Armand Assante as Gotti.....

Hello,

I seldom post but I do read here almost every day.

I was just curious as to what the general opinion was about the way AA played Gotti. The movie was on not to long ago and I thought he did an amazing job.

There where a few other actors who played Gotti ( Tom Sizemore etc...) but I though Armand really caught the "feel" of Gotti with very little makeup or real facial changes (like DeNiro when he played Capone).

I may ruffle a few feathers by saying this but I think you have to be an exceptional actor to play an Italian without having any of the blood in you.

I thought that Johnny Depp was pretty good playing Pistone and the guy on the Sopranos (whats his name?) played Richie Aprile. He has come the closest IMHO.

I always thought that James Caan way over acted the part of Sonny with all the "badda bing" shit.

Anyway just my two cents. Would like to know what others think. And yes I know Assante has an Irish Mother....

Happy Fathers day.

Sal

Very good acting by Asante who perfectly mimicked Gotti's voice, but overall the portrayal is pretty bad and typically Hollywood. Still I think it's a pretty good tv movie. Anthony Quin stands out as Neil Dellacroce.

Better than I expected for a TV Movie, largely due to Assantes performance. Honestly I feel the planned Gotti movie with Travolta would've turned out worse.

Think it was pretty good. Gangstermovies are almost always ridiculous, but "Gotti" has got some qualities. Assante nailed Gottis larger than life persona.

I think Assante is a terrific actor that took too many shit parts just to make some money.

I posted this before but he had the wise guy walk down man. Never saw anyone actor do it if they did I don't remember it.

I met him when I was living at the Mayflower hotel in the 80s. During the release of I the Jury. I like him in that movie as well, and that performance was over the top.

I tried to sell him a piece of art, but he was definitely just an actor and not a street guy. He wanted it but did not have the balls to buy it.

The guy from the soprano's who played big pussy was very good in this movie.

AA is always going to be Napoleon Bonaparte to me and I thought he was too much of a pretty boy to play Gotti.

Before I even remotely knew who John Gotti was, his appearance was always memorable. Here's a rough and tumble looking guy with expensive well tailored suits and not one hair out of place. Assante looks like a male model.

My favorite movie with him is the mambo kings and a movie he did with my friend. Looking for an echo.

I always thought Armand Assante made that movie

Assante gave a strong performance--but in every role he plays, he's Assante first, the character role a distant second. It was a very good movie, with a strong cast, but I thought Assante played Gotti as more energetic, more intelligent, less self-absorbed than the real-life Gotti. I thought Tome Sizemore played in more accurately in a much smaller role as Gotti in "Witness to the Mob," which was a pretty dismal film.

Played it almost exact in Hoffa.

Really no difference of his portrayal of the local capo in Hoffa vs. his role as gotti.

Same guy No.

I think he could have shook it up a bit and made the difference after doing one four years earlier.

He should have stepped it up from that for the Gotti Role.

I think both were very well done.

Assante did a real good job BUT it was a very fictional take on Gotti. They made him out to be almost a Robin Hood figure and anybody who has researched Gotti in real life knows that wasn't the case

I could never take Sizemore seriously as Gotti in witness to the mob. Preferred Assante's portrayal.

Liked Sizemore in Heat though.

That was probably the choice of the writers/director. The film takes a couple liberties to make Gotti more likable.