Customer Reviews

Lepke [VHS]

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

 

 

"Lepke" is perhaps one of the worst big budget gangster films of all time..Not because the acting is so bad(it isn't)but because it is 95%fiction from start to finish..Louis Buchalter,along with Jacob Schapiro(Lepke & Gurrah as they were known)were two new york jewish thugs and labor racketeers of the 1930s most often remembered for thier association with"murder inc."a cabal of murderers often used by the syndicate and exposed by Burton Turkas and Thomas Dewey...Neither man was particularly likeable,both were nasty and brutal,and Lepke is,to date,the only major criminal boss to actually be executed by the state for his crimes..
"Lepke" the film more or less white-washes the truth,painting Buchalter and Shapiro as sympathetic,short-changing thier association with"murder inc." and thier main gunsel,Abe"kid twist"Reles,opting for invented episodes rather than true ones,and overall taking a comic-book approach to the whole plot..The single redeeming aspect of"Lepke"is the end scene where Buchalter,played by smaltz actor Tony Curtis is executed in the electric chair..This alone is the one powerful and authentic scene,and as played by Curtis almost overcomes all that came before...
...almost,but not quite...As pure"guilty pleasure"entertainment "Lepke" isn't bad,but as true crime it stinks....

This Depression Era gangster pic packs a real punch. This stylishly exciting movie keeps your attention throughout. It lacks the artistry of "The Godfather" but more than holds it's own. Tony Curtis as Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, murderer, businessman, loving husband, gives a credible performance here. Also noteworthy is an effective dramatic turn by Milton Berle as Lepke's Orthodox Jewish father-in-law. This film should be seen in conjunction with "Murder Inc." that featured a chilling turn by Peter Falk as Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, Lepke's enforcer. Reles is only given perfunctory mention here.

i have read reviews before buying this dvd none of the reviews were good but i am glad i bought this movie,the only problem was it had lepke really into romance.history does not speak of him in this manner,but if it was true i still enjoyed the movie.tony curtis is superb as lepke.this movie is worth watching!!

Agreed! This movie is awful. Tony Curtis is awful (even though he's become famous as an actor and has even been nominated for an academy award (for another movie), he really isn't much more than a high school play grade actor) along with 99% of the other performers in this dog. The made up story/facts... also awful. If you do watch it, you won't be able to believe how cornball the gun battles are, especially the one in the amusement park. As a work of art, this is 180 degrees from "The Godfather", which as we all know was excellent (and it also made up stories and facts... but did so exceptionally well).

I would predict that virtually anyone that watches this will feel they've wasted their time and come away quite disappointed.

I'm the type that believes film critics are way too negative most of the time, but this movie deserves a thumbs-down for certain.

This is an overlooked Tony Curtis Movie that's really worth watching.It's a must see!!

I enjoy watching Gangster movies and this one was good in comparison to watching Gotti(HBO)Movie

Sending this back for a a replacement and paying the postage when I've been stuffed around once doesn't seem worth it, and all other Region 1 DVDs I've bought have worked fine in my DVD player. Not happy.

Product was in good condition as updated in the advertisement
Delivery time was accurate
Would recommend to other users