Three-part true-life chronicle about the exploits of Lt. Joseph Petrosino, a NY police officer tasked with bringing down the notorious Black Hand gang, who were forerunners of the Mafia in the US. At 45 minutes it's longer than the average movie from this era, but it still feels rushed, with very little detail and a clumsily handled finale.
2 Reviews
It's okay.
ofpsmith6 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino was truly one of New York's finest. Born in 1860 in Italy he and his family emigrated to the United States when he was young. He joined the New York Police Department as an adult and quickly distinguished himself as a courageous and dedicated officer. He was especially instrumental in fighting the Black Hand (basically the Mafia before the Mafia) who often targeted Italian immigrants through acts of extortion. When Petrosino traveled to Italy to meet with informants for the Sicilian mob he was killed by assassins. He remains to this day the only NYPD officer ever killed on foreign soil. This film is essentially a very condensed summary of Petrosino's fight against the mob. It's only 47 minutes so don't expect it to be a memorial of Petrosino's life or anything like that. At it's core it's just an old (try 105 years old) short film about real (albeit very condensed) events.
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