The Valachi Papers

Three stars and not even a knock. And it's probably because I've seen similar mafia tricks and they were a thousand times better. Charles Bronson also didn't convince me much. In addition, the dubbing doesn't really play into the cards for this movie. The only fun part are the car chases, which seem to have come straight out of some French crime thriller from the seventies, only with the difference that instead of Citroens, Yugos, and Renaults racing through Paris, there are Hispano Suizas and other beauties racing through New York. Those drifts on gravel with them look a bit naive. Nowadays, no one would dare do that anymore :-) (23/11/2020)

Movies, just like people, age, and fortunately, The Valachi Papers does so gracefully. With some reflections on film history, I tend to feel a sense of bitterness and painful disappointment, but nothing similar happened here. Not everything runs as smoothly as it did when it was made, but the above-average casting saves a lot of the film. It is only evident what a difference there is between a true acting powerhouse, whom I consider Lino Ventura to be, and Charles Bronson, who, in my eyes, is simply a charismatic character actor who excels the most in the roles of silent killers with minimal facial expressions. Here, character acting is demanded from him, and sometimes Bronson falls short. The Valachi Papers certainly isn't among the best genre films of its decade, but it is still decent entertainment. Overall impression: 70%. (15/08/2015)