Witness Protection (1999)

Bobby "Bats" Batton, a South Boston mobster, barely escapes a hit man sent by his boss who's learned that Bobby is cooking the books. Bobby goes to the FBI to trade what he knows for a new ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Pearce

Writers:

Robert Sabbag (article), Daniel Therriault (story),

Stars:

Tom Sizemore, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Shawn Hatosy

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Sizemore	...	Bobby Batton
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Cindy Batton
Shawn Hatosy	...	Sean Batton
Skye McCole Bartusiak	...	Suzie Batton (as Skye McCole-Bartusiak)
Forest Whitaker	...	Steven Beck
William Sadler	...	Sharp
Jim Metzler	...	Jim Cutler
Greg Pitts	...	Duffy
Daniel Zacapa	...	David Ramirez
Greg Lipari	...	Hit Man (as Greg Lipari Sr.)
Leon Russom	...	Reedy
Joanna Merlin	...	Cindy's Mother
Harrison Young	...	Cindy's Father
Randy Thompson	...	First Marshal
Byron Minns	...	Second Marshal (as Byron Keith Minns)

Storyline

Bobby "Bats" Batton, a South Boston mobster, barely escapes a hit man sent by his boss who's learned that Bobby is cooking the books. Bobby goes to the FBI to trade what he knows for a new identify for himself, his wife, a son who's a high-school wiz kid aiming for Harvard, and a young daughter. The four of them spend an intense week with a federal marshal who coaches them in their new identities before they establish a household, without money or a resume, in Seattle. Bobby's wife learns that they're penniless, Bobby is still trying to figure out who ratted on him, their son wants to leave and take his chances in Boston, and their daughter is traumatized. Can they work it out?

---

Plot Keywords:

fbi | marshal | witness protection program | organized crime | husband wife relationship | 

---

Taglines:

When The Mob Wants You Dead There's Only One Place To Hide...

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

I lista tou ektelesti

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO NYC Productions, TurtleBack Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

HBO can't be beat...

I have recently found myself very impressed by some of the original series coming out of HBO. I was totally crushed to find out that this was a one-time movie and not the start of another series. I feel like HBO really tapped into a topic that hasn't been explored in depth before: the psychological stress that goes along with a family having to start over from scratch. The film shows the first five days of the family living in a safe house after entering the witness protection program, and the training that they have to go through to prepare for their new life.

I thought that this film was outstanding, ESPECIALLY for a cable television production. I LOVE mafia movies, but I think that that's because it's always seemed like such a fantasy world to me. This film focuses on the reality that the family must face when they have to leave all of their money and connections behind. I thought that it was heartbreaking and gut-wrenching.

Rock on HBO!!! Gimme MORE!!!