Gotti (1996 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Dapper Don

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 17 November 2017]

Some years ago I was in Canton, Ohio going to my hotel in a cab and when the driver learned I was from New York he asked me kind of hesitantly that being from the Big Apple had I ever run into John Gotti. I learned there and then what an impression Gotti had made with his Dapper Don public persona. So in this film Gotti I can easily understand that brief scene where the couple from Rochester gush over Armand Assante when they meet him in a restaurant. And Assante plays it to the hilt ordering champagne for the couple's table. You would have thought they met Cary Grant.

The made for TV movie Gotti hits all the noted incidents in the Gotti legend. Based in part in the research and writings of Jerry Capeci who used to report on gangland activities in the Daily News the script gives us a three dimensional portrait of Gotti.

It used to fascinate me that when Joey Gallo was killed and later Joe Columbo was shot and lived in a coma for about 7 years it would resonate once and for all that publicity seeking gangsters don't really make out in the end. It makes them a more visible target to shoot at.

I like very much what William Forsythe did with the part of Sammy the Bull Gravano, Gotti's underboss and total opposite of him in personality. Forsythe who was Al Capone in the revived Untouchables series does the gangster persona very well.

In fact this film also boasts the casting of a pair of old Hollywood oldtimers. Marc Lawrence did gangster parts in old Hollywood plays the aging Carlo Gambino and Anthony Quinn who did a few of those parts as well in his varied career plays Gotti patron Neil Dellacroce the Gambino underboss. Quinn has some great scenes with Assante trying to warn him of the error of his ways.

This film should have gotten the theatrical release it was originally intended.

Entertaining and informative if you like Crime docu-dramas

[imapoa · 8/10 · 11 December 2004]

GOTTI is a reasonably fast-paced account of John Gotti's rise to power in the Gambino crime family. I have an interest in Mafioso and I recognize the factual basis of some scenes, allowing for dramatic license. From there I'm willing to assume that the entire movie is based on actual events. Armand Assante is convincing in the role of John, and the supporting cast is noteworthy as well. They are probably a bit more genteel than were the actual mobsters, except perhaps when in the public eye.

The movie's rhythm seems to bog down in a couple of places. It detracts from the general tempo--but patience rewards with good action once again. The violence is not overplayed, in fact it is subdued. Anyone who is aware of the history of real Mafia perpetrators, such as Roy DeMeo, can vouch. Is Mafia life idealized here, thus making it attractive? I guess the viewer has to decide. I have watched it at least ten times and my favorite parts are the Intro and the Castellano hit, but there's more to like in between!

Mr. Assante is John Gotti

[moviebiz · 7/10 · 29 August 1999]

For a TV movie this is very good. Why Mr. Assante doesn't get more good parts is amazing to me. He nails this part and if you have ever read anything about Gotti you have to believe that the two met. The movie has some great scenes. The best are when the mob guys are just hanging around. The creators of "Sopranos" have used this very well because while wiseguys are not always wise they are sure colorful.

a very good tv movie!!

[John-320 · 31 August 1999]

"Gotti" is the TRUE STORY about the notorious rise and fall of mobster, John Gotti. As a student of organized crime history, I can honestly tell you, that this movie gives you MAJOR insight into the life of John Gotti. Was he a good guy who took care of his people or a vicious bad guy?. For those who don't know, John Gotti, became very early a legend on the streets of New York City. He became a made man of the Gambino family in the early 70's. Gotti made a lot of money for the family and he quickly earned the trust of his boss, Carlo Gambino. The movie starts by showing, how Gotti seemed to have problems following [the mafia] rules at first and almost gets killed. This sets the movie very well off and gives us a better insight in, not only Gottis life, but the mafia and how they see it. Sort of like GoodFellas, but only that was the Lucchese family. The Gambino family has a alot more history and a family that was originally started by Lucky Luciano in 1931. Armand Assante who plays Gotti makes an outstanding performance here and really triggers the movies atmosphere. Anthony Quinn who plays mob kingpin Neil Dellacroce, Gottis mentor, does a wonderful job. His presence is absolute stellar. GoodFella, Frank Vincent and Bill Forsythe do a great job too. This is not a movie, this is a tv movie done by HBO and it's a rare thing to see a good tv movie these days. The director of this film, Robert Harmon, sure knows what he is up to here!!. If you liked GoodFellas, Casino and The Godfather movies then I would really recommend you to see this one.

Not The Full Story, Too Much Missing.

[isantistao · 7/10 · 21 May 2022]

This movie is not bad, but very limited. It does have several great actors in it that are enjoyable to watch. Some classic mob actors before they were classic mob actors. And the acting is mostly good. There's a couple times it's not so good, and there's some over-acting. But generally speaking the acting is one of the enjoyable things for this film. And it seemed to be genuinely like how the people they are portraying behaved. At least for the most part.

However, there are some major issues with this movie. The writing and storytelling is quite lacking. They take too much time taking artistic liberty. There are too many monologues and soliloquies, and dialogues as well, that may not have happened exactly that way. There are some times where armond assante does not seem exactly like Gotti. And while that is something that happens in any film, and doesn't always have to be a bad thing, it is when the film ends up not being as authentic and true to the real story as it ought to be. And when time spent on these artistic liberties detracts from real facts being told. It's 2 hours long, and yet somehow due to all of the talking, a lot of key elements of the story are left out. And not only is the movie more boring because of it, its less historically accurate that it should be for a film that is supposed to be a biography of someone.

For instance, and here's where spoilers will start. The film doesn't show Gotti's beginnings. Doesn't show him coming up to be captain. It starts with him as captain. So thats most of his life missing right there. There's no origin story. No character development. No history.

The movie is not instantly very engaging either, so I'm not sure what they were skipping ahead for. You don't feel like you are really getting involved in Gotti's life as much as you should. You can't, you just aren't given enough details. And when certain key events happen in the story line, there's often not enough details there either. And parts of the story end up being missing.

Like any of Johns businesses and where his money comes from, besides drugs. It literally shows you NOTHING of his criminal enterprises. It is supposed to be painting a picture of him as a professional organized criminal who will become boss of one biggest most powerful mafia family...but well...it doesn't!

The character is very one dimensional actually.

You also do not see as many hits as you should. Some important ones too. Like Roy Demeo's, even though he is mentioned a couple times. I feel like if you are going to bring him up you should at least make it worth the reference. Anyone who knows the name is going to want to hear more. But thats not so bad...And in the end in court there's a lot of hits listed that never were shown. Why not?

What is really bad is when they don't even give the full story of the Paul Castellano hit. For one, they don't show much planning and prep and build up to something that is such a huge event. They don't show Gotti talking to the other captains about it. And then they don't even show how Big Paul actually drove up next to Gotti before the hit and didn't see him and Gotti and The Bull almost started shooting then and there. The event was actually more suspenseful and there was more to it than the movie shows you. Which is not right.

And then it doesn't show how Gotti smoothed things over with the commission afterwards, which would have been helpful and was pretty important.

It also doesn't show the full significance of the car bombing, which is against the rules and never happens.

It doesn't show anything about his relationship with his son, in fact his son isn't even in the film.

And last but not least it doesn't show sammy's full motivations for turning rat and that John had actually asked him to take the fall. And Sammy didn't want to.

There's some other more minor details missing too that could have made the film better but its not worth listing all of them, I think you get teh picture with the major ones.

And keep in mind that this was made in 1996 so it's too early to tell you anything that happened after his trial and sentencing. It doesn't show you what happened upon appeal. Him running things from his cell and then naming his son boss. His death. Etc. Can't blame the film for that of course. But still. These are all reasons why you might just want to watch an hour long documentary instead of this 2 hour long boring movie full of superfluous talking.

And the production value isn't exactly great either. I mean it is a TV movie.

So because it has good actors and acting and was somewhat enjoyable, but was altogether seriously lacking, I am giving it a 4.

One of my Favorite Mob Movies of all time

[robfcor · 10/10 · 16 June 2006]

I have watched 'Gotti' over 100 times. If you like quotable dialog you will love this movie. It is one of my all time favorite movies of any genre. Armand Assante is awesome as John Gotti. If it wasn't an HBO movie I believe Assante would have been nominated for an academy award. Anthony Quinn is also excellent as Neil. The dialog is spoken in a hastened Queens/Brooklyn accent so turn the subtitles on so you don't miss any lines. This movie has become a cult favorite in my circle of movie fanatic friends. It is on par with Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Carlito's Way and the like. If you liked these films you should like 'Gotti' as well.

The story of John Gotti...

[Thanos_Alfie · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

"Gotti" is a Biography - Drama movie in which we follow the life story of John Joseph Gotti Jr. From capo of the Gambino crime family to becoming the boss of it and later convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992.

I liked this movie very much because it was based on true events and the life of one of the most important crime bosses of New York families. The direction which was made by Robert Harmon was very good and he presented very well his main characters while the plot of the movie was very interesting and it combined very well drama with crime. The interpretation of Armand Assante who played as John Gotti was very good and he made the difference. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Anthony Quinn's who played as Neil Dellacroce, Vincent Pastore's who played as Angelo Ruggiero and Tony Sirico's who played as Joe Dimiglia. In conclusion, I have to say that "Gotti" is a nice, interesting movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it because even of you are a fan of mob movies you will find it very interesting and you will enjoy it very much.

Essential viewing for mob fanatics

[robertemerald · 9/10 · 24 April 2019]

If you enjoyed the Sopranos then you should enjoy this piece, despite its age. It has weathered well. It's not as disjointed as the modern adaptation with John Travolta, and Armand Assante gives at least an equal showing, if not slightly better, not as vicious and calculating, but certainly ferocious and believable. It's better cast than the modern version and consequently the street speak of these players comes across as more authentic. It's not as jumbled as the modern version, and the timeline is one of its greater strengths. Anthony Quinn is supreme, and brings all my compliments above to the fore. Here you'll see many of the Sopranos actors in their earlier roles. Delightful for movie buffs. If you're into mob movies then this is as essential as The Godfather or Goodfellas or Casino.

The Teflon Don

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 28 January 2022]

If you've already seen just about every Italian mafia movie there is to be seen and you're jonesing for more, "Gotti" can possibly fill that emptiness within you. "Gotti" is about the rise and fall of John Gotti (played by Armand Assante), Gambino Family mafia crime boss. The movie begins in 1973 and charts Gotti's meteoric climb until his conviction in 1992. It doesn't have the same panache as other movies made before it, but this is more of a biopic than a love story about the Italian mafia.

Good biopic

[tnrcooper · 9/10 · 17 October 2013]

Story's the same but the players change. Gangsters battle their way to fortune - and for Gotti, some fame, and ultimately the fortune weakens ties and sows doubt about motives and loyalty. Gotti was a hard-working, charming mobster and his commitment took him to the top of the Gambino crime family but when you get to the top, you have to be the most rational to stay there for a long time. Missteps can easily let in who you thought were your allies and there's a reason people aren't mob bosses long.

The film features great acting by Armando Assante, William Forsythe, and Anthony Quinn as the head of the Gambino family. Quinn owns the scenes he is in. Assante makes the Teflon Don charming but also so vain that little slights set him off. Forsythe is electric and the air of menace around him is practically a character in and of itself.

As always, it takes good writing to bring an exciting story to the screen and so writers Gene Mustain, Jerry Capeci, and Steve Shagan deserve credit for showing the excesses of the life of the Teflon Don and for not stinting on the brutality of life as a mafioso. The wealth and power that mob bosses get ultimately does them in as they start to believe their own legends. Mustain, Capeci, and Shagan show the hard work but also the violence that brings them down hard.

Gotti ruled NYC for a while and as a kid at the time I heard his name a lot. This film is a good primer for learning about the life and times of John Gotti.

Interesting Story of Interesting Guy.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 15 October 2013]

There was a period, about when this feature was made for television, when the good folks of the REAL mafia sat around together enjoying one mafia movie after another, chuckling, making critical comments, and arguing about who should play each of THEM in the next movie.

There seemed to be a Victoria Falls of mafia movies. It was a genre unto itself -- not quite just another gangster movie, not a shoot-'em-up action thriller, and not a throwaway glance at human character and morality.

You could almost get the impression that it was all a fictional universe, like the "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" franchises. But, though the movies were stretched a bit and some of them purported to be fiction, the organization, its norms and milieu, were real enough. There was a clam bar on Kenmore in New York's Little Italy we used to patronize regularly, Little Charlie's. One crowded night, there were no tables available and Uncle Flory inquired about those two empty tables in he back, already set for dinner. "Er, those tables are always empty so they'll be available in case any of the important, erm, 'businessmen' of the community happen to drop in." Who WOULDN'T kill for that kind of rispetto?

John Gotti was known as the "Dapper Don". He wore million-dollar sharkskin suits you could see your reflection in, ten billion-dollar Rolex watches that were made of platinum inside and out -- all worn at the same time on the same wrist, and mahogany colored shoes made of unborn loggerhead turtle skin. His car was forty feet long, powered by the same engine that kept a Boeing 707 aloft, and made of tiled Kevlar painted international orange. The vanity license plate read GOTTI GOT IT, YOU AIN'T. His cigars were hand rolled by virgins in Bora Bora. And his twenty pinkie rings were REALLY expensive. He never avoided self display either, usually wearing a modest grin for the cameras. Just another fella.

He rose pretty quickly to head the Gambino family in New York before his underboss, Sammy ("the moral nihilist") Gravano, ratted him out. Gotti went to prison for life and Gravano, a multi-murderer, after spending three years in the slams, went into the witness protection agency.

Armand Assante does very well by the role of Gotti. The mannerisms are right, but sometimes he talks too fast. Sometimes he speaks more quickly than I can think. Really, there were little outbursts, imprecations, in which the phonemes swept past my apperceptive apparatus like a sudden gust of wind. He's a good actor, capable of carrying a dumb comedy as well as a drama or even the myth of Odysseus with conviction.

Anthony Quinn, ancient and creaking, does his best, as does Marc Lawrence, who has been a gangster for many years, going back to "The Asphalt Jungle." I've always like William Forsythe, who has the eyes of some kind of reptilian chimera, but is a good solid reliable supporting player. He was my co-star in the inestimably poetic ex-con masterpiece, "Weeds." I took a liking to him and coached him through his more difficult scenes.

You know, though, the MBAs who greenlight these projects may have a problem. What is there that is still unsaid about the Mafia? Next up: movies about the making of movies about the Mafia.

Poor man's "Godfather"

[RieRieZILLA · 8/10 · 16 April 2003]

This movie focuses a LOT more on just the actual man John Gotti rather than all the affect he has. Armand Assante is very convincing and did an excellent job acting. However, unlike The Godfather, this is a REAL story. That makes it all the more fun to watch. It's definitely worth watching if you're a gangster movie addict like me

It's definitely no Godfather, but if you're looking for something new...give it a shot

8/10

Realistic Portrayal Of A Crime Family

[Freedom060286 · 7/10 · 19 April 2024]

This is an educational and realistic portrayal of one of the leading crime families in America during the past century. By times it seemed a bit hurried, not going into some details of Gotti's life. But overall it covered most of the important facts.

The casting is very good, as usual with HBO movies. Armand Assante does an excellent job of portraying John Gotti, and William Forsythe was the perfect actor to portray Sammy Gravano.

John Gotti's mistake was in giving himself too high a profile, unlike other crime bosses who were wisely more secretive. He went from growing up in poverty to becoming a very wealthy man - however, he went too far in unnecessarily killing several associates, while not really appreciating or being satisfied with how lucky he was.

Great Movie Not documentary

[lindsayjohnston-86264 · 5/10 · 23 March 2022]

Very good movie great acting one of the best Mob Movies but definitely not truthful Depicts Gotti as some kind of hero fighting system Actually had cops on payroll jurors bribed bribed witnesses threatened or killed before or after trial caring about friends visiting dying longtime friend untrue Producers were threatened not to show Gotti as womanizer As typical mobster away from home not a good father Shows Gotti is against drugs when reason for killing Castalanno was because of being caught in drug deal. Shows Castellano as being hated by entire Gambino family untrue.

A Stunning Achievement

[arthurclay · 5 February 2004]

A classic in its own right. Yes it wasn't 100% factual (if you have ever seen a COMPLETELY true movie from Hollywood please let me know what it is) but it is truly mesmerizing. I still have difficulty believing this was an HBO movie but they do surprise me sometimes. Armand Assante hit the nail squarely on the head with his depiction of Gotti. Its like looking into a portal of the past. He has the talk down, the walk down, and the character down pat. My favorite Gotti depiction of all time. Forsythe, Quinn, Vincent, and Pastore all turned in memorable performances. And this movie doesn't make you fond of the FBI contrary to another review mentioned beforehand. They do things in this film that would make a decent man sick and want to support the other side; the underdog that doesn't have a chance against the Department of Justice and the "B". Gotti was indeed remarkable and is a great buy. A window into the workings of the mob and a cautionary tale about excessive greed and ambition. It's something you'll watch regularly and will be praised by future generations in the years to come.

Powerful crime drama.

[PWNYCNY · 10/10 · 30 November 2015]

This is one of the better movies of the crime drama genre. It depicts a warped man who for a while through sheer audacity became a celebrity. Armand Assante's performance is outstanding. His resemblance to John Gotti is uncanny. He succeeds in conveying Gotti's contempt for social convention and his proclivity for violence. John Gotti was such a loose cannon that even his fellow gangsters were afraid of him. The movie raises a question: how could American society produce such a socially dysfunctional character? Gotti was a predator; his prey were his fellow gangsters. The movie also effectively depicts the other principle character of the story, Sam Gravano. Most of the movie revolves around Gottis' relationship with Gravano. Gotti made the plans, fingered his victims and Gravano acted, with murderous results. What makes this movie so powerful and so disturbing is that Gotti is not a fictional character and the murders he committed were real.

A gripping insight of the rise and fall of the "Dapper Don".

[gperrettaa · 10/10 · 13 October 2002]

A superb performance by Armand Assante as Gotti.A fast-paced exploration of the Gambino crine family of New York. The film focuses on the violent aspect of organized crime and the police operations to fight it and bring John Gotti to justice. This fact based drama is a powerful,disturbing saga of the Mafia in America. It is a tale of a iron willed Capo who later became the most powerful leader in American mob history. Gotti chose to live and die by the gun in order to reap vast fortunes and personal power,and of the plots they weave in the course of turning crime into a business.

If I didn't have close to fifty thousand other movies to watch in my lifetime , I would save this and watch it over and over.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 17 June 2021]

If you want to see a movie that really tells you about mob life, do not look any further. This is it. You don't just get the mob. You get history. You get New York City history. You get the locations where it happened as it happened, and it will make you think even if you have never been to New York City that you are there. This is as New York as you can get, as powerful as anything that Coppola and Scorsese ever made, and you get not only the violence but the heart. You also get one of the greatest performances ever captured on film, Armand Assante, who will make you think that you are witnessing a newspaper come to life.

Other than what I recall reading about John Gotti in the 1980's, I knew nothing about him, and as the film progressed, those newspaper headlines popped back into my mind as it seemed as if he hears stories were somehow embedded in the back of my consciousness and all they needed to do was to be seen on film to be brought out again. I certainly don't believe in sympathy for ruthless killers, but I did feel that every time an assassination took place in this film that the person pulling the trigger was reaching into their soul to beg forgiveness for what the guys in charge would refer to as necessary business.

This is one of those films that makes you ask why certain movies end up on cable TV rather than going into the theaters where they can reach the big guns and get the big Oscar. Assante is brilliant here and deservedly won the Emmy. Anthony Quinn, as an aging middle of the road mob soldier, has you feeling pain for his decreasing health. His embarrassing death in "Mobster" is forgiven here. What is important here is the point of view, not a judgement, but simply the facts, and certainly, they are presented to record history as it happened. We may not understand the rhyme or reason of organized crime, but unless you end up being victimized by them, you can't help but be fascinated by them.

One of the better Mafia films

[rukstar69 · 8/10 · 17 October 2021]

This film is by far and away one of the best depictions of mafia life. Armand Assante rightly so won an Emmy for his role as John Gotti. Could have been an Oscar if it was released in theatres, Excellent film.

Bad clichés without the exitement

[irajith · 1/10 · 1 September 2021]

Bad acting, too much clichés and not having the exitement of the real good maffia movies.

When you copying, do it well is say.

rise and fall of the last don.

[uzmabs · 24 December 2002]

Gotti is exceptional piece of film brought to the small screen,the cast is outstanding and nail biting stuff from the start to the very end. armand assante`s performance is so chilling as the dapper don,and it brings so much intensity leaving the audience compelled by this larger than life charismatic figure of the underworld.The dialogue is snappy and the onscreen chemistry between Assante`s portrayal of Gotti and Quinns as Neil dellacross is more than convincing.This film works well because it doesn't rely to much on violence as its predessors did in Goodfellas and others like casino.

This movie will grow hair on your chest.

[spencerheath-92727 · 8/10 · 3 February 2021]

This movie is exactly how a mob movie should be. Gotti is stacked with an excellent cast of notable mob actors and they don't disappoint to the least. Armand Asante is so convincing as Gotti, all that ruthless aggression and anger. A known outcast like John Gotti, as a viewer, the audience starts to see where he's coming from. This little thing of ours is secret.

The best...without question

[wolfdenauto · 10/10 · 3 March 2021]

Absolutely positively the most accurate of the mob movies. Armand Asante is amazing. Anthony Quinn and William Forsythe incredible.

Nice movie.

[vipinsharma-kpt · 9/10 · 26 May 2021]

Loved it. Characters played by the actors are really good.

ancestor of the sopranos

[nktektas · 8/10 · 27 January 2018]

This movie has a true story. 'Gotti' and 'Sopranos' has a lot of similarity. For example 'RICO Case' , asbestos waste , helpful FBI agents. Also, there are a lot of actor who play in these two movies. For example, Frank Vincent, Dominic Chianese, Vincent Pastore and Tony Sirico.