Gangster films take revenge on our behalf

‘The genre is here to stay’
The pantheon is crowded. One might even say “mobbed.” It includes, but certainly is not limited to, “The Public Enemy” (starring James Cagney) and “Little Caesar” (Edward G. Robinson), both in 1931; the original “Scarface” (Paul Muni) in 1932, as well as the 1983 cocaine-laden remake with Al Pacino; “White Heat” in 1949 (also Cagney); “The Godfather” in 1972 (Pacino, Marlon Brando) and “The Godfather, Part II” in ‘74; “Once Upon A Time in America” in 1984 (Robert De Niro) and “Goodfellas” in 1990.

The HBO television series “The Sopranos,” which ran for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, belongs in a special wing because of its consistent high quality and the impact it had on the culture. It also spawned speculation that the show’s success would put cement shoes on the genre of the gangster film, because it was believed nothing could top it, and also that the public had gotten its fill of wise guys.

Not so, said Frank Vincent, and he should know. Not only did the New Jersey native play the role of ruthless henchman-turned-mob-boss Phil Leotardo in “The Sopranos,” but he also submitted memorable turns as Billy (“Go home and get your shine box!”) Batts in “Goodfellas” as well as supporting roles in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” and “Casino.”

Vincent is eminently qualified to opine because before he began acting, he spent years during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s as a drummer working in clubs in the New Jersey area, which were often frequented, managed and/or owned by pinkie-ring enthusiasts. In fact, he and Joe Pesci once had a comedy act that they performed in bars and clubs up and down the East Coast.

“Gangster films have been popular for years and years,” he said. “Gangsters are people that the general public doesn’t know anything about. Their way of life is different. They lead a fast life, a glamorous life, all the girls go for them, they have flashy cars, they dress up good.

“I think the genre is here to stay. It’ll never go away. Women love the bad boys. It’s the same thing with rock stars, women love them. It’s part of the culture. It’s something that people fantasize about.”

Beat the system
Sometimes that line between movie fantasy and reality becomes blurred. Vincent recalled one run-in with a fan who didn’t know there was a line at all.

“I had a schoolteacher make a reference to the scene in ‘Goodfellas’ where Billy Batts is in the trunk of the car and Joe (Pesci) goes inside to his mother’s house and there’s a thumping coming from the trunk,” he said. “She said to me, ‘When they were inside the house eating, how could you breathe in that trunk?’

“This is an educated person. This is how much reality they think of it as.”

There may also be confusion over what is real and what isn’t because so much pent-up anger and frustration exists over the current economic conditions, much like it was during the Depression. It suggests that whenever there are hard times, people might be receptive to a new reality — even if it’s only in their minds — that will provide some measure of relief and satisfaction.

“There is a lot of rage against the economic system, against our system of government,” noted George De Stefano, a journalist and critic who wrote the book “An Offer We Can’t Refuse: The Mafia in the Mind of America.” “I think the gangster film taps into that anger and resentment in the sense that gangsters, even though they are inevitably punished for their transgressions, represent the dreams of filmgoers to beat the system, to wage war on respectable society.

“It’s interesting now to see more films of this genre during a time of economic distress, when people are at the mercy of large structural forces they don’t understand, involving banks and financial institutions.

“The time is right for the return of the genre.”

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