The mob life of 'Crazy Joe' Gallo.
This is fairly good mobster movie with some reasonably gritty moments that have aged like the 70s fashions.
It mixes the simplistic gangster narrative that you would see in 30s and 40s movies, with a low budget vibe of 70s New York. There is plenty of tough-talking Mafia lingo and insight into the power structures of certain families. I like that it is loosely based on some real people.
Some of the themes relating to the stereotyping of Italian-Americans and Columbus Day rallies are similar to those used in some plot lines of The Sopranos (only much better on that show). One of the strongest bits of spectacle in the movie is a recreation of one such rally.
The cast is very interesting, led by the amusing Peter Boyle, supported nicely by Eli Wallach, and featuring many recognisable faces popping up in numerous scenes.
The production values are pretty low, with action sequences that are not very memorable and some quite rough editing. One scene you can see an obvious jump in a sequence when Peter Boyle speaks. That being said there are some great location shots. Plus the opening sequence with the opera music and establishing shots is excellent.
It is certainly no classic, but I think it is essential viewing if you are a fan of mob movies.
