Customer Reviews

Getting Gotti

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

 

 

"Getting Gotti" is a rare experience. A movie based on real, historic events which does not distort those events. Most movies "based" on true events in real life should have a disclaimer at the beginning that says "The names in this story are true. Only the facts have been changed." But that is NOT the case for this movie. The movie is the story of the first time John Gotti was put on trial for racketeering after he became the godfather of the Gambino Family in New York. In "Getting Gotti," actress Lorraine Bracco plays the starring role as Diane Giacalone, the Federal Assistant District Attorney who prosecutes Gotti in the case. Her performance is highly dramatic and she plays the role superbly. The confrontation between Giacalone and Gotti's attorney, defense witnesses, and Gotti himself make for excellent court room drama. And so do confrontations outside the court room, including those with officials including FBI agents who refuse to cooperate with her because the case interferes with their own agendas and strategies for getting Gotti. The first time I saw "Getting Gotti" was well before I had ever saw Lorraine Bracco play Tony Soprano's psychotherapist in The Sopranos. If anything, my good appreciation of her in The Sopranos may be prejudiced by her remarkable performance in "Getting Gotti" - not the other way around. Those who already enjoy seeing Loraine Bracco in The Sopranos should be thrilled to see her in "Getting Gotti."

This movie was good, but it's definitly not a "GoodFellas" or a "Sopranos"!!
I rate this dvd a 3 of 5 stars!!

I bought this DVD used and it was in perfect condition; no scratches. Also, really enjoyed the movie, it had one of my favorite TV actors Tony Denison (The Closer).

Made in 1992 and about two years after the incredible Goodfellas and Bracco's fine performance, much of that electricity is felt in this based-on-a-true story film.

The script is excellent, especially in FBI situations; the viewer can only assume that the script writer "did his homework". Regarding the "Mob guy" detail, there's all the cliches..but still believable. The supporting actors are every bit a strong as the leads.

The inescapable reference to Goodfellas can show artistic shortcomings, as then the scenes too often play as if the Director stopped one take short of "real" - lines are not spoken, but *read*. Bracco does have that slightly draggy, flat style, and the creative result can be somewhat off-putting, with an unintended comic edge. But when she's engaged...dynamite! (Just like in the Scorsese film!).

On the other hand, we have a great opportunity to see Lorraine in close-up and dominating many scenes. I think that Scorsese has a tendency to hold back the female leads, as he did with Bracco in Goodfellas and Sharon Stone in Casino.

Film builds nicely...courtroom scenes are superb, though marred by overblown orchestration.

The film may have been more successful commercially and according to genre had it been produced as a Made For TV Movie, parts one and two. Armand Assante's 1996 "Gotti" was fine in that framework.

Here's an excellent film devoted to one of the more notorious trials of the infamous mafia don, John Gotti. Having recently read about this particular subject, I found the film to be a really fine recreation of what I imagined Gotti and his thugs to be. Lorraine Bracco does a great job in her role as the feisty prosecutor, as does Anthony Denison as Gotti. His lawyer, Bruce Cutler, is just about perfect, and the whole shebang is very convincing. For anyone interested in this subject, I would highly recommend it.

Lorraine Bracco's performance was excellent. The portrayal was just as the events unfolded. However, after leaving the US Attorney's office she
became my boss at NYNEX, not so excellant.
Gordon Kern
Casa Grande, AZ