By Riaz Mamdani
Staff Writer
From acting the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz, to a ruthless mafia boss, Robert De Niro might be loosing his touch. “The Family”, fails to meet the already high standards for a good mafia movie. Although the acting is great, the plot is immature and unentertaining.
After snitching on one of his fellow mafia members, Giovanni (Robert De Nero) becomes part of the witness relocation program and doesn’t abandon his murderous way of life. Having just moved from Brooklyn to France, he has to choose between loosing his family, or giving up his old ways.
Even with a good ending, the family still had a lack of excitement throughout the first part of the movie. The movie did not meet my expectations and will not be the blockbuster I expected it to be.
Lack of substantial action throughout the movie was unsatisfying. The unnecessary harassment of minor characters like the plumber, and the mayor, were disturbing and unentertaining.
With a dull storyline, The Family didn’t have very many funny scenes. The comedy genre is unfitting to this movie due to its overall lack of comedy. Attempts at comedy by Warren Blake (John D’Leo) were funny but sometimes left the viewer confused. Overall it was a disappointment.
Warren Blake’s charachter was brought to life by the actor John D’Leo. Johns hustler personality was very convincing and believable. The main source of comedy was from Warren and his antics.
Director Luc Besson is particularly fond of changing scenes dramatically, and sometimes leaves the viewer confused and angry. Director Quentin Tarantino, directed Pulp Fiction and Django, is able to combine comedy with gruesome violence unlike Besson.
During The Family, the protagonist is unclear, should you be rooting for a ruthless murderer that loves his family or not. There are no ways anyone can relate to this type of character, and create connection with the movie.
Overall the movie wasn’t a sensation. Even with a great cast of characters, Luc Besson wasn’t able to utilize these great actors for a better story with more action and suspense. Robert De Niro has had many great movies, but this just isn’t one of them.
The Family is rated R and now playing nationwide.
Leave a Reply