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While it may be a lowbudget film with an off puting name, it’s oddly charming in some aspects. The problem is that, it does not seem to gather any real focus. The plot kicks off with Pasha and Frank DeKova (the actor who appears in F Troop) having a conversation with Big Tony about how approximately 80% of all the power within the confines of the city rests within his grasp. In one of the two scenes he is present in, Tony tells Pasha that everything he has built is going to be destroyed if he does not comply with his demands. As if that aggressiveness alone were not enough, Pasha’s girlfriend kills one of Tony’s henchmen. While one would expect a gang war to break out from that act, a far more subdued version of that scenario plays out. Instead, the Mayor decides to take matters into his own hands and attempt to eliminate Pasha. This in turn causes the numbers game to shift regions, which leads to police arrests and some vague attempts to fight back. While the Italian mob does put an effort into eliminating Pasha, their plans do not come to fruition. In short, this film does showcase some action, but it is not overly abundant.
The problem I’m having is that they had next to no budget to shoot this movie. It’s set in 1956, but everyone is in 70s clothing, and the streets are crowded with cars from decades later. I’m supposing that they didn’t have money for any fake props, or if they did, they didn’t have enough of it. What fighting there is tends to be sleepy brawls or severe thrashings, which are often surprisingly violent. That’s so disappointing especially after the first scene of the film. While watching it I had a feeling of its incompleteness. This was meant to be more epic and more elaborated (there are literally pieces of details sticking out from all over that look like they were meant to be part of a bigger tale) and because of the monetary issue, it wasn’t filmed, or the movie was left half done.
It’s a chaotic movie, but I enjoyed it. At times, the writing can be elegant and sophisticated, even when the actors are not. Many lines of dialogs are very memorable. It’s like you have a set of interesting characters that are quite authentic. I also appreciated that the story never went where you expected it to go, notwithstanding it became apparent early on that it was headed for left field by utterly different means. The best way to put it would be as ‘an attempt on the rest of the crime drama spectrum (white or black) on a shoestring budget’. Yes, there is no chance this deserves or could win an award but if you like films and are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, then this is worth watching. Even if it’s for the sake imagination, this would be fun to picture being remade by Mario Van Peebles, Quentin Tarantino or the Hughes Brothers. Perhaps there will be no crowds, but it surely will stay with you long after you have watched it.
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