Rob The Mob

Tommy and Rosie are in trouble, they have tried to go along the straight path but then Tommy has the bright idea of robbing the mob and punishing them. He does this for his father, who had a flower shop which attracted Mafia interest. The mob has its own problem as it is during the Gambino family trial and with all eyes on them they cant go about killing whoever, so they have to endure it. After Tommy robs an old Mafia hood and accidentally steals the crime family tree, panic sets in.Jerry Cardozo, a journalist publishes the robbery stories and escapades of the 'Bonnie and Clyde' duo this turns the story into a major event and the mob have to solve this problem.

This film confused me greatly, like a person who has a burger and chips but orders a milkshake to dip the chips in. So to begin, the first and ultimate problem with the film is that of its genre. You see the film has nods to the crime drama or gangster film but in honest it would have been if it was like Good fellas directed by the Coen Brothers. Then however it tries to be a black comedy and though some of the events are laugh out loud funny, this doesn't sit right after some time and instead it becomes uncomfortable. Then it tried to be a melodrama and this it doesn't do well at all. Aside from the well shot flash back scenes, the films melodrama doesn't ring with either emotion or honest. Why? It feels over played and as such false.

The other problem is with the whole tone of the film. It does condone and make heroes of the leads, then it turns them one into a horrible egomaniac and the other into an bumbling sociopath. This is the writing of the piece and not the actual story, which on further investigation proved to be very different to expectations. My problem with the creation of these hero / monsters is it adds to the confusion of the overall goal of the film. What is it trying to say about these people and their lives?

I would like to add I do have a positive few notes about the film. It stems mainly from the acting in this film and it concerns Cathy Moriarty and Ray Romano. It is superb to see Cathy Moriarty back on the screen (she hasn't really been away but I am a fan and love her style.) Romano is also a surprise, he isn't his usual annoying self. Instead he plays it straight and does it well, so Ray this maybe the next step in the career?

The problems are far greater than the positives and this sinks the film. Sadly for the cast (bar Garcia) who are all very good.