Men of Respect
| Men of Respect | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William Reilly |
| Produced by | Ephraim Horowitz |
| Written by |
William Reilly William Shakespeare |
| Starring |
John Turturro Rod Steiger Katherine Borowitz |
| Music by | Misha Segal |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Edited by | Elizabeth Kling |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
May 1990 (France) January 18, 1991 (U.S.) May 14, 1991 (Philippines) November 29, 1991 (Finland) February 28, 1991 (UK) |
Running time | 113 min. |
| Country |
 |
| Language | English/Spanish |
| Box office | $139,155[1] |
Men of Respect is a 1990 crime drama film, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. It stars John Turturro as Mike Battaglia, a Mafia hitman who climbs his way to the top by killing his boss.
The film also stars Rod Steiger, Stanley Tucci, Dennis Farina and Peter Boyle and is directed by William C. Reilly. It is not the first attempt to transplant MacBeth to the American mob culture; it was done in the 1955 film Joe MacBeth.
Plot
Mike Battaglia, a powerful lieutenant in the D’Amico crime family, executes a large-scale hit on the family's enemies, earning a promotion to caporegime and the undying respect of his boss, godfather Charlie D'Amico. Despite the Don's generosity, however, Battaglia secretly resents D'Amico for passing him over as his successor.
At the instigation of Ruthie, his wife, Battaglia murders D'Amico and has his sons shipped off to Florida, clearing the way for him to assume control of the D'Amico family. He becomes an underworld despot, deciding to kill anyone he suspects as a threat to his power, including former ally Bankie Como and his unconnected son, Philly, who survives an assassination attempt.
At his coronation as boss, a drunken Battaglia alienates two more of the mob's powerful soldiers. Afraid that Battaglia's reign will spell the end of the D'Amico family, several of Battaglia's underlings desert him and ally themselves with D'Amico's eldest son, Mal.
Battaglia puts a hit out on his chief rival, Matt Duffy, but the assassins cannot find him, instead murdering his wife and children. Determined to get revenge, Duffy comes to kill Battaglia, who arrogantly proclaims that "no man of woman born" can harm him. Duffy responds that he was delivered via caesarian section, and therefore was not technically born of a woman. Disposing of Battaglia, he clears the way for Mal to assume control of the family.
Cast
| Actor | Role | MacBeth equivalency |
|---|---|---|
| John Turturro | Mike Battaglia | Macbeth |
| Katherine Borowitz | Ruthie Battaglia | Lady Macbeth |
| Dennis Farina | Bankie Como | Banquo |
| Peter Boyle | Matt Duffy | Macduff |
| Rod Steiger | Charlie D'Amico | King Duncan |
| Stanley Tucci | Mal | Malcolm |
| Carl Capotorto | Don | Donalbain |
| Michael Badalucco | Sal | Seyton |
| Robert Modica | Carmello Rossi | Ross |
| David Thornton | Philly Como | Fleance |
| Dan Grimaldi | Carmine | Caithness |
| Joseph Carberry | Leonetti | Lennox |
| Richard Petrocelli | Artie | Angus |
| Edward Gallardo | Manuel | Menteith |
| Joseph Ragno | Padrino Ricci | Siward |
