"The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" was a blast in 1971 and it's just as funny today. Before the Godfather and The Sopranos, writer Jimmy Breslin and then-light comic and musical star Jerry Orbach had the hapless Bonnano crime family skewered. The gags alone would have made the film, but there's a brain at work here, too, in the portrayal of a benighted crime leader and his clownish goons.There's also a small part for an then-unknown unknown Robert DeNiro that forecast and anticipated what Bob would do. After Jerry Orbach's death, I was stunned that so few obits mentioned this film, suggesting his real movie debut was in Prince of the City. He was great in Prince of the City, but this one made him somebody to watch. Don't miss it. It still delights.
