The Latest from Cactus Tactical: Gun Fights and Wiseguys

Gun Fights and Wiseguys

Today we take a look at the gun dominated scenes in three of my favorite Mob genre movies. Goodfellas, Casino & Donnie Brasco, all of which are based on true stories. You can find novels for each one of these films in the usual book selling arenas but we're going to focus on the cinematic versions.

#1 Goodfellas: Released in 1990, this is the feature film adaptation of the autobiography of mobster Henry Hill and was directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Ray Liotta as Hill, we follow his life in the mob from a young teenager to his eventual apprehension and subsequent entrance into the federal witness protection program. We meet all sorts of shady characters as the film takes us through the life of a gangster. The two gentlemen that are with Henry through all this are Jimmy "The Gent" Conway and Tommy "Two Gun" DeVito. We also meet Karen Hill, the wife of Henry and the consummate wife of a mobster. We see several guns throughout the film but some guns seem to pop up more than others. Smith & Wesson is a predominate manufacturer used in most scenes.

In particular, Jimmy Conway is first seen using a Smith & Wesson Model 36 to fire into the trunk of a car. Henry Hill later pistol-whips Bruce with a snub nosed Smith & Wesson Model 36 with a square butt, which he gives to Karen to hide.Tommy DeVito keeps a Model 36 snub as his personal weapon, notably using it to beat Billy Batts and wounding Spider. During the poker games, both Tommy's Model 36 snub and his M1911A1 can be seen with the Model 36 snub tucked into his left waist band and the M1911A1 hanging from his right side. This is accurate as the real Tommy DeSimmone was known as "Two Gun" Tommy .

Smith and Wesson Model 36 - .38 special - 5 shot

Jimmy Conway, first seen using a Smith & Wesson Model 36 to fire into the trunk of a car.

This is how we are introduced into the world of Henry Hill. This opening sequence: https://youtu.be/ckPHBJWQvpE

We see this gun make another appearance in the hands of Henry Hill after Karen gets harrassed by a neighborhood friend. Henry makes sure the guy gets the message not to mess with Karen and Karen gets her first taste of what being a Mob girlfriend and eventually wife, will look like. She hides the gun in her mother's trash can.

Karen is handed a very bloody S&W

She's handed the gun after this scene takes place:
https://youtu.be/AI-VY5cC2jk?list=PLegF8DfOMz4ZJBCAA27dteN0sVtEkpSKE

I think the point was made, don't you?

The next scene with this gun is in the bar between Billy Batts & Tommy. Tommy feels disrespected and we find out at this point that Batts was the one in the trunk in the opening sequence. Mobsters predicate a lot on respect and when they feel someone has gone against that, they have no problem handing out the lesson. Batts is beaten by Tommy with the same gun that doled out violence in the last couple of scenes we've looked at.

Tommy's broken S&W Model 36 snub after using it to beat Billy Batts.

For the scene take a look here: https://youtu.be/7_pvKEfTDk4

The dialogue is gritty, the costuming captures the feel of that era and the acting in this film is impeccable. A flawless Mafia flick that I've watched a hundred times and still enjoy. Cocaine was what finally brought them down but it was a hell of a ride. Grab some popcorn and get reunited with this cast of characters next time you need something great to watch over the weekend,

#2 Casino: Released in 1995 Casino is a crime film directed by Martin Scorsese that follows a mobster and his rise to success while running a mob-controlled casino in Las Vegas. The film was inspired by the events surrounding the mob-controlled Stardust casino in Las Vegas during the 1970's. Considered the spiritual sequel to Goodfellas, the film reunites Scorsese, writer Nicholas Pileggi, and actors Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, who play fictionalized versions of real-life figures Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro. Another one of my all time favorites, we watch this tale unfold with lots of violence and a peek in to the seedy underbelly of Vegas and it's Mob era. Our character focus for this film are Nicky Santoro and our star , Sam "Ace" Rothstein. Ace tries to get himself legitimate but Nicky has other plans. The scenes that are the most gun dominated are the ones towards the end of the film, when Nicky has decided to follow his own rules and when everyone's been caught and a the loose strings start getting tied up.

One of the scenes we'll look at is when Nicky's Wiseguys decide to shoot up a police officers house after one too many altercations between them.

IMI Uzi with buttstock collapsed - 9x19mm

Marino ( Nicky's right hand man) leads the house-shooting with his Uzi

One of Nicky's thugs uses a Mossberg 500 when shooting up the cop's house.

A mob thug fires a shotgun as Dominic sprays with his Uzi.

You can watch that scene here: https://youtu.be/vN1qpVheIDs

To find further information on the weapons used in this film go to http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Casino

This film has everything. It's a love story, it's crime and corruption. Absolutely fantastic cinema with fantastic dialogue, I recite these movie lines all the time. Treat yourself to a sandwich and a beer and watch this one tonight.

#3 Donnie Brasco: Released in 1997 Donnie Brasco takes us into the world of an undercover cop and how he infiltrates the Mafia in New York. The story is based on the events in the life of FBI agent Joe Pistone and how he befriended Lefty Ruggiero, under the name Donnie Brasco and was able to embed himself in a mafia faction lead by Sonny Black. Ruggiero and Pistone become tight as the group goes about collecting money for their mob bosses. As time goes on, the group become big time when Black himself becomes a boss, all the while Pistone collects evidence. However, the trials and tribulations of the undercover work become more than Pistone can bear. The real dilemma is afforded to Pistone, who knows if he walks away from the mafia, Ruggiero will be the one punished. What we'll look at today is a scene that involves an ambush. You can watch that scene here: https://youtu.be/r-QipaR8oiY

Sonny Black and Lefty Ruggiero each use 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotguns when killing Sonny Red and his associates.

Lefty fires his shotgun.

Donnie Brasco has all the elements of any other mob flick but the very different perspective of seeing it through the eyes of an undercover cop who's teetering on the ledge of being the hero or the anti-hero. We watch the rise and fall of Sonny Black, Lefty and Brasco and it is a wild ride. I suggest a meatball sandwich and a bottle of red for this one. I love this film and all of it's lexicon.

Fhugetaboutit.

To see the guns used in this film go to: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Donnie_Brasco

Which one of these films is your favorite? Have you fired any of the weapons featured in these films?

Labels: casino, cinema, donnie brasco, films, goodfellas, gun dominated scenes, guns, joe pesci, johnny depp, mafia, mob, movies, robert de niro, wiseguys