A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998)

Al Stanco has lived all of his life in Brooklyn and does some work for the local crime lord, Danny Parente. New to the neighbourhood is Gabriela, a filmmaker shooting a documentary on the ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Rainone

Writers:

Frank Rainone, Frederick J. Stroppel

Stars:

Vincent Spano, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Danny Aiello

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Spano	...	Al Stanco
Maria Grazia Cucinotta	...	Gabriela
Danny Aiello	...	Danny Parente
Abe Vigoda	...	Uncle Guy
Rick Aiello	...	Nicky Vetrino (as Ricky Aiello)
Tony Danza	...	Louie Crisci
Jennifer Esposito	...	Donna Delgrosso
Morgana King	...	Aunt Rose
Janice Steinmetz	...	Angie Stanco
Vincent Pastore	...	Vinnie "D"
Nelson Vasquez	...	Cessie
Frank Aquilino	...	Little Eddie
John 'Cha Cha' Ciarcia	...	Richie
Jeanna Garcia	...	Miranda
Jon-Albert Rovello	...	Young Al

Storyline

Al Stanco has lived all of his life in Brooklyn and does some work for the local crime lord, Danny Parente. New to the neighbourhood is Gabriela, a filmmaker shooting a documentary on the real Brooklyn. Al and Gabriela become friendly but the relationship is strained when he discovers her true goal is to expose Parente's criminal activities. When Al sees the evidence Gabriela has uncovered, which implicates Parente in the death of many locals (including Al's own father), he seeks revenge in a dangerous confrontation with his boss.

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Plot Keywords:

ethnic hatred | racist comment | racial slur | ethnic slur | racial prejudice | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

El espíritu de Brooklyn

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norstar Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 89 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

Brooklyn - a real look

A Danny Aiello fan, I read the viewer's comments and purchased the VHS.

Apparently shot on location in Brooklyn, the characters portray the residents well. In an old Italian neighborhood, they try hold onto their traditions. Sunday dinner in a paneled basement, Aunt Rose (Morgana King) PERFECT as the matriarch of the film with her Olive Oil fixer to all cooking issues working her garden in the backyard, deadpan Abe Vigoda as Uncle Guy, and Danny Aiello as the blood-sucking local in charge of the neighborhood.

His hands in everything, he appears to be the mayor of the area (with ever faithful bodyguard Vincent Pastore at his side), trying to keep the neighborhood as it was until an interloper (Gabriella) rents Aunt Rose's upstairs to make a film about Brooklyn. As the plot goes on, we learn that her movie is not about Brooklyn and family, but that her coming to this particular house was for a reason.

I agree with the previous poster, Rick Aiello was way over the top. (Maybe that's why Spike Lee gave him small roles in his films). You can figure out towards the middle what the real deal is, but it is still an interesting low budget film.

Danny Aiello's real estate solution to evicting tenants is really how they did it in Bushwick back in the 80's and his solution to getting the necessary construction permits are accurate too.