Gotti (1996)

John Gotti rises to head the powerful Gambino crime family before being convicted in 1992 of racketeering and murder.

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writers:

Jerry Capeci (book), Gene Mustain (book)

Stars:

Armand Assante, Anthony Quinn, William Forsythe

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Armand Assante	...	John Gotti
William Forsythe	...	Sammy Gravano
Richard C. Sarafian	...	Paul Castellano
Frank Vincent	...	Robert DiBernardo
Anthony Quinn	...	Neil Dellacroce
Dominic Chianese	...	Joe Armone
Robert Miranda	...	Frank DeCicco
Scott Cohen	...	Gene Gotti
Raymond Serra	...	Frank LoCascio
Vincent Pastore	...	Angelo Ruggiero
Marc Lawrence	...	Carlo Gambino
Tony Sirico	...	Joe Dimiglia
Alberta Watson	...	Victoria Gotti
Al Waxman	...	Bruce Cutler
Yank Azman	...	Judge Nickerson

Storyline

John Gotti, the head of a small New York mafia crew breaks a few of the old family rules. He rises to become the head of the Gambino family and the most well-known mafia boss in America. He is known as the Dapper Don for his expensive taste in suits, and the Teflon Don because none of the FBI charges against him will stick. Life is good, but suspicion creeps in, and greed, rule-breaking and his high public profile all threaten to topple him.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | gangster | celebrity criminal | 1980s | witness protection | 

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence, strong language and some drug content

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gotti: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Mafia Don

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally planned for a theatrical release, but the project fell short on funding. Therefore, it became an HBO film.

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Goofs

The audio played back in the courtroom is not the same as the conversation that took place earlier in the film. Notably, John Gotti used the phrase "physically sick" during the earlier conversation, but it does not appear when the tape is played back. Also when Gotti asks who "did the work?" Frankie says "Sammy," but on the tape, Frankie says "Fucking Sammy" which Gotti repeats.

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Quotes

Sammy Gravano: How could you say those things about me, John?
John Gotti: Hey, tapes are tapes, man... don't mean nothin. I'm talkin alright, I can fuckin talk can't I?
Sammy Gravano: So let's fuckin talk. You backed doored me while I was your underboss while I was out there whackin guys for you.
John Gotti: Hey, get tha fuck outta here with that shit right now. You're the one gets off whackin people, not me. You come crying to me about Louie Dibono, your partner for years, not mine... I don't know tha man. You wanted to whack him, you come ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Blade II (2002)

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Soundtracks

Here Comes the Band
(uncredited)
Written by Dick Walter
KPM Music Ltd

User Reviews

a very good tv movie!!

"Gotti" is the TRUE STORY about the notorious rise and fall of mobster, John Gotti. As a student of organized crime history, I can honestly tell you, that this movie gives you MAJOR insight into the life of John Gotti. Was he a good guy who took care of his people or a vicious bad guy?. For those who don't know, John Gotti, became very early a legend on the streets of New York City. He became a made man of the Gambino family in the early 70's. Gotti made a lot of money for the family and he quickly earned the trust of his boss, Carlo Gambino. The movie starts by showing, how Gotti seemed to have problems following [the mafia] rules at first and almost gets killed. This sets the movie very well off and gives us a better insight in, not only Gottis life, but the mafia and how they see it. Sort of like GoodFellas, but only that was the Lucchese family. The Gambino family has a alot more history and a family that was originally started by Lucky Luciano in 1931. Armand Assante who plays Gotti makes an outstanding performance here and really triggers the movies atmosphere. Anthony Quinn who plays mob kingpin Neil Dellacroce, Gottis mentor, does a wonderful job. His presence is absolute stellar. GoodFella, Frank Vincent and Bill Forsythe do a great job too. This is not a movie, this is a tv movie done by HBO and it's a rare thing to see a good tv movie these days. The director of this film, Robert Harmon, sure knows what he is up to here!!. If you liked GoodFellas, Casino and The Godfather movies then I would really recommend you to see this one.