John Gotti looked like he was out of Central Casting for an Italian Mafia crime boss. Before the 1970s, most of the bosses kept their identities or roles mostly hidden through fronts and legitimate businesses. Gangs and gangsters had existed in America for decades and even centuries. But a lot of them from the end of Prohibition tried to remain as behind the scenes as possible.
Then on Nov. 14, 1957, 100 Mafiosi members met at a designated location near Appalachin, N.Y. along the Pennsylvania border. This much attention led the law enforcement to set up road blocks and go after as many mobsters as they could detaining about 60 of them. It was hard to hide it anymore. The Italian Mafia did exist. And America now knew they existed as Robert F. Kennedy as attorney general went after them in the 1960s. Then, Mario Puzo published The Godfather followed by the film adaptation in 1972 and its sequel in 1974.
Mafia was now mainstream. While most bosses acted like Joe Pesci’s Russell Buffalino in The Irishman, the power struggles were forming. It didn’t help matters that the Nixon Administration began to crack down harder on drug dealers and smugglers. And this created a perfect storm of disaster for the old-timers who wanted to remain in the shadows. Lowly associates accused in drug crimes could turn on their bosses. Then Bonanno Family boss Carmine Galante was murdered and the authorities first gained knowledge that the Mafia was more interconnected through the New York Commission and other outfits throughout the country.
Detailed in Donnie Brasco, a war broke out among Bonanno capos for control of the territory. Also portrayed in the movie Goodfellas, the Gambino Crime Family was gaining prominence. It’s been reported that Gotti killed Tommy DeSimone, the basis for Pesci’s Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas out of revenge for DeSimone’s outrageous behavior, which including unauthorized killings of crime bosses, attempted sexual assault of Karen Hill, and even being identified by witnesses during the Lufthansa Heist when he took off his ski-mask.
The Godfather might have portrayed the glamor of the mob but Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco portrayed the realities. It was an ugly business. Netflix’s Get Gotti is a very detailed, but somewhat lacking in excitement at parts, examination of how state and federal officials tried several times to convict Gotti. And worse, is how the public began to admire him, even though he was a cold-blooded killer.
Seeing the public turning out to support Gotti and even actor John Amos being seen outside a courthouse showing support for Gotti makes you wonder why we glamorize mobsters. Maybe it’s because in Gotti we saw a man who knew how to “beat the system.” And how did he do that? Well, by paying off jurors and intimidating witnesses. I’m sure a lot of witnesses wouldn’t want to testify if they knew they’d be beaten with three steel baseball bats. What the public saw in the news was a man who dressed in nice suits with an expensive hairstyle that he looked liked a celebrity.
He was, in fact, a vicious killer and criminal. A lot has been told and retold since Gotti was convicted in the early 1990s. He’s been deceased for more than two decades. My guess is the docuseries was made because Netflix and the producers realized there isn’t that many people left whose lives are in jeopardy. Or maybe all those in the FBI or the Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) have long-since retired and their security clearances have long expired.
But there’s not much to this as we just learn it was literally trial and error as law enforcement tried to plant listening devices and wire taps but couldn’t find much luck. And then, every trial would end in an acquittal. It’s a companion docuseries to the 2020 Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia. However, thankfully, there is no mention of Rudy Giuliani this time nor is he featured as a interviewee. And just like that docuseries, it’s only for those who are true gangster/mobster buffs.
Others might find this to be a little boring at times. How many times can someone say that there was a lack of communication between the FBI and the task force before you just want to roll your eyes?
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 