Crazy Joe (1974) | Region-Free (DVD) | Starring Peter Boyle

Title: Crazy Joe (1974)

Genre: Crime, Drama

Plot Synopsis:
A fictionalized account of the rise and fall of mobster Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo, who was gunned down on April 7, 1972, at a restaurant in Little Italy.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Carlo Lizzani
• Writer: Lewis John Carlino
• Cast:
  • Peter Boyle as Joe
  • Paula Prentiss as Anne
  • Fred Williamson as Willy
  • Rip Torn as Richie
  • Luther Adler as Falco

YouTube Trailer:
Crazy Joe | Trailer

IMDb Link:
Crazy Joe (1974)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. BeardofTsu – ★★★☆☆
   “I’m not all that familiar with the Joe Gallo story outside of a couple of occasions he has popped up in other gangster movies. So, I have no idea how much of what is depicted here is true. Did he hook up with a cool motherfucker like Fred Williamson and give him some action? I like to think so but with every minute that ticks by you get the feeling they’re stretching the artistic license with the telling of this story. Peter Boyle plays the title role and maybe it was a me problem but I was never really sold on him as ‘Crazy Joe.’ He just seemed so cartoonish at times. As I said maybe that’s just me though.”
2. Thomas Ringdal – ★★★½☆
   “I’ve been trying to get my hands on this little actioner for a few years now. Mostly because it is one of those rare opportunities for Peter Boyle to carry a film as the lead. He’s Crazy Joe Gallo, a low ranking mobster with lofty ambitions and no grasp of the mechanics of organized crime. Boyle, Rip Torn, Henry Winkler and a few of actual Italian origin run around causing havoc and pissing off the elders. Actually, whenever he got the chance to star, he was usually named Joe. Crazy Joe, Tail Gunner Joe, or just plain Joe. I’m pretty sure Young Frankenstein’s monster preferred the name Joe as well, if you’d asked him. It’s better than ‘monster’ any day, isn’t it?”
3. BrianNaas – ★★★☆☆
   “Crazy Joe is Crazy Joe Gallo, one of the legendary mafia gangsters from the late 1950’s to the early 1970s. This is for all intents an Italian gangster film of the 70’s even though set in America and with mainly American actors. Behind the camera though it is very much Italian with producer Dino De Laurentis, director Carlo Lizzani, cinematographer Aldo Tonti and the music from Giancarlo Chiaramello. With a few flourishes it is fairly faithful to the real story and if anything underplays the violence. The film was produced only two years after Gallo was rubbed out by another Mafia group. I think he would have liked it.”

Meta Description:
“Crazy Joe” (1974) is a crime drama directed by Carlo Lizzani, depicting the rise and fall of mobster Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo and his violent demise in Little Italy.