I think that $500K "open contract" was always full on bullshit. For one, who would pay and two, if they ever announced there was a contact on a FED and someone actually killed him, the FEDS would have used every resource they had to squash whoever was left. And those bosses knew it. Also whoever would have killed Pistone would have been found in the trunk of his car when he went to collect that $500K, good luck with that.

I remember Pistone was on Letterman wearing his trademark sunglasses and they were all pretending he was looking around for some wiseguy to jump out and take a shot at him doing the interview....on the promo for the episode there was some stunt they did where they dropped the 'ole sandbag from the rafters trick like an attempted hit.....he was on Letterman promoting the Donnie Brasco tv show "Falcone" where Joe himself played a bartender their social club and helped kill people, he garrotes some guy in the pilot. I guess the "open contract" was called off during filming. I have a VHS tape around here somewhere with the first couple episodes. Titus Weilver plays Sonny Black. He was a convincing mob guy. Surprising he never played another role like that in a more successful part. Or maybe he has.