All mafia films seem to be excellent. They just have that edge, tension and suspense to them which bulids up during the movie and then which is all released at the climax. Witness to the Mob is no exception. However what was unusual, being a mafia film, was that I cant remember any swear word said during the whole film nor was there hardly any blood. Most of the killings were done with quick, clean silencers. Violence was very limited. But it did not detract much from being a good well done movie which will keep the viewer's interest from start to finish. Tom Sizemore is the highlight and is just great, especially when he loses his temper, and is perfect for his role. I would defnitely recommend Witness to the Mob to all mafia film lovers. 8/10.
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stefan89913 July 2001
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dpp200021 May 2009As someone who is borderline obsessed with the Gotti/Gravano story, I have read nearly every book, and seen nearly every movie and documentary on the subject. That being said, I feel this film is vastly superior to HBO's "Gotti", not only in production value but in taking less liberties with the story. The movie pretty much follows Sammy the Bull's book "Underboss" to a T. I feel this is pretty accurate, except it portrays Sammy as too much of a saint. "Gotti" does the same for John Gotti, of course, and it also shows Sammy to be kissing John's ass a little too much. The production, costumes, acting, music, and attention to detail are all far superior in this film.
As far as the acting goes, Nick Turturro does a good job as Sammy, although he's a little too stocky and way too dark-skinned. Sizemore is excellent as Gotti, his performance probably at least equaling Armand Assante's portrayal in "Gotti". I much prefer Abe Vigoda here as Paul Castellano to the actor who played him in the other film, and one of my favorite actresses, Debi Mazar does fine as Sammy's wife Debra. The rest of the cast are mostly Sopranos actors, many of whom played different parts in "Gotti". Michael Imperioli, who wasn't in the other film, does a fine job here as Sammy's longtime friend Louie Milito.
All in all, this is certainly no "Goodfellas" but in my opinion is still very good and much better (and more accurate) than "Gotti". -
Witness to the Mob does have that "made for TV" look and feel to it simply because of the movie's length (approximately 3 hours) and because it is presented as more of an autobiography/history of the New York mafia in the 1980's and early 1990's. than as a fictional action movie. I was impressed with both Nicholas Turturro's portrayal of Sammy the Bull Gravano and with Tom Sizemore's portrayal of John Gotti. When you consider the murder and mayhem caused by these two criminals over the 20 year period that they were involved with organized crime, then one would expect that consolidating the historical events of the 19 murders associated with Sammy the Bull Gravano would be filtered several times over.
Even with the limited time (3 hours or so) provided by the screening of Witness to the Mob the movie was quite impressive with factually presenting the life and times of Sammy the Bull Gravano. Debi Mazar played Sammy's faithful and loving wife and Michael Imperioli played Sammy's child hood friend. Through time and sequence of events we get to understand why Sammy eventually needs to silence forever both his childhood friend and also his own brother in law.
We do see the distinct contrast between John Gotti's flamboyant lifestyle and Sammy's more disciplined belief in the Costa Nostra and his loyalty and devotion to his mafia family comes before his own family.
All in all, kudos to the director Thaddeus O'Sullivan for drawing out the characters lifestyles and historical events of the New York mafia for a television audience. I give full marks to Nicholas Turturro and Tom Sizemore for their great performances as two of the most cruel and vicious criminals who eventually turn on one another to save their own skin. The movie provides good insight in to the personality of Sammy the Bull and why he did turn on his mafia family, because he eventually realized that Paul Castellano the boss of bosses, and John Gotti who took Paul out to become the new mob boss, there is no real honor and/or family within the mafia, only power and greed.
This is a good history of the New York mafia "that you should not refuse watching" for a made for TV movie. -
arthurclay16 January 2004I saw this movie when I happened to catch it on CBS a few years back. I only saw part of it but I have always liked the subject since I was eight years old. I recently bought a copy and it has become one of my favorite films. The acting is good and they really did a magnificent job on casting, costumes, and locations. I thought Turturro's role was fantastic and Sizemore didn't do badly either though I think Assante was more realistic in Gotti. I would have liked to have seen Turturro as Gravano in Gotti it would have been a real treat to see him and Armand square off. This movie captures the backstabbing, badmouthing, lying, rip offs, and betrayal that goes on in the mob families just like Donnie Brasco did the only difference being that this was no "crazy messed up love story" as Depp put it. This is a movie that bluntly depicts the merciless killing of so called friends and the treacherous deceit that follows without any hint of feelings or "real" friendship as he would have you believe. Turturro's Gravano is a detached and pitiless killer who is as bad as the people he whacks and his rise like Gotti's is as meteoric as his fall. This film leaves you asking Gravano this question: If you killed cheaters, double crossers, dope heads, and people who broke the rules shouldn't you have been killed too? Witness to the mob gives you both sides of the story and lets you make the call.
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Like the Gotti film Witness to the Mob is well casted, acted, and solid sets. The story tells itself of Jimmy the bulls life in the mob. The murders, extortions and mob power plays tell the story. Then Jimmy cuts a deal to testify against the mob for the end of the film. Many from the cast form Sopranos along with sets, and dialogue give a real feel. Worth watching 7 stars.
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DonDiego197330 November 2006All in all Witness to the Mob is superior to the HBO fairy tale called Gotti - but the former fails at what the latter did right: the portrayal of Sammy Gravano. Strangely, it seems that most filmmakers think they need a hero or at least a resemblance thereof. In HBO's Gotti it was Gotti, a charismatic, smart leader with comprehensible morals, whose downfall was the egoism of his underlings. In WttM, Sammy the Bull is portrayed as a misunderstood, dutiful voice of reason and overall goody two-shoes. Both portrayals are as far from the truth as it gets.
WttM shows Gotti the way he was: an egomaniacal braggart with delusions of grandeur. (I am at a loss as to how some folks can criticize Sizemore's take on Gotti which unlike Assante's is very close to the original.) A blend of these two movies would yield *the* authoritative adaptation of the subject. In direct comparison, though, WttM takes less liberties with the story, which is why I vastly prefer it over HBO's version.
On its own WttM is a very enjoyable LCN movie - even more so for those who are interested in the subject, provided they can generously overlook the factual inaccuracies. -
cgtoledo18 May 2022While arguably not as good as his book or podcast, Witness to the Mob is still a good adaptation of the life of Sammy Gravano.
An all-star cast comprised of the actors that basically acted in every mafia flick in that era, who most people will recognize from the Sopranos. Nicholas Turturro's acting skills are decent enough, but looks nothing like "the Bull." Not exactly a neutral telling of these events either, since this is adapted from his autobiography. Even taking those into account, this is still a decent-to-good film.
If you want Sammy's side of the story in movie form, this is pretty good, personally. -
bonjomonjah3 November 2014Where do i start.. this is like the Expendables of gangster actors and a true gem. there's not many mob films that i do not own, after seeing Getting Gotti and Gotti this beats them both mainly because of the great cast and Tom Sizemores performance. from Frank Vincent to Frankie Vally this movie has them all. Sopranos, Goodfellas, Casino, Gotti, Godfather, Once upon a time in America yes this epic has them all, this is one of my favourite mob movies with good reason..
It never gets tiresome its strictly gangster all the way, some great dialogue and visual shots. you just know they had lots of fun making this. Tuturro as Sammy Gravano is the best ever, very convincing and and a tough guy who means business. best line in the movie is "the next time you break a rule you go"....Big Paul Costallano -
hyperbart25 July 2010This movie is tragically miscasted. And though many reviewers claim that this movie is closer to the truth than HBO's Gotti was, it is inferior in every way.
It all starts with Turturro. Someone here claims he looks the part of Gravano, but that just ain't true. He's far too dark skinned, and though he has Italian ancestors he has always looked more Mexican to me. It also has to do with his role in NYPD Blue. Turturro doesn't play the part of a made mafia man. He always looks timid, shy and a bit anxious (same for his role in NYPD Blue). The supporting cast is full with the usual suspects you see in mafia films, and most have got their known roles in the Sopranos. But that also makes it a problem, a supporting cast that clearly overshadows the lead role just doesn't work. I don't know about Tom Sizemore, I love the actor, and he does a decent job. But Assante was better, he really embodied Gotti.
It all doesn't work. And the story may be closer to the truth. But remember that 'truth' is a strange concept in this context. The truth is based on a single testimony and some investigative work. In my opinion movie makers have some freedom in interpreting such truths for their work. HBO's Gotti just works much better. -
roxy349919 April 2021This is got to be Tom Sizemore's greatest acting performance. Sizemore as John Gotti was absolutely brilliant it couldn't be any more perfect than that. I was blown away by this film, but Tom Sizemore blew the doors off in this film he clearly stole the show.
And this movie was excellent. The acting, the plot, the story line was spot on. Loved it. -
jimc-115 March 2001This movie is based on the true story of "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, a self-confessed killer who helps prosecute Mafia boss John Gotti, in exchange for immunity. Yes, the acting is a bit wooden, and the script full of cliches, but it's an interesting study of a real life Mafia case - definitely worth a look, but certainly not a classic.