3.0 out of 5 stars
Brainy, tense, stress- inducing film on DEA agents in a failed sting operation, April 2, 2010
MOB JUSTICE (1991, TV) also known as "The Race for Gus Farace" is a
brainy, tense, stress, panic, and claustrophobic - inducing film,
concerning the blowback from law enforcement for the shooting of one
of their undercover DEA agents in a failed sting operation.
Perhaps the ambition of this picture was too diminutive, as its lack
of widescreen, and audio simplicity and repetitiveness as heard in
the soundtrack needlessly makes the final product lose points. A bit
more effort and money would have resulted in a more world-class
movie.
Another weakness, is that more could have been done in the humor
department, and in the development of the personal relationships of
the protagonists. Also, more random outcomes are lacking vs the
predictable outcomes seen time and again over 90 mins. The movie
often only emphasizes the logical, business-only, one-tracking mind
aspects of the characters.
Yet, there's a great cast selected, in Samuel L. Jackson as the DEA
agent, Nicholas Turturro as someone who is coerced in participating
in activities he feels and knows are wrong and inappropriate, Frank
Vincent as the cool, calm, collected, authoritative leader, assisted
by Dan Lauria and Tony Danza, the latter remarkably capable of
communicating the panic of his own fugitive situation.
A strong point of this work, is its real life story inspiration,
showing the repulsive underbelly of underworld organizations, when
something goes wrong, such as in this case, wheb an associates took
out an undercover Federal agent during narco-trafficking busts.
Surely, underworld members have a plan and a part to play, having to
do it cleanly, professionally, leaving no messes, under the risk of
the individual becoming a liability to the organization, such as from
being a stool pigeon and a wanted man by the law.
The script skillfully demonstrates the litany of tools and tactics
that are effectively deployed on suspects and witnesses, to pressure
them in cooperating, ruining them financially if need be, putting out
large monetary awards to gain informants, with the added possibility
of influencing a judge's sentence depending on helpfulness from the
accused or suspects.
The story shows the ease obtaining the cooperation, and confessions
from individuals taking part in the ilicit dealings, as there is
ultimately no question on which is more powerful, financially, legall
practicically.
Varied surveillance technologies are touched upon, such as powerful
cameras, wireless body microphones, phone taps, etc.
A strength is showing the simplicity of human beings, in terms of
human rapports, how the human condition often instinctively tells
people to lend a helping hand to friends who are in hardship,
soemtimes with unforeseen consequences.
Conversely, the ring leaders themselves use torture and varied
tactics to achieve their desired ends, in this case, for tracing the
fugitive's whereabouts.
Overall, the work imparts on the viewer, a lesson on the consequences
of murder, the lack of glamor in the organizations, but preferring
not to explain why so many are attracted to it - the sky-high
profits, although carried out at high risk
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