I am contemplating getting "GOTTI" on DVD, can anyone give me info on this film? Is it that good? Don Cardi, other Gotti "enthusiasts" or anybody who has seen it please answer.

Gotti is a very good film. I suggest you buy it. It is not entirely accurate but is relativeley authentic and the dapper don is played wonderfully by a highly underrated actor, Armande Assante. Of course, DC will have a much more reliable opinion on this, I'm sure.

I assume you're thinking about the HBO movie, "Gotti," with Armand Assante. IMO, this is an entertaining film. The cast--with one exception--is excellent, and carries the film, despite the many liberties it took with the facts of Gotti's career. Anthony Quinn was an inspired choice to play Neil Dellacroce. The others were just as good: Richard Sarafian as Castellano, Marc Angel as Gambino, Vincent Pastore as Ruggiero, and the ever-popular Frank Vincent as DiB.
The exception was Assante. Not that he gave a bad performance, but he was unconvincing as Gotti--he played him with too much energy, drive, intelligence and throughfulness. Assante always plays his roles the same, and his Gotti was no different than his role in "The Mambo Kings."
Tom Sizemore was a far more convincing Gotti in a small role in "Witness to the Mob," an otherwise dismal film about Gravano's life. "Gotti" was a far better film, but Sizemore's performance made "Witness" worth watching (once).

What "liberties" do they take with fact and fiction?

Dats It Turnbill! Chu wan to go to war, we go to war mang!!


I remember us having this little "debate" when we went to dinner, and while I agree with your assesment of Sizemore's Gotti, I still DO NOT agree with your assesment of Assante's Gotti!

Don Cardi

Don't plan on taking any helicopter rides anytime soon, DC!

The most important:
1. The film shows Castellano forcing Gotti to take Ralph (Ralphie Wigs) Galione on the McBratney hit. In real life, Gotti and Ruggiero chose Galione.
2. Film shows Galione coked up and trigger-happily shooting McBratney. In reality, McBratney resisted all three very strongly, and had to be shot.
3. Film shows Gotti whacking Galione for screwing up the McBratney hit, and Castellano demanding Gotti's death as a result. In reality, Galione was killed almost two years later in a dispute with a loan shark that had nothing to do with the McBratney hit. And Castellano didn't demand Gotti's death.
4. Film shows Da Bull organizing and pulling the trigger in the murder, in an underpass, of John Favara, Gotti's unfortunate neighbor who accidentally ran over his son. In reality, Gravano probably had nothing to do with the Favara murder. And he was clubbed unconscious in the parking lot of a diner, stuffed into a van and never seen again.

In addition to Turnbull's information about Favara, here is a link that will give you more information about the death of John Favara: http://www.ganglandnews.com/column218.htm

As Turnbull said above, Gotti and Ruggerio chose Galione for the hit on McBratney. In the movie it shows Ruggerio complaing to Gotti that they were given Galione by Castellano and goes on to show Ruggerio saying " We should have been given Gravano!" That also is unfactual, as in real life Gravano was not that well known to Gotti and Ruggerio when the McBratney hit was being planned.

But all in all the movie is a pretty solid movie and for the most part it portrays many things that actually did happen in life. If you are a mob movie fan, then "Gotti" is a must for your collection.

footnote : an error that I picked up in the movie is when the hit is going down on Castellano, they show the outside of Sparks Steakhouse, and the street is shown as being a two way street! This may not seem to be a big deal, but actually it really was very important in the real life hit as planning for an escape route, backup shooters coming in, etc. had to be carefully mapped out because the street was a one way street.

But see the movie, you'll definately enjoy it!


Don Cardi

Yes it was a one way street. There is even a point when Castellano and his driver are along side the same car that Gotti and Sammy the Bull are in going in the same direction before they arrive at Sparks. They cars were at a red light together. So yes it had to be a one way street. Then they killed him!