It's the turn of the century in New York City. Italian immigrant businesses are being extorted. Adelina Saulino's baker father receives the standard threat, "Pay or Die!" He refuses. Lupo Miano and his thugs get physical. Policeman Joseph Petrosino (Ernest Borgnine) arrests Lupo. It's the tip of the iceberg. They call themselves the Black Hand, a feared criminal organization name from the old world. Joe starts up and leads, The Italian Squad, a group of Italian policeman working to take down the mob.
This is biography police crime drama. It's got Borgnine leading the story. At its best, it's the Untouchables. It has elements of the gritty brutal reality although it doesn't have the 70's docu-style filmmaking. There are sometimes like the rag man where I want more realistic action. The intensity of the ending could be heighten. The last act is a paranoid thriller waiting to happen.
This is biography police crime drama. It's got Borgnine leading the story. At its best, it's the Untouchables. It has elements of the gritty brutal reality although it doesn't have the 70's docu-style filmmaking. There are sometimes like the rag man where I want more realistic action. The intensity of the ending could be heighten. The last act is a paranoid thriller waiting to happen.