Overall, a well-done film from Barry Levinson with a fantastic performance from Debra Messing, who I feel should be considered for an Academy Award nomination. Debra was very convincing portraying Frank Costello's wife and the make-up used to age her identity was on point.
Moreover, I was first introduced about Frank Costello through cinema with the films, "Mobsters" , and "Bugsy." And, he was always came off as a background character or, a gangster with not much significant affiliation with the crime syndicates and Luciano crime family.
However, I am glad Costello's life during his later years was finally brought to the silver screen.
For being 82-years-old, I thought Bobby de Niro did one helluva job portraying both Costello and Vito Genovese.
The film does justice illustrating the historical events leading up to Frank's conflict with Vito Genovese, the background details of how Frank and Vito met in their younger ages and, Frank's eventual retirement from his life of crime.
The cast members each knew their assignment, respectively.
In particular, both Katherine Narducci and Michael Rispoli.
If the casting directors had hired other actors not too familiar with audiences, this film may have not been entertaining.
The film does move by a comfortable pace, yet with a running time of two hours, I left the theatre thinking that an extra 30 -45 minutes minutes would have created time to add more details about both Vito and Frank in their earlier days as young adults.
I really do not have any gripes or grudges about the film since I am enamored with crime dramas films involving gangsters from the Irish, Jewish, Italian, Black, English, Hispanic, heritages. To me, I find the history fascinating.
In my opinion, the film does give shades and similarities of The Irishman, Goodfellas, and also felt like Levinson's follow-up to "Bugsy."
Lastly, I would say that this film is worth a viewing for all the fanatics of the crime-drama genre.
