Pretty average for the type of film it is. Palminteri has his usual commanding performance, yet even he cannot get far beyond the mediocre dialog and the overly dramatic and stereotypical plot devices. In fact, he and the very good supporting cast is what pulls this up to a watchable level.
Big mistake to show the killing of Paul Castellano up front, then the rest as a sort of flashback. Most of us know he eventually dies anyway, but it's a completely pointless way of handling it. The maid/mistress is not that much of a sympathetic character as she gives in too easily to becoming a mistress, but that's probably what actually happened.
It's awfully tiring to see these mafioso thugs being constantly portrayed in a flattering manner, using the old excuse of poor upbringing and wrong friends as the reasons for their life of crime, and then of course they are always generous to the downtrodden. But these films never remind us that the downtrodden are the ones they use to gain their riches.
Recommended only for Palminteri fans and/or those who just have to see all gangster films ever made.
