User reviews

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.

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.

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!

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

When you copying, do it well is say.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Heard about this film from Michael Franzese he actually lived the life for decades and seems the most genuinely honest guy around . He said it was the "CLOSEST" version of what that life was about. I really liked it.

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

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.

Sadly, this version of the John Gotti story was a disappointment. The characters felt superficial and cliche, rather than real flesh and blood. And I would have found it much more interesting if it had included a great deal more of this man's life as a family man, which was supposed to have been of great importance to him. And although the film was nearly 2 hours long, it felt as though they had merely skimmed over events that shaped him. In truth, I found a number of scenes boring and I wanted the story to hurry over them even more. Perhaps that lies at the foot of the editing. All in all, I have to say that I've seen a number of more interesting docs and films about Gotti. This one is totally forgettable.