THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE MOB (DVD)
Lionsgate / 2013 / 90 mins / NR
THE FILM:
Michael Franzese may be the luckiest man in the world for accomplishing what seems like the impossible: he escaped the mafia without being whacked (at least for now). He lived not only to reveal the secrets of the mob, but got away with publishing a tell-all book. Now he goes even further upfront with this History Channel documentary that, while a little overproduced, is incredibly informative at exposing the secret world of crime families.
Through interviews with Michael and a few other experts on the subject, this documentary covers the intricacies on the inner workings of the mob. The various ranks of the organization are explained as well as the details behind the brief yet intimidating initiation ceremony. The culture and rules of the game are divulged in just how one can move up the chain, how they make money and how to handle matters with the law.
Most of the film focuses on Michael's first-hand experience with being in the mob. He goes into great depth about just what he did for the organization which involved a very genius gas tax business. It started off simple by avoiding the tax gas stations had to pay for gasoline. The government caught on and started charging tax directly on the product instead of the stations, but that only made things easier for the mafia as they could just scrape the tax off the actual gasoline suppliers instead. This made the mob loads of money and Michael a real star of the game.
So why quit? Michael delves even further into the horrors and entrapment of the mafia. We hear the grizzly incident in which one of Michael's associates is gunned down only seconds after speaking with him. The fear of being murdered in the infamous meetings with the higher-ups is examined with great detail. But the worst part of the whole experience, at least from what Michael recollects, is that his own father would do nothing to defend him. Michael wanted out and knew that those who've tried in the past end up in a pool of their own blood.
Exactly how did Michael get out of this world? It was a war of attrition, but Michael came out on top. As long as he can keep an unpredictable schedule and stay out of mafia territories, he seems to be in the clear. He lives to tell this tale and it's definitely an important one. Michael talks about how kids seem to idolize the organized crime world from the movies for its money and glamour, but never seem to register the second act in which everybody ends up a loser. Michael's story is a true inspiration in how one might actually survive this business, but lead to a life of fear after.
Unfortunately, the documentary itself is your typical TV-documentary affair. There is a lot of stock footage and reenactments plagued with heaps of video effects and filters. The camera flashes, constant gunshot sound effects and the exaggerated narrator really don't help. The only reason to watch this is for the content itself as the made-for-TV editing and direction will have you wishing for a better documentary.
THE DISC:
The 1.78:1 widescreen transfer is decent for a TV production. Even if the film itself isn't very stunning, Lionsgate still provides a solid transfer.
Likewise, the Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks are both very spiffy even if there isn't a whole lot to show off.
THE EXTRAS:
Not a single extra in sight unless you just have to watch those Lionsgate trailers at the beginning of the disc once again.
OUR SAY:
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE MOB gives the casual viewer a bing, bang, boom analysis on the organized crime world. At 90 minutes, it's just enough information to give you some perspective on the subject. That being said, there just isn't enough of a top-notch production to warrant replay value which is rather sad given the intriguing content. Michael Franzese's story is one worth hearing, but it deserves a far better documentary treatment than this. It's a worthy rental to kill some time if you're really interested in crime stories.
