Mafia Connection (1970)

The movie opens up with a couple of men working at a prison breaking stone down into gravel.  There is an attempt to kill them, which succeeds in getting one of the two.  The other man, Rosario (played by Antonio Sabato), manages to defend himself and off the would be assassin.  The action then moves to Rosario returning home to Italy after serving his time.  While he was gone his wife died in an accident and his trucking business has been all but put out of business by his former Mafia colleagues.  So when the approach him he is obviously not interested in being part of the family anymore.  Later when he finds out that his wife was murdered by them he declares all out war!

I’ve heard about this movie for several years now and I’m glad that I was finally able to check it out thanks to the release from Mya Communications.  Mafia Connection is a mixed bag for me.  The story takes a while to get rolling and at times can be kind of confusing as it throws a lot of characters in and out of the plot.  The movie opens with a bang (the attempted assassination) but then slows down as Rosario works out that the “honorable” men of the mob killed his wife.  The movie also hints that Rosario was set up to begin with (getting caught with the drugs) and that someone had it out for him.  But it never explains any of this.  I also found myself getting the different characters confused, which was really annoying.  But I will say if you stick with the movie everything does get sorted out nicely by the end (except the idea that Rosario was set up and why).  So while it was confusing at times, overall the plot is very satisfying.  This is especially so of the ending that doesn’t pull any punches.

The acting is pretty good.  Now I’ve always said it is difficult to judge the quality of a performance when the actor has been dubbed.  But Antonio Sabato does such a good job as Rosario that dubbing or not his performance shines through.  Now be aware this is an Italian movie from the early 70s, so Sabato is guilty of chewing up some scenery, but that just seems appropriate for this kind of movie.  Hell I would be disappointed if it weren’t over the top.  The rest of the cast is okay, but not terribly memorable. 

There are a few well-done action sequences, including a nice car chase and a shootout at the end of the movie.  But if you are expecting the over the top violence of some of the later Italian crime movies Mafia Connection might disappoint you a bit.  And that might be my biggest criticism of the movie.  Mafia Connection comes off as a bit dated.  This will be especially so if you are a fan of the later outings in the genre.  Though because of a solid ending, some good action, and a nice performance from Sabato in the lead I still think the movie is worth checking out. 

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2010 John Shatzer