Simply A Masterpiece

Good movie but grossly overrated

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is not the best movie in the world, however, it does come in handy when one is looking for a way to waste time. For a cheesy 70s lowbudget mafia flick, it covers all the bases it needs to and nothing more. It doesn't need to. The best way to view it is to not expect much. This way you will be surprised at how decent a film this really is. The plot is simple. The guy becomes an enforcer for the mob, crosses his boss and his boss comes after him. The acting isn't great but it's far from terrible and the action sequences, while sometimes laughable, are really not too shabby. I would love to get more films like this. They are just very hard to find. Lowbudget cheese doesn't always make for a bad film.

Very good 1970s movie about mob operations in New Jersey. When a "maverick" gangster doesn't play by the rules of the neighborhood, sooner or later, it's time for elimination.Joe Pesci was true to his character -- smooth and funny. He only gets better with age. His face and present day fame should not have been used on the DVD cover to sell this "B" grade movie as he was only the third billed star.Dated 1970's printed wide lapel shirts and lesser quality background music make for a distraction. Nice to see the 1970's big cars. However, the acting is good. Nakedness on the part of Anne Johns was not needed to make this mob story work. And, she does not show up in the database as every acting again in any film other than this one. Too bad; she did a good job!Moral of the story: Don't get your "Don" upset with you.If you are wanting to see something different when you wake up in the middle of the night then check out this DVD. It was part of a three-movie-on-one DVD $5.88 special at the local discount store.

***1 Spoiler ahead***I recently saw this movie on a DVD, which was obviously produced to capitalize on Joe Pesci's stardom (he's all over the packaging, yet is a central but relatively secondary character in the film). That said, it's well worth the time to watch Joe in it. The film print quality would have to be characterized as fair/poor, but it's a decent story, and it's fun to see Joe P. "back-in-the-day". His acting style was top-notch right from the get-go.The background music sounds like stuff rejected from your average "Streets of San Francisco" episode, and the acting is a little suspect in spots, but check it out anyway. Look for "Billy Batts" from Goodfellas...he gets it again, only this time on the toilet.

It was an interesting and entertaining movie well worth watching. The acting was decent but it may be out of date for some people. I was glad to see cast members of such highly acclaimed movies as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" in this movie A great and dramatic ending and pretty good writing.