| Mobsters | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Michael Karbelnikoff |
| Produced by | Jim Ballantine Carolyn Bates |
| Starring | Christian Slater Patrick Dempsey Richard Grieco Costas Mandylor Michael Gambon Anthony Quinn F. Murray Abraham Chris Penn Lara Flynn Boyle |
| Music by | Michael Small |
| Cinematography | Lajos Koltai |
| Editing by | Joe D'Augustine |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 26, 1991 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $29 million |
| Box office | $20,246,790 (domestic)[1] |
Mobsters is a 1991 crime-drama film detailing the creation of the The Commission. Set in New York City, taking place from 1917 to 1931, it is a semi-fictitious account of the rise of Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel.
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This highly dramatized film, focuses primarily on Luciano and Lansky. They start as young men victimized by the current mafia. They rise from petty criminals and bootleggers to push aside the old guard of the Mafia and eventually establish The Commission, which set up the New York Mafia into five separate families. Bugsy Siegel (Richard Grieco) and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor) control the physical elements of the operation, while Lucky Luciano (Christian Slater) and Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey) bring up the business end.[2]
The film was panned by most critics earning a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety Magazine wrote that "'Mobsters' resembles a cart-before-the-horse case of putting marketing ahead of filmmaking, as the seemingly can't-miss premise of teen-heartthrob gangsters gets lost in self-important direction, a shoddy script and muddled storytelling".[3]}} According to Roger Ebert, the movie's violence and bloodshed are so far over the top that "they undermine the rest of the film, and approach parody". He gave the movie two and a half out of four stars. Both Anthony Quinn and Christian Slater were each nominated for a Razzie Award as Worst Supporting Actor for their performances in this film (neither won).