the valachi papers

Released just a few months after The Godfather, Dino De Laurentis' own mafia origin story, The Valachi Papers (1972) had the same literary pedigree with the added bonus of a being based on the true account of Joe Valachi, a mob family foot soldier whose testimony before the U.S. Senate revealed many of the secrets and rituals of the infamous Costa Nostra organization. But where Coppola's film provided a richly romantic view of loyalty, honor and the twisted American dream, director Terence Young takes a "tell-all" approach, starting with Valachi's early days as a two-bit burglar, his rise through the ranks and a lengthy prison term that makes him a sitting duck for a lifetime worth of enemies.

The film begins with Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) as a sixty-something federal inmate dodging one murder attempt after another, each orchestrated by Don Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura) who believes him to be a dangerous informant. Ironically, it's that very situation that convinces Joe to talk, fearing for not only his life, but also that of his wife and child. Escorted into police custody, he gives a year-by-year breakdown of the entire organization, from the men at the top to the even more dangerous rank and file.

Shot in Italy (De Laurentis' claimed that threats were made against the production) with a decidedly low-rent feel, The Valachi Papers does a poor job of world building. The sets feel disposable, the rear screen projection is tacky and there are too many anachronistic details to overlook for a period piece of any budget (watch for the World Trade Center popping up prominently in a 1931 skyline shot). All of which could be forgiven if the film stuck to its guns in delivering a truly shocking peek behind the mafia curtain. But Young's lukewarm direction is fashioned after creakier recent gangster epics like Roger Corman's The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (also a Twilight Time release) than the modern approach taken by Coppola.

To his credit, Bronson never makes The Valachi Papers "feel" like a Bronson movie and his performance stretches his abilities more than most. The movie's attempt to visually age him from an ambitious teen to a jaded Mafioso is never very convincing, but the actor gives it his all, even managing some comedic charm now and then. He's surrounded by a rather stiff supporting cast, except for Walter Chiari as "Gap" whose castration scene might not have actually happened but sure makes for exciting cinema. Scorsese would take this same fly-on-the-wall approach with Goodfellas and knock it out of the park. The Valachi Papers, for all its literary authenticity, feels like a poorly executed story told second-hand.

Twilight Time has certainly been good to fans of Bronson and their latest 3000-copy limited edition Blue-ray is no exception. The movie looks great right from the get-go, with those oversized European titles kicking off another superb HD transfer. Extras are limited to a partial isolated music track and liner notes.