For a running time of just over two hours, never does it feel it or seem to drag. Director Young does a steadily routine job, but it's well done for such a minimal and straight looking production. O'Loughlin, Angelo Infanti and Amedeo Nazzari. A steadfast Bronson perfectly nailed down the lead with excellently respectable support by the likes of Lino Ventura, Joseph Wiseman, Walter Chiari, Gerald S. The plot was adapted off Peter Maas' novel of the same name that covers this true account of the mafia underworld and organised crime. While not as stylish, it managed to have scope in its tough, trim and grippingly told narration splitting between past recounting and present situations. "The Valachi Papers" probably came and went with little notice. Coming out the same year as the similar in vein, but masterful classic "The Godfather". This would be the third European film of the trot between Charles Bronson and director Terence Young with the gritty crime flick "Cold Sweat (1970)" and buddy western "Red Sun (1971)" being the two before it. Joe decides to spill his guts on the inner workings (extortion, vengeance and murder) of LaCosa Nostra for some sort of protection for him and his family. When he learns of it with there being no way of getting out of it when receives the kiss of death. The following year Charles Bronson would team up with director Michael Winner as a cop on the trail of the mafia, but the year before in "The Valachi Papers" he would find himself smack in the middle of it all as former mobster Joe Valachi serving 15 years in prison with a target on his head of twenty thousand dollars by mafia capo Vito Genovese. Perhaps this was a director's cut or perhaps it was not rated PG or perhaps there were just multiple versions. The lesbian scene along would have merited a rating of R.
THE VALACHI PAPERS MOVIE
By the way, although IMDb lists the movie as being rated PG, the version I saw was way too bloody and filled with nudity to have been rated PG. Gritty, exciting and fascinating as well. But, as I said, this is all very minor.Aside from this, a top quality production that deserves more recognition. Also, a few times anachronistic elements somehow made their way in-such as cars that were from the wrong time period. When the film began he was supposed to be 27-but looked about twice that. There's almost nothing negative I could say about the film other than very minor things. While not quite as human and interesting as "The Godfather", it sure was good.very, very good. Here, he very credibly plays an Italian-American! The script also was quite good. I never realized that he spoke English so well-everything I've seen him in up until now has been in French.
I've seen him in many French films (mostly Pierre Melville productions) and have LOVED his acting-he plays a great mobster-cold and tough. Among the many wonderful actors, one really surprised me-Lino Ventura. It also helps that Charles Bronson is given some excellent support. You'd need at least this much to tell such a long and complicated story. The story is helped a lot by the films's length-a little over two hours. What follows is a very long story about Valachi's earliest days in the mob (about 1930) up to the arrest that brought him to prison-and a bit beyond.
Almost all the rest of the film consists Valachi giving his story to the government agent. This has the unintended consequence of forcing Valachi to to authorities. And, not surprisingly, a contract has been placed on Valachi's head. It seems that someone in the organization has talked-and the mob of bosses, Genovese (Lino Ventura) believes it was Valachi. Mobster Joseph Valachi is in prison and multiple attempts are made on his life. "The Valachi Papers" in contrast was a much more straight forward story based on real mob figures-and it's a dandy film.
The main difference is that "The Godfather" was based fictionalized characters and had a true elegance about the film. That's because 1972 was the same year that "The Godfather" debuted and the utter greatness of "The Godfather" probably overwhelmed "The Valachi Papers"-as both touch on very similar subject matter.
After all, it's FAR better than its current rating of 6.8. I truly think if this film had come out earlier it would today be thought of as a better film.
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