The Valachi Papers

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%. (08/15/2015)

Three stars, and that's all it gets. Probably because I've seen way better mafia films, and this one just doesn't hold up. Charles Bronson didn’t really win me over, and the dubbing didn’t do the film any favors either. The only real fun comes from the car chases—they feel straight out of a 70s French crime flick, except instead of Citroëns and Renaults speeding through Paris, you’ve got Hispano-Suizas tearing around New York. The skidding on gravel with those beauties looks a bit naive now, something you'd never see in films today! (11/24/2020)