The Don Is Dead

It has a bit of a TV-movie feel at points, but is nonetheless pretty competent. It will inevitably get compared to The Godfather on account of the era, the content and the casting, and while it doesn't get close to the heights of that one, it still stands as an enjoyable mafia romp. A lot of the charm does come from the casting; a lot of character-actor types finding themselves in what are ostensibly lead roles. This'll hold the attention of mafia-film fans. Just don't expect The Godfather.

It's really not such a terrible mob movie, by pre-1973 action-genre standards; but it definitely isn't up to par with the explosion of organized crime cinema that quickly followed "The Godfather", which also included masterworks like "Mean Streets" and Italy's "Lucky Luciano". Anthony Quinn doesn't quite manage to inspire the shambling cast, and the multiple gunfights are no compensation for the relatively uninvested drama.