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      Boss of Bosses

      TV-14 2001 1 hr. 37 min. Drama List
      Reviews 61% 100+ Ratings Audience Score In 1985, gangsters gun down Paul Castellano (Chazz Palminteri) for trying to turn the Mafia into a legitimate business. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      k l The first four minutes show just how little research actually went into creating this. One of the most iconic aspects of the Castellano assassination was that the hitmen were dressed in overcoats with Russian style hats. This film has only two killers dressed in leather jackets and fedoras. Big Paul was sitting in the front of the car, not the back, and neither he or Bilotti were armed. Tommy Bilotti certainly did mot exchange gunfire with the hitmen. Chazz Palmimteri is excellent as he always is, and the film certainly benefits from a strong and experienced cast, but with such poor research and dull scriptwriting this film was always going to be dragged down. For something seemingly aimed directly at Cosa Nostra nerds, this film missed the mark significantly. The sort of person it appeals to is the kind of person who will immediately notice the factual errors and be put off. Bookending the film with such a poorly reconstructed version of the end of Big Paul was a very… interesting decision. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member decent made for tv movie Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Chazz Palminteri wasted in this made for TV, wishy washy biopic, with some major story line holes from the real thing. For example why would Castellano been able to call the shots on Brasco who infiltrated a different family? Also found it quite distracting that Palminteri was playing Castellano when he is a dead ringer for Genovese boss of the same period, Vincent Gigante Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Looks pretty good,from the trailer. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member As a lover of mob films, I was disappointed with Boss of Bosses, a lackluster biopic of Paul Castellano. It succumbs to conventional storytelling, with no real sense of energy or genuine character dynamics, simply scenes of exposition interspersed with back-story. Chazz Palminteri did what he could, but ultimately the script didn't give him much to go off of. In the end, the viewer knows more about the life of Castellano, but receives no real insight into the man. The story line involving John Gotti was also horribly and dully handled, while it should have been the main narrative drive. 2/4 Stars Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Boss of Bosses is a little known made for TV movie. Despite the fact that it is a different cast and crew, it was intended as a prequel, to 1996's Gotti, telling the story of Paul Castellano. Castellano was known as the brains behind the mafia's 1980's re-emergence. He believed more in white collar crime, than in organized crime. Castellano was old school and a smart man, the film portrays him as such, but it also tries to play down the fact that he was a criminal who stole millions and hurt a lot of people. Chazz Palminteri was amazing, he was made for roles like this, and shines once again as a hardened, but loveable criminal. As for the film, it's apparently very accurate, and tells you a lot about a private man, that we generally don't hear much about. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The fact that it was made for TV and lacked the nudity and the F bombs, didn't really matter, it was still a very enjoyable film and an excellent companion to Gotti. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Boss of Bosses

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      Critics Reviews

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      Phil Gallo Variety Bosses...answers no questions about Castellano and his motivations or even explains his intense dislike of rising mobster John Gotti or why he saw a life for himself in the arms of his Colombian housekeeper, Gloria. Feb 23, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 1985, gangsters gun down Paul Castellano (Chazz Palminteri) for trying to turn the Mafia into a legitimate business.
      Director
      Dwight H. Little
      Executive Producer
      Lois Bonfiglio
      Screenwriter
      Jere Cunningham
      Production Co
      Miramax
      Rating
      TV-14 (V|D|L)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 26, 2014