Customer Reviews

Vendetta

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

 

 

This is an above-average story of an Irish family in Boston whose connections to organize crime eventually shape it's future in ways that are unforeseen. The premise is interesting: One brother has built a career as an assistant federal prosecutor; the other has just emerged from prison after a 15-year stint and who is not reluctant to reenter the life of racketeering. It is not long before tension between the brothers builds, and the drama is pushed along by the brothers' looking to avenge their father's death years before by a mafia associate. Eventually a collision course between police, FBI, rival crime bosses, and the brothers seem inevitable.
Overall a well-acted drama that seems slightly over-ambitious in scope. Three and a half stars.

Vendetta: No Conscience (2004) is of special interest to those
enjoying stories about Boston, turf wars between gangs, cliques,
and undergroup organizations, such as those of the Irish and
Italians at the turn of the 20th century.

The movie works well over the first 4/5, but then seems to lose
momentum, as a kind of TV melodrama, in the last 1/5.

The filming is spotless, extremely clear in the DVD release, the
music, dialog, mood, pace specifically relaxing while also
bringing in an element of suspense, tension, and paranoia natural
to the story, involving the FBI, regular detectives on the beat,
the gangs, in between conflicts and rubouts for unspecified
reasons.

A strength of this work, is the development of the characters,
from growing up in their particular area, with a legacy of their
immigrant parents from Ireland, adapting to their new country,
and taking on a new set of rules, surrounded by people and
circumstances they deal with as skillfully and as honestly as
they can.

Part of the focus, is a reflection on the various paths taken by
people, who start out from the about the same spot and where they
later end up. In this case, it compares 2 brothers, 1 in law
enforcement and another in street deals with perilous money
generating activities.

The Irish legacy in Boston is confirmed with folk square dances
and music, the pubs, neighborhoods, shops filmed and mentalities
laid out, religion shown for example.

The shipyards and docks once again are the focus of money
activities, coupled with protection money payable by the smaller
gangs to the most powerful gang, in terms of territory taxes, for
their profitable enterprises.

Novak's character utters "there wasn't anything done in years by
either of us, that wasn't suited to serve our own career needs"
adding also "A man is measured by his legacy when he is gone and
by how much he is missed by others."

The critical nature of the role of the confidential informant,
the competition between various branches of the state police, FBI
and others, and how each branch doesn't hold the absolute truth,
requiring internal affairs to investigate those officers in term
of crossing the line is shown.

There are various lethal moments, such as a car explosion from
the ignition, firefights with pistols, single and double barreled
shotguns, driveby rubouts, the planting of eavesdropping devices
- the rivalry in politics, and in gangs being a constant.

At the lowest levels, people are led to believe their requests
are being acquiesced, only to later find out they're being
sacrificed as pawns in the overall chessboard strategy of winning
a greater goal, by the highest echelons.

The roster of actors is fine, comprising personalities that are
reminiscent of other actors in the business, such as Daniel
Baldwin (Alex Baldwin), John Ralston (Denis Leary), Eugene
Lipinski (Michael V Gazzo), Ronnie Marmo (John Turturro), John
Novak (Jeff Bridges) for example.

In sum, this work is very well thought out as a mob movie, but
would have benefitted had there been a less catatonic and
melodrama, with more action and a tighter editing in the last 1/5
of the story.

I really liked this movie. It's kinda the film version of "The Brotherhood" TV show. I thought the story was good and the actors were great.

I liked it because I get to see my actor friend and Daniel Baldwin in the movie

DANIEL MCCARTHY IS THE BEST DIRECTOR ON EARTH. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE OF HIM IN THE FUTURE.