Hoffa the person is really a symbol in retrospect.

Before being sent to jail(and subsequently pardoned by Nixon), he was the last Labor Union leader that was one of the most important political figures in America. Better yet, he was when unions had a vast landslide majority of labor workers in the country. But after Hoffa's "disapearance," and with "Open Shop" legislation, Labor Unions steadily lost their influence. Shit, they're not as vitally important for the Democratic Presidential nomination as they once were.

Anyway Olivant, I blame Danny DeVito the director. His other movies like DEATH TO SMOOCHY for example, can't credit Devito for whatever good quality one finds in them.

Which is sad, because in some sequences in HOFFA, DeVito at times was trying to echo the misery and disapointment of old age that was in the masterpiece ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA. Let me say that again, he was "trying"...he still fails, but its not out of effort.