From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Gotti (1996 film)

1996 biographical television film directed by Robert Harmon

Summary

1996 biographical television film directed by Robert Harmon

Field	Value
image	Gotti (1996 film).jpg
caption	DVD cover
genre	{{ubl
based_on
writer	Steve Shagan
director	Robert Harmon
starring	{{plainlist
music	Mark Isham
country	United States
language	English
executive_producer	Gary Lucchesi
producer	David Coatsworth
editor	Zach Staenberg
location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
cinematography	Alar Kivilo
runtime	116 minutes
company	HBO Pictures
network	HBO
released

Biographical
Crime drama
Armand Assante
William Forsythe
Anthony Quinn

Gotti is a 1996 American crime drama television film directed by Robert Harmon and written by Steve Shagan. Based primarily on the columns of reporter Jerry Capeci, who also co-wrote the 1996 non-fiction book Gotti: Rise and Fall with Gene Mustain and served as the film's executive producer, the film stars Armand Assante in the title role as infamous Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, along with William Forsythe, and Anthony Quinn. It premiered on HBO on August 17, 1996.

Assante won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for his performance. Assante received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie the same year.

Plot

The film highlights John Gotti's association with three fellow mobsters: a father-son like relationship with Gambino underboss Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce, his deep but rocky friendship with Gotti crew member and longtime friend Angelo Ruggiero, and the respect and ultimate frustration that he felt for the man who became his underboss, Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano.

The film details Gotti's rise within the Gambino crime family, as an unofficial soldier (soldato) sent to prison following the murder of James McBratney in 1973, then being promoted to captain (or capo) after Neil's retirement, and finally becoming boss of the family by arranging a hit on "Big" Paul Castellano in 1985. Following the murder of Castellano, the film concentrates on the legal trials of Gotti: one for assault and two for racketeering under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes.

Gotti's famous personality, trial acquittals, and media attention are all dramatized. The film ends with Gotti's conviction in 1992 and sentencing to life imprisonment at Marion Federal Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois when Gravano turns state's evidence and agrees to testify against Gotti in exchange for witness protection.

Cast

Armand Assante as John Gotti
William Forsythe as Sammy Gravano
Anthony Quinn as Aniello Dellacroce
Vincent Pastore as Angelo Ruggiero
Frank Vincent as Robert DiBernardo
Richard C. Sarafian as Paul Castellano
Dominic Chianese as Joe Armone
Raymond Serra as Frank LoCascio
Tony Sirico as Joe Dimiglia
Al Waxman as Bruce Cutler
Scott Cohen as Gene Gotti
Robert Miranda as Frank DeCicco
Marc Lawrence as Carlo Gambino
Alberta Watson as Victoria Gotti
Tony De Santis as John Favara
Gil Filar as Frank Gotti
Gerry Mendicino as Peter Gotti
Yank Azman as Judge Nickerson
Frank Crudele as Nicholas Scibetta
Frank Pellegrino as Carmine Russo

Production

Shooting took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Armand Assante put on 35 pounds to play John Gotti.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 60% rating based on five reviews, with an average rating of 5.20/10. Jeremy Girard of Variety called it "a fairly standard-issue gangster flick" that is problematic for its matter-of-fact presentation. Caryn James of The New York Times criticized its "docudrama syndrome", in which biographical dramas adhere closely to the historical record to prevent lawsuits despite the need for more characterization.

Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the better mob movies of the decade, and surely the best gangster portrait ever made primarily for television". TV Guide rated it 2/5 stars and described it as too detailed for casual viewers and too inaccurate for enthusiasts.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)
	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Two-Hour Movie for Non-Commercial Television	Zach Staenberg
American Society of Cinematographers Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movie of the Week or Pilot	Alar Kivilo
Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Movie of the Week Casting	Avy Kaufman
Cairo International Film Festival	Golden Pyramid Award	Robert Harmon
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials
Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Armand Assante
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Anthony Quinn
Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing – Music – Television Movies of the Week, Pilots or Miniseries	Bill Abbott
Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Motion Picture Made for Television
Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Mark Isham
Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best New Titles Sequence in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Gary Lucchesi, David Coatsworth and Robert McMinn
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Armand Assante
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special	Robert Harmon
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special	Steve Shagan
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special	Alar Kivilo
Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production	Zach Staenberg
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special	Robert W. Glass Jr., Ezra Dweck,
Dan Wallin and David Lee
Satellite Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Anthony Quinn
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Armand Assante

References

Blumenthal, Ralph. (1996-08-11). "Best-Dressed Don Inspires a Drama". [[The New York Times]].
Randle, Nancy Jalasca. (1996-08-16). "The Muscle Behind 'Gotti'". [[Chicago Tribune]].
"Gotti (1996)".
Gerard, Jeremy. (1996-08-12). "Review: 'Gotti'". [[Variety (magazine).
James, Caryn. (1996-08-17). "Making and Unmaking Of a Made Man: Gotti". [[The New York Times]].
Rosenberg, Howard. (1996-08-17). "Sincerely Sinister". [[Los Angeles Times]].
. ["Gotti"](http://www.tvguide.com/movies/gotti/review/132121/). *[[TV Guide]]*.
"Nominees/Winners". [[IMDb]].
"The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". [[American Society of Cinematographers]].
(November 12, 1997). "1997 Artios Awards". [[Casting Society of America]].
"49th DGA Awards". [[Directors Guild of America Awards]].
"Gotti". [[Golden Globe Awards]].
Variety Staff. (March 4, 1997). "Sound editors bow Golden Reel noms". [[Variety (magazine).
"1st Annual TV Awards (1996-97)". Online Film & Television Association.
"Gotti". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
"International Press Academy website – 1997 1st Annual SATELLITE Awards".
"The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]].

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1996-films 1996-television-films 1996-crime-drama-films american-films-based-on-actual-events american-crime-drama-films biographical-films-about-gangsters crime-drama-films-based-on-actual-events american-crime-television-films cultural-depictions-of-paul-castellano cultural-depictions-of-carlo-gambino cultural-depictions-of-john-gotti cultural-depictions-of-the-mafia american-drama-television-films films-about-the-american-mafia films-about-the-gambino-crime-family films-based-on-non-fiction-books-about-organized-crime films-directed-by-robert-harmon films-scored-by-mark-isham films-set-in-new-york-city films-shot-in-toronto gambino-crime-family hbo-films-films television-films-based-on-actual-events television-films-based-on-books 1990s-english-language-films 1996-american-films english-language-crime-drama-films

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Gotti (1996 film) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report