TRAVOLTA IS GOTTI? FORGETTABOUTIT
John Travolta Brings John Gotti Back To Life |
NEW YORK - The new biopic on John Gotti came as quite a surprise because John Travolta was cast in the lead role. This idea at first seemed too remote to take seriously. Sunrider Productions places Travolta as the notorious leader of the Gambino crime family with believability. Travolta had Gotti's physical mannerisms down and there were moments when this seemed like the real thing. The story is told through old photographs and old television news clips and is directed by Kevin Connolly, (HBO Entourage).
There are times when the production seems a bit off. It starts with the idea of getting used to Travolta take on the role of John Gotti. As the film begins the believability becomes acceptable due to the speech patterns Travolta employs into his character. The music, in the beginning, sounds more Greek than Italian and then the intention gets a bit hazy with the introduction of rap into the mix. These details may sound slight but it is a distraction and very noticeable. The movie also puts in modern-day music from '80s time such as The Pet Shop Boys and The Bangles.
The film construct starts with the near ending. John Gotti's son visits him in prison as he battles cancer. The ravaged look and makeup job on Travolta renders him unrecognizable. He is stocky, lost most of his hair and his skin has taken on a sallow look and the end of his life is near. Gotti's son is in legal trouble and is coming to his father for advice. This allows the film narrative to go back to the beginning of the life of John Gotti. The story of the rise of Gotti is fascinating and filled with lots of plot twists. The viewer will have to pay close attention because people enter and exit very quickly.
The film follows the life of John Gotti as we have seen in other biopics, (Armand Asanti) and criminal documentaries. We witness the accidental death of his son while riding his moped out in the street. We see the famous mob hit of capo Paul Castellano at New York's Sparks Steakhouse. Travolta brings us something that the other productions miss and that's heart to his role. The film's beauty is in the smallest details. It's in the way that he barks at his wife while visiting in jail and watching in horror as his wife Victoria, (Kelly Preston) barks back. Gotti threatens to kill her over a Halloween costume choice while his wife wants her son to dress up like a cop. Victoria shouts back "I'd like to see you try it" and the fight is over in seconds and he kisses them all goodbye once the visit it over. Gotti is a family man and is not afraid to show affection for his children and gives them firm advice.
This movie has a slow pace and it might be one of the reasons why it didn't do so well at the box office. Gotti earned 6 Million in sales while it took 10 Million to make. Part of the problem for me was that Gotti's crew came off as one dimensional and they didn't have much individuality. This made it difficult at times to keep the plot straight and figure out who was who. The details are there and these prominent figures become more obvious on the second viewing.
Overall the film is well made and offers closure to the Gotti legacy. We never hear much about his incarceration or his cancer years. The film offers insight with more actual news footage from the time period. During Gotti's trial, we see the faces of New Yorkers react to his sentencing. This is revealing because they looked up to him as some sort of hero. These clips are rarely seen and in the juxtaposition of what shown on the screen,(the torture scene comes to mind) it is quite alarming.
HOT FILMS !!
|
©2020 Hot Metro Finds, LLC, All rights reserved |
