I actually knew a guy whose uncle would have coffee with Hoffa regularly in Chicago and they were good friends so this movie is very near and dear to me. Hoffa did for organized labor what Martin Luther King Jr. did for civil rights. He pioneered it, organized it, led it and ultimately died for it. Jack Nicholson is dynamite. He really looks like Jimmy Hoffa and he's got him down pat. You feel empathy for him, what he has to go thru, and the constant, devastating betrayals that occur throughout his life by the Mob and the Teamsters. Danny DeVito is good and you feel sorry for him almost as much as you respect him and even fear him. He's tough, brash, competent and a good shot with a .45 Auto and he loves Hoffa. That is evident early on and doesn't leave you. This movie was made not as a factual piece but more of a testament to his movement and his struggle to fight for his men and get them what they deserve. The ending is very poignant and endearing almost to a fault. If you are interested in finding out what really happened to Hoffa read Contract Killer by William Hoffman and Lake Headley it goes into great detail about his final hours, who killed him and most importantly why. The message is simple. What you love can kill you and most men who sacrifice all for a cause end up becoming martyrs to it.
Review of Hoffa
