Yeah, on the top-ten list subject I put it among my top ten. It got shallow reviews because we didnt see apparently enough of Jimmy Hoffa's personal life, and that the camera work was icy (such as when we see the riot breaking out and there is an arial shot - which in my opinion was very well shot). I thought it was very good, especially with flashbacks and of course Armand Assante makes turns in pleasant performance as a mob lord.
Nicholson's acting was top notch, and I found the Devito character was loyal and true to his position as Hoffa's lackie. Anyway, I recommend it but sadly it was not made into dvd (at least not according to amazon.com) so will have to use the vhs

Btw, you asked what family he was affiliated with. I dont know that he was, if you remember at the start of the film the mob boss says to Danny in Italian "give me one reason why I shouldnt take him out in the alley and break his legs". Then after DeVito explains this to Hoffa, he says "tell him to get me some coffee and i'll talk to him". Although he may have made peace with the mob, I dont think he was part of the family. As president of the Teamsters unions, he extorted money like a racket (and without having to do kickups to anyone since he was president), unfortunately one of his aides testified against him, and he was sent to prison. President Nixon gave him a pardon on the condition that he would pull out of the teamsters and the race for presidency, and it was left in the hands of a close friend (played by J.T Walsh). Apparently in the film (and in real life i'm guessing) Hoffa never agreed to this and even says "if i'd have known, i'd have never agreed to it". The funniest part comes when he says he wants "Walsh's arms shoved up his ass" ;). Excellent acting by Nicholson.

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Joey Montana ]

[ September 01, 2001: Message edited by: Joey Montana ]