Product Details

• Actors: Charles Bronson, Lino Ventura, Jill Ireland, Walter Chiari, Joseph Wiseman
• Directors: Terence Young
• Writers: Arduino Maiuri, Massimo De Rita, Peter Maas, Stephen Geller
• Producers: Dino De Laurentiis, Nino Crisman
• Format: Widescreen, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click .
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 3, 2006
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BX0VTG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,022 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Valachi Papers" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Sentenced to 15 years in prison, former mob "button man" Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) turns informant when he learns top Mafia capo Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura) has put a $100,000 contract out on his life. From thievery and extortion to vengeance and murder, Valachi spills the innermost workings of the Cosa Nostra, culminating in his riveting testimony before a Senate subcommittee on organized crime. Based on Peter Maa's best-selling book, THE VALACHI PAPERS is gripping, shocking and absolutely true, "a hard-hitting, violence-ridden documented melodrama of the underworld" (Variety).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some DVD Info and Clarification January 15, 2006

By NCMovie Fan

Format:DVD

Against the information provided here by Amazon, the DVD packaging and on-screen info give the rating of this film as PG (not R). There is some brief nudity and some mild swearing. Maltin's movie guide indicates the film was originally released with an R rating, but was subsequently edited to the 125 min. PG rated version featured here. The disc is widescreen anamorphic as well, not full screen as noted by Amazon (the packaging also only notes "widescreen".)

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MovieHistorian December 29, 2005

By Dave P.

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best movies on organized crime available. It is along the lines of "Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco" although it takes place at a much earlier time in history. It is gritty and factual although artistic license is expected. The movie focuses on Joe Valachi who was the first of the Mafia informants and set the stage for others to follow. The movie gives explicit and factual information on the history of the American Mafia from the original "bosses" through the making of the syndicate on through the Vito Genovese regime. It is a must see for anyone interested in the history of organized crime from its very beginning on to the beginning of their decline.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A genuine effort in telling a true story in America November 29, 2007

By Pork Chop

Format:DVD

THE VALACHI PAPERS (1972) with the well known star, the late CHARLES
BRONSON, will interest those viewers with a passing curiosity on
crime phenomena, as well as fans of that actor and those interested
in the historical undercurrents of America, in matters of the
perpetual cat-and-mouse game of those operating within the legal
framework, with large sums of money at stake from commercial
operations, being the cops and robbers.

The picture is long in playing time.

The final product shows high filming quality, with unusual clarity
of the dialogs and script, a logical flow in which the story
unfolds (easy to understand.)

This movie is also not for everyone, or for the casual viewer,
considering the often vicious, homicidal behavior of the individuals
participating in the gang activities ( pistol shootouts, rub outs,
etc.)

It also shows the paradox of 1st and 2nd generation Italians in
America, struggling for supreme power and financial controls
over various revenue generating rackets (protection, alcohol,
commodities, etc.) in their own ethnic group, while remaining
proud of their cultural and other heritage.

The music is tastefully chosen, and the director indeed was capable
and brave enough to show some more private, realistic and humanistic
moments by the gang members, which tends to underline the
biographical, and true nature of the story told within, vs. the
fantasy tales, and robotic nonsensical behavior too often seen in
movies released post 1990's.

There is an admirable effort in portraying scenes at the turn of the
century, and the decades following WWII, with proper automobiles,
street scenes, clothes worn by the gangsters.

Overall, this picture is a genuine effort in telling the story of a
mob family from the perspective of a low-level member who managed to
live to tell his story to the world.