The Brooklyn Banker

Federico Castelluccio has a bright future as a director. I really did like this movie and it's story line, it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. But.....I thought the casting doomed this movie. Troy Garity is Bridget Fonda's son and from Beverly Hills, hardly a Brooklyn Banker. He was only average in the short lived series Boss, but as an Italian with deep Brooklyn heritage is no way remotely believable. He needs to learn how to become that person he's playing, he seems to much like a robot with little personality. He didn't even try to have a New Yorker accent, there seemed to be little preparation for his lead part. Paul Sorvino was way too old for this part. And the Secret Service agent was an important role, it could have given this film so much more intrigue and mystery, but again it was cast poorly, John Bedford Lloyd has been around a long time, yet it seems he didn't prepare for his part. The ankle holster was a bit different. 99.9% of law enforcement wears their sidearm on the belt, less than 1% might wear a backup holster on their ankle. However the ankle weapon did give me a surprise when in his other scenes we didn't see his belt holster, and then it wasn't until about his fourth scene we see it on his ankle. The rest of the cast was classic New York mobster types, but they've had lots of experience because they've all been in dozens of mafia movies.

This was a well written mob story that was period correct. I embraced all of the characters and casting was dead on. As a Italian American I loved all the old school references to our culture. The feast scenes were a throw back to my youth, the sights and sounds were beautiful. I could almost taste the sausage and peppers. Federico Castelluccio proved himself as a feature film director with Brooklyn Banker. He captured the essence of this period in time. I have to also recognize the writing of Michael Ricigliano his interesting twist on this mob flick kept me interested and rooting for certain characters. He really captured the old school mob movies and this will be destined to be a cult classic. I really enjoyed this film and highly recommend it.

From someone who grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn, this film captures what it was like to live during that time. The Mob was not revered like some of the Mob Genre films I have seen in the past. They were avoided and the story of a legitimate guy who unintentionally gets involved seems very real.

I enjoyed the cinematography that captured a gritty but beautiful view of the area as it was starting to change. Troy Garity, who I understand grew up in California, captured the nuances and cadence of the residents of Brooklyn who spoke was was on their mind, were loyal to a fault and protected their friends and family.

David Proval played a simmering psychopath who was ready to blow at any moment. Paul Sorvino was great as the goofy father in law who is smarter than he lets on.

All in all, I think this film will stand the test of time.

I should note that I only know about the mafia from movies, so I can't verify or refute the depiction of the gangsters in "The Brooklyn Banker". Anyway, it had an interesting plot and an interesting set of characters. Still, I wish that it had done more to emphasize the era in which it was set by showing news clips from the era (Watergate, Vietnam, etc).

The movie's OK but no masterpiece. Mafia movies are OK to see every once in a while; otherwise they get repetitive. I'd say that the movie's worth seeing once.

Who ever would've imagined the son (Troy Garity) of people (Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden) trying to bring down Richard Nixon co-starring with someone (Paul Sorvino) who played a member of Nixon's cabinet (Henry Kissinger)?

All the time people say "They don't make em like they used to." The Brooklyn Banker breaks that statement. I recommend seeing it if you are a true fan of old school mob movies like the Godfather and Goodfellas.

This film gave us an excellent taste of what we loved so much about these classics. Not only did it have two of the greatest mob actors of all time starring but the piece also transported us to the 1970's and has preserved on film a unique part of NYC Italian history & culture - The Giglio.

The irony of this film was so poignant and unique. It had a quiet elegance even though there was violence. Could make for an interesting sequel. Would love to see what could be done with a non- indie budget!

Note: *You will especially enjoy it if you spent any time growing up in Italian parts of Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx. It will feel like going home, even if for just a few moments. How often do we have that kind of opportunity? Thank you to the makers of this film. Keep em' comin'!