Excellent Cadavers (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Ricky Tognazzi

Writers (WGA):

Alexander Stille (book)
Peter Pruce (teleplay)

Release Date:

16 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

They have a name for government officials who defy the mafia...excellent cadavers.

Plot:

Fact based story about the political battle that was waged against the Mafia in Sicily during the late 1980's and early 1990's...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Independent Film | Based On Book | Based On True Story

Cast

Chazz Palminteri	...	Giovanni Falcone
F. Murray Abraham	...	Tommaso Buscetta
Anna Galiena	...	Francesca Falcone
Andy Luotto	...	Paolo Borsellino
Lina Sastri	...	Agnese Borsellino
Arnoldo Foà	...	Judge Antonino Caponnetto
Ivo Garrani	...	Judge Gaetano Costa
Gianmarco Tognazzi	...	Ninì Cassara
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Mario
Mattia Sbragia	...	Judge Quinzi
Francesco Benigno	...	Pino Greco
Mario Erpichini	...	Judge Rocco Chinnici
Victor Cavallo	...	Totò Riina
Giuseppe Cederna	...	Judge Giuseppe Ayala
Stefano Benassi	...	Inspector

Also Known As:

Falcone (Australia) (Europe: English title) (video title)
Cadaveri eccellenti (Italy) (working title)
I giudici - vittime eccellenti (Italy)
Nella terra degli infedeli (Italy) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 (VHS/DVD rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Dir International Films

Trivia:

The woman who catches the bouquet at Giovanni Falcone and Francesca Morvillo's wedding is Simona Izzo, director Ricky Tognazzi's wife.

Movie Connections:

Featured in In un altro paese (2005)

Good, but already a forgotten film

Excellent Cadavers has only two things going against it: A) it gives away the ending in the first couple minutes of the movie, and B) it is way too short and never gives us a chance to really hear the whole story. The ending is awfully truncated, but then again the main character's life is just like the movie.

F. Murray Abraham and Chaz Palminteri both turn in expectedly strong performances, as do a number of native Italian actors doing their best to deliver their lines in English and generally doing quite well. Fausto Lombardi (from RATS and TERROR EXPRESS) has a good cameo as a mafioso interviewed while in prison. Dubbing voice provider Andy Luotto, who made no impression on me at all as Ben Gunn in TREASURE ISLAND IN OUTER SPACE, turns in a surprisingly heartfelt performance as Palminteri's second-fiddle who takes over the battle later on.

The romance for once feels fairly realistic and not too tacked-on. The woman he falls in love with sort of reminds me of an Italian Charlotte Rampling (the eyes anyway). It actually works more toward the movie's benefit than it's detriment, as well as the numerous mafia gun battles and assassinations which are all generally handled quite well.

Definitely worth a purchase if you can find it. It tends to pop up in bargain bins where you'd least expect it to be.