These two underworld characters are played to perfection. No posturing, no threats. They know who they’re speaking to and they respect each other, despite being worlds apart.
@@colinrunciman5166 There's actually no proof anyone has seen that this story is true. No kids in Wilkerson; no dead Nokes in a bar in Hell's Kitchen, etc.
Benny is an old style villain/gangster even they have standards they may be capable of violence or even murder but they don't harm kids and they consider child abusers the lowest of the low and take it as a big insult in prisons if sex offenders or child abusers are put into general population with them. Benny basically signed that guy's death warrant because as the saying goes "god pays back debts without money"
@Mark S This film could have been a true story. No im not from the UK, actually in from California, Never hear of that sex scandal but im definitely going to look into it. Thanks.
King Benny just casually walks into Lil Caesar's office and asks for 8000 dollars. He even says he aint paying it back but some other guy will. Even before Lil Caesar knows who Adison is, he gives King Benny the money he asks for. No questions asked. Even complimented the old man a lot. See, that is what you call respect and credibility.
@@smokemeakipper1076 Little Caesar said he made the game a call for respect, "the way he wore it." He's basically calling back to that line, shrugging off the compliment.
As the saying goes "there's more than one way to skin a cat" child abusers forget that their victims grow up and soon see the abusers for what they are and they will come looking for justice be it through the courts or like here where Benny lets the truth out and sends a very dangerous man after that guard the truth always comes out eventually one way or another the destruction peadophiles leave behind them more or less guarantees that because victims never forget them
Back in the good old days, when mobsters had class. And honor. Vittorio advised the protagonist to stay as far away as possible from the underworld, just to maintain his innocence. He truly cared about him.
Mobsters back stabbed each other killed each other even in the Same families stop romanticizing criminal organizations they are ruthless and greed trumps that fake code they feed you any day
Vittorio Gassman’s portrayal of King Benny is an acting masterpiece as well as Victor in Sharkeys Machine. He is just so deep and believable in these characters….superb actor.
I agree. You can tell he knew these boys were molested by Addison and the guards at Wilkinson's. He even subtlety tells Shakes to not let this revenge plot change what a good man he is.
superb. very, very distinguished. very unique to all other actors in style and delivery of a character. The Good European actors in general always had a certain European "je ne sais quoi" that (most) yanks can't touch. I was intrigued as hell by "King Benny". How real can it get.
The really sad yet noble part of this is how Little Ceasar seems to take no joy from watching Addison die because he probably just wishes his brother was still alive. I wish we got a scene of them "extracting" the graphic details from Addison about what they did to Rizzo.
They did not extract the graphic details from Addison about what they did to Rizzo because Little Caesar already knew what they did to Rizzo. The scene says Addison could not pay back the money he owed Little Caesar and that gave Little Caesar the excuse to kill Addison. If Addison had the money to pay back Little Caesar then Little Caesar might not have killed Addison. Now Addison is both a torturing, rapist, murderer AND doesn't pay his debts, ...one bad trait too many.
Great film, hidden gem. Even back in 1996, I. Surprised at the smaller role Brad Pitt took, he was still a top billed A-lister. A River Runs through It, Legends of the Fall, and Interview with the Vampire. Yet Jason Patrick gets top billing
Little ceasar as big as he had become in the drug trade, respected king benny and never for a second doubted what he was being told. Even when little ceasar said to king benny, "they said he died of nuemonia" great piece of a great film this.
This was a good movie. King Benny was such a good character. Not loud and brash, but when he told someone they would die if they didn’t do as he said. You didn’t doubt it for a second. The way he told Dustin Hoffman’s character that if he didn’t take the case he would take a dirt nap was awesome.
Vittorio Gassman °_° I've always seen him in italian movies, of course, but he maintained his excellent ability also in english. He was magical, it's been a major loss when he died :(
Nice work by Wendell Pierce here. A very talented actor who I loved as Bunk Moreland in "The Wire." Plays this part with ultimate cool but keeps the fact that you do not mess with him just under the surface.
Marvin Martin I think it’s cuz Michael needed John and Tommy to not give anything away with any reactions or indicators that they knew what was going on
@@Tuberiascaesar because Brad Pitt's character was planning on botching the prosecution so John and Tommy go free if that came out not only would Brad Pitt's character end up in prison but that would mean a new trial the more people who know what you're doing the more likely you are to get caught. He had already been compiling information on them for years before John and Tommy killed the guard and now he's using everything he has gathered to expose it all but he can't be seen mixing with known criminals because all it would take is a careless word and the whole thing comes crashing down with major consequences for everyone
@@Tuberiascaesar I get what your saying. But they all agreed they'd never talk about it again as abuse victims often do. But John and Tommy ended up becoming hardended criminals there was no way they were gonna discuss it again especially in public they'd be too fearful of being seen as weak and there is not one shred of proof the abuse happened only the words of four men who were sent to Wilkinsons as teenagers for nearly killing someone. Who in authority is gonna believe them over the guards who as far as we know have no prior records for this? They'd be dismissed as liars. Plus the fact the John and Tommy shot Nokes in apparent cold blood in a bar full of witnesses without any kind of provocation. So why would Brad Pitt's character share all the information he has gathered and let people in on his plan? John and Tommy don't stop and think like he does they act first and think later you can't rely on people like that they're unpredictable if it got out what Brad Pitt's character did you can bet there would be major consequences because he's personally linked with the defendents for a start so he should be nowhere near the case, its conflict of interest since he was abused by the guards and served time and grew up with John and Tommy he'd be thrown in jail next to them. He played it right and left it to Shakes to do stuff behind the scenes like talk to father Bobby and King Benny because Brad Pitt can't be seen associating with any of them or the whole plan comes crashing down around them all
@@Tuberiascaesar that's pretty hard to predict because everyone handles trauma differently. The what if's would be endless in the situation in this film
If you're a gangster now and you just found out who actually killed your little brother. I'm sure that information is worth a lot more than eight grand
@@jernbek1 I think he meant when the Italians were as crazy as street gangs the way they were in the first half of the 20th century. By the 70s they were more organized and powerful than ever before but they were a level above the street, even though they still had farming gangs made up of young Italian gangsters.
He's the part that everyone doesnt realize King Benny bought off Addisons debt so he could get the info on addison but he now had 8K of debt himself so with the info from shakes on what happened on Rizzo knowing the info was worth more than that to Little ceasar. King Benny gets his 8K back by transfering addisons debt to cesar but also telling him addison was responsible for the murder of Rizzo. While cesar lost 8k he got his revenge for the murder of his little brother while King benny got his 8K back and shakes got to know another of the rapist guards got whats coming to him
@@jsdzxyeah exactly!the acting is superb!really good eyes you got to notice that!that’s how strong the acting is,the way it’s explained about how he named his son after his brother and always carried a picture of him just hurts,you can feel that pain He’s a hardcore drug kingpin,he has his son going to a private school,he has some bad dudes loyal to him and other bosses respect him But the love he has for his brother is stronger than all that,hence the picture :( As satisfying as it is,it’s still a sad moment to see all that in just this short scene That’s how you make a masterpiece When a short scene can say so damn much!
This movie has a LOT of great lines. One of my favorites is when Shakes gives evidence to one of the cops and the cop asks "Hey Ness. You ever thought about being a cop?" Shakes replies, "And leave the Good Guys?"
I love the way King Benny is portrayed. He's a old gangster from that era where respect is everything. He's seen too much in his life time to be shocked or intimidated and in a way he doesn't fear death. At this point in his life he'd probably welcome it. King Benny was a true gangster and mob boss.
He had suspicions the whole time that his brother, Rizzo didn't pass from pneumonia. He probably just decided he would never truly know, and kept what he was told as the truth.
Thanks to Joey Diaz for introducing me to this movie, and to one hell of a performance by the guy playing King Benny. I like the actor who plays Little Caesar, too. He was awesome in The Wire. Nice nod to Edward G. Robinson in the script, there, too. Robinson could carry a gangster picture better than Cagney.
@@twofiveb No it isn't. Cesar tells him "you looked good doing it, brought the business some style, some class. . . ." Benny doesn't want to get involved in drugs.
No, that's not what it means. Little Caesar was talking about the way King Benny carried himself and how he wore his demeanor with style and class, like a suit. King Benny says that line in response to say the people who taught me that style i.e. molded me (his tailor/mentor)is dead
3:17 is the face of a man who just realised that this is worth way more than 8 grand. And seeing he is a man of the streets, already kinda knew that it was not about the 8k in the first place.
In a movie full of big name actors........Vittorio Gassman was the best one. He had a dignity and a gravitas that younger actors dream and wish that they could possess someday.
my favorite movie ever was goodfellas and this is my second it made me so good to hear joey diaz talk about it! I melted when I heard him describe king Benny cuz that's how I saw him too a baaaadd mooothafoockaaa!!
I really felt the pain in the older brothers voice when he said they told me he died of pneumonia. They told you? and then later in the movie had that guard shot to death outside an airport
Great acting. You can see the cool and calm exterior of Little Caesar just melt away when he hears about his little brother. You can feel his pain when his voice almost cracks saying, "They said he died of pneumonia". Amazing scene.
This is one of those films in which the antagonists have no redeeming qualities for which you feel bad about their outcomes. On the contrary, you perfectly enjoy the way they pay for their crimes, particularly for the guard Nokes.
Age and experience will always beat youth and skill. Gassman's performance in this scene is text book. His delivery, expressions, style.. The guy nailed it 6 ways to Sunday...
Your in the dirty end, That's where I play, an I Play alone. You were always a Good Kid, Don't let this change that. King Benny. Class. Respect. Good Movie, Good Script.
