Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Mobsters Blu-ray Movie Review

Shooting holes in Universal's Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 7, 2015

Cinema enjoys a fairly rich catalogue of films dealing in America's history of violent mafia warfare and the illegal underground operations that make members millions but, at the same time, walking targets, hunted both by rival criminal operators and government and law enforcement officials alike. The Godfather films, Goodfellas, Miller's Crossing, Casino, The Departed, and even TV's the Sopranos have dazzled audiences with timeless tales of violence, corruption, rises to power, and falls from grace. But like most every other popular genre, there are plenty of lesser films chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action. Director Michael Karbelnikoff's Mobsters is one such film, a violent, whirlwind midlevel genre affair that's not particularly compelling or memorable but that does roll around in the nitty-gritty, muck-infested world of high-stakes criminal life where making money and shedding blood are routine and where a lust for revenge lurks all the way up the ladder to the top.

"Give us a better Blu-ray and we'll leave peacefully."

The year is 1917. The place is New York City. Charlie Luciano (Christian Slater) watches as mob boss Dom Faranzano (Michael Gambon) berates his father and fondles his mother. When one Charlie's friends is murdered, he and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor) exact revenge and team up with both Bugsy Siegel (Richard Grieco) and Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey) to form their own criminal organization. With the help of Arnold Rothstein (F. Murray Abraham), their bootlegging operation grows, as does their influence on the street. Soon, they're key players in an underground war between Faranzano and Joe Masseria (Anthony Quinn). Each makes Charlie's group an offer to join forces. Charlie and his men work the system to gain the advantage and secure an opening to exact revenge on the man who intruded on his family now many years ago.

Mobsters never quite settles into a rhythm. Whereas the best genre films find a depth of character and, often, a story to match that depth, Mobsters largely relies on superficialities, genre trope, and violence to define its narrative rather than a more intimately explored journey that's shaped by the men and influenced by the world around them. In Mobsters, everything exists only to work in the broad stroke confines of the world. The film strikes a strange balance whereby its story is mildly convoluted and a bit too involved while at the same time boiling down to two simple ends: power and revenge. In the meantime, the picture operates on a level not far removed from the cartoonish whereby it pushes so hard towards type that it occasionally borders on the self parody. Violence is excessive and extreme in a third act where the blood flows freely. Yet that violent release doesn't come with a matching catharsis or character evolution beyond Luciano's lust for revenge, which becomes all but lost until the end in the muck of the goings-on that shape his rise through the ranks.

Likewise, the cast never quite settles into a believable portrayal of hardened criminals or, in Christian Slater's case, a bloodthirsty avenger. The cast seems content to let the period costumes, settings, and firearms do the work for them. They perform the parts with some superficial spirit but not a lot of depth. It's a shame a superior cast with some big names who are also good actors -- Slater, Dempsey, Quinn, and Abraham in particular -- don't do much to more deeply explore and solidify the characters, but then again they're left with a script that's built on simple carry-out style genre motifs that paint a picture of a world but don't fill in the fine little details that separate the cinematic wheat from the chaff. Mobsters does superficially look quite good. Its costumes and set pieces are convincing. Its violence is brutal but, again, believable in the hard-edge world of the prohibition-era criminal underground. Yet the movie relies far too heavily on such things, leaving behind the more nuanced, and admittedly more difficult, depth that would have elevated Mobsters from curiosity and time killer to near the same level as its superior genre brethren.

Mobsters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 1080p Blu-ray transfer of Mobsters disappoints. The image is flat and devoid of fine textural detail and lacking vibrant coloring. The image appears processed with grain largely wiped away, leaving a flat, stale, muddy appearance. Details never quite reach the level of excellence expected of a top title. Faces are relegated to pasty, marginally defined elements. Even close-ups of heavy stitching over a facial wound and beard growth fail to capture more than cursory tactile definition. Suits, ties, hats, and other basic apparel are absent fine, complex lines. City brick and concrete work are likewise left behind and appear flat rather than richly detailed. The film favors a brown, earthy coloring. Yet the palette appears a bit more drab and lifeless than even the filmmakers appear to have intended. Red blood appears nicely pronounced, but colors are otherwise murky and tired with a noticeable, but not overpowering, red push. Flesh tones are likewise warm. Black levels are unimpressive, appearing heavy and murky. A few pops and speckles appear, as does minor banding and a bit of wobbling and ringing accompanying overlaid text. Overall, this is a disappointing, but basically serviceable, catalogue transfer from Universal.

Mobsters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mobsters' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack proves to be a bit better than its disappointing video counterpart but still far from perfect. Music is lively and nicely spaced across the front, playing with a commendable balance but notable aggression. A nice low end support and light surround details help give music plus balance. Sound effects can be a little over-amplified and absent nuance. For example, a sliding curtain does nicely swoosh from one side of the stage to another, but it's also grossly heavy and somewhat indistinct. Gunfire is loud and punishing but lacks that final bit of natural nuance, favoring volume and raw power over more lifelike realism. Minor background ambiance, such as clanking silverware and chatter at a club, aren't fully immersive but at least help set the stage, even if it's presented at less-than-ideal volume, spacing, and detail. Dialogue plays with good, healthy center presence, and there's a nice bit of simple reverberation heard in a steam bath in chapter 11.

Mobsters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release contains no supplements beyond three trailers for Mobsters (480i, 5:36 total runtime). No "top menu" is included; the trailers and various settings can be accessed in-film via the "pop-up menu" button.

Mobsters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mobsters is by no mens an awful film, but it's certainly several rungs removed from the best genre films out there, several of which are not only classics of the type but bonafide superstars that demonstrate the best the cinematic medium has to offer. Mobsters plays like a secondhand film, one that simply wants to jump on the bandwagon, a movie that's sort of like an involved Halloween costume: it dresses up real nice, looks the part, and feels the part, but underneath is just another anybody playing make-believe. It's a solid enough time waster and holds a decent replay value, but as far as the best Mob movies out there? Fuggedaboutit. Universal's Blu-ray release? Fuggedaboutit, too. Decent audio, disappointing video, and no supplements beyond a trio of standard definition trailers make this almost a must-miss for anyone who already owns the movie on DVD. Skip it or wait for a bargain bin sale.