really, if you've got the time,and three bucks, i'd rent it, perhaps buy it, I got the DVD version, very hard to find, obscure, but this isn't a bad performance at all,and it paved the way for tommy's charactor, pesci played in goodfellas, one of my favorite films of all time, if you haven't seen either, what ya waitin for? go and see them both, pesci is one of the best actors out there, he's both funny,and intense at the same time,and I recomend this viewing, you won't be disapointed, just don't expect a big budget film, respect it for what it is, support joe.

This movie is also called "Family Enforcer", but "death Collector"is the original title. Re-released after Joe Pesci's rise to fame a'la "Goodfellas" et al, this movie set the stage for all those to follow, including that film. Pesci's character is a minor role in this film. It follows the career of an italian guy "in the know" (not pesci) as he becomes, by steps, a mob collector, and believe me he enjoys his work. As the film progresses, he seeks to collect a debt from a deadbeat "made guy", and he makes no exception. This of course leads to feuds and an eventual contract on his head, which is enforced. In a way (thought I don't want to spoil it) the film starts at the end. This movie has a great shoot out at the end also. Great vintage 70's imagery. Truly a lost gem. I would recommend it as "homework" if you like goodfellas, casino, heat, et al. You will recognize more than just Pesci, by the way. Stands on it's own as a very good film, and a slice of another era, the fab 70's. I particularly love when they "whack" the guy on the toilet!

If you love "Mob movies", especially those related to The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, etc., then you'll enjoy this "B+ movie", with many major A-moments.

If you're also a Pesci fan, then this can comfortably and proudly sit next on your shelf or carousel near *any* of his low and high budget appearances. If you're lucky enough to own Ruby's Dream, then you have the chance to watch another interesting and involving character study, although Joe is not the lead actor in The Family Enforcer.

The latter film is also about a neighborhood guy whose dreams exceed his talent and vision...and his immediate surroundings. Where tradition is so ingrained, the idea of making a real name for yourself is just a little unrealistic, unless you are willing to "play by the rules" of the darker side of town. Joe played the bowling alley singer with dreams of Vegas...the star in this earlier film is hellbent on breaking *all* rules. A "made man" to him is just another guy getting in his way.

Don't want to give away the violent ending.

Soundtrack has alot of strong cuts.

Family Enforcer (1976), stills holds its own 30 years later, incredibly,
as an underworld thriller, and is reminiscent slightly of PULP FICTION.

The music is crafted superbly, in shaping the mood of the underlying action.
The filming (on the DVD release) is better than one would expect, (and doesn't stem
from shooting on video, which is a plus).The acting is charismatic, and carries
a very vivid "live" feel, well edited.

Although the success of this project, cannot be credited to a single
individual, the actors deserve a lot here, namely, Joseph Cortese playing
the irresponsible, cocky, teenagerish, irreligious, hot-head semi-serious
collector of bad debts, combined with Joe Pesci as the man who's mature,
and intelligent enough to do a reality-check from A to Z on what's going on,
yet showing a tendency towards finding the comical in somes situations, and
Frank Vincent as the business man, whose operations turned sour, and went bankrupt.

Although it's slightly a cliche', to have a movie run full circle at the beginning
and ending (like Uno Bianca, for example) the momentum, tension doesn't let up
over the 85 mins.

Those partaking in this underworld, are clearly psychotic, and live in their own
reality, considering what is seen... rubouts, point blank murders, actual breaking
of legs with a baseball bat, shotguns, eye-for-an-eye revenge, contracts put out,
bad debtors, collectors, key contacts in assigning work having an identical role as
a recruiting agency (only this time, for the underworld), burials, traps laid out,
stripper bars, underground gambling rooms, horse bets, bookies, car thefts, stake
outs, gunsmiths destroying murder weapons/ evidence, the stooling, etc.

There is also a lot of calculated behavior throughout as strategy plays a part
in what is and isn't done, and in an awareness of the implications of dishonoring
prominent individuals in the tight-knit community.

A lot of street jargon is used, effectively conveying the mentality and education
of those involved, such as "he's on the wheel" (training), "piece", " score " ,
"strong-arm", "mechanic", "playing the Don", etc.

It also realistically demonstrates that effective collectors may exceed the threshold
at which a bad debtor changes his mind, (the pain of not paying greater than
the comfort of resisting), by intimidation with a lethan weapon, or ripping
off the doors of a home with tow-truck. There's also the reverse ... the risks taken,
from the ease in taking out a collector may be greater than teh struggle of paying him back.

The comical moments, are present occasionally such as the peanut incident with a
pianist in a club and some other ones.

The weak spot is the lack of any law enforcement and there being no subtitles.

The entertainment definitely takes the viewer to another time, place and dimension
and is well worth a release in theatres again, for those on a slow day.

This is the way it is. It's a way of life that these guys only know.
It's not the slick smooth Godfather-Soprano Bull S--t it's a way of survival. You do what you do to get by, and don't know anything else.
If you're lucky by mistake you'll find out there is a world outside of your neighborhood.

This movie reminds me of the old neighborhood. The acting was really good. The plot was good too. It's called a B-movie, but, c'mon, the garbage they call movies today, blockbuster hits and all, pale in comparison. My only disapointment is not seeing Spinoza end up in a body bag.

On the video box it shows Pesci with a toothpick in his mouth,looking more like nowadays Pesci,also making him out to be the star. ....First off,he co-stars...second he doesn't look like that on the box...he's alot younger. The movie itself is OK,but it is very low-budget. .........I don't think it paved the way for Goodfellas,but it certainly paved the way for Joe Pesci. I wonder if Joe at the time (32 years old in 1975) ever thought he would be a superstar 15 years down the road and winning an Oscar for Goodfellas. ...Nothing is sweeter than the success of a late bloomer...very inspiring.

I can't believe some here loved this laughably inept, sub-Scorsese dreck. Badly written, directed, and acted, its only value is to remind you how good the classics of the mob genre are in comparison. The final shootout, which someone here raves over, is especially hilarious. The gunmen who whack the wedge cut-wearing guido "hero" really are the gang that couldn't shoot straight. It's fun to check out the 70s hairdos (Frank Vincent's poodle cut is a hoot) but that's about the only redeeming feature about this C-grade flick.