A Disappointing Continuation

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

With the way people are fascinated by the mob and organized crime these days, films about gangsters and mobsters are a dime a dozen. Some of these movies haven risen to the heights of movie glory ("The Godfather") while others not as much ("A Brooklyn State of Mind"). Then there are the gangster flicks that fall somewhere in between, like the 1997 CBS mini-series "The Last Don". Adapted from the novel of legendary "Godfather" author Mario Puzo, it centers around powerful mafia Don Clericuzio (played by Brooklyn native Danny Aiello) and the journey of his family through the decades. With his magnetic prescience, Danny Aiello is able to play the Don (in a rare starring role for him) as someone who not only has the wisdom and intelligence of an ancient tribal chief, but also as a baron or prince who will not hesitate to be ruthless when the occasion calls for it. In other words, he perfectly captures the type of Don that you'd expect to find in Mario Puzo's world. But the series isn't just about the Don, it's also about the journey of his family. Through the Don's narration and the film's series of events, we get a good look at the members of the family.There's Pippi (Played wonderfully by Joe Mantegna), the Don's nephew and main enforcer; Cross (the competent Jason Gedrik), the Don's grandnephew and manager of the Vegas casino; Dante, the Don's blood thirsty and mentally disturbed grandson (Played very well with a punk like zeal by Rory Cochrane); Rose Marie (Played by the beautiful Kirstie Alley), the Don's mentally train wrecked daughter and mother of Dante; and Giorgio (Played with administrative zeal by David Marciano), the don's son and consigliere. In addition, the movie boasts an amazing cast that includes but is not limited to Daryl Hannah as Cross' love interest, Burt Young as one of the Don's lieutenants, Michelle Burke as Cross' tough lawyer sister, a pre-"Law and Order: SVU" Christopher Meloni, and Mike Starr. To be sure, the series does not quite capture the glory and splendor of "The Godfather" or any of the other mob epics, like "Goodfellas" or "Casino". In all fairness to the movie though, it was probably made on a low budget since it was after all, a mini-series for network television. Had it been made for theaters or for HBO or any of the other deep pocketed premium channels, it probably would have had a grander look. Never the less, the series is very memorable, due to the caliber of its actors and it's ability to tell a good mob story without the hard hitting violence and profanity that we're used to seeing in "The Godfather" or "The Sopranos". The story fascinated me so much, that I am interested in reading the novel. It's for these reasons, that I recommend "The Last Don" as not only an entertaining mob film, but also as a movie about the price of power and wealth. The movie is available on you tube as well as on DVD, which is strangely an Australian released disc but one that works in all regions. So watch, be entertained, and remember to always respect the Don.

Good for a mobster TV film but the version I saw from blockbuster was rated R as it had a good amount of nudity. Danny Aiello was great as the mobster father and Joe Mantenga was good as usual as the head hitman. But the underrated actor Jason Gedrick was phenominal as the man who wants to leave the life of the mob behind him. And god is he gorgeous!! Kirstie Aley plays a crazy woman very well again. A lot better than the sequal.*** out of *****

Maybe not as good as the Godfather, but a great movie nonetheless. The only negative I have to say is that it was sooooo long. I guess that's why it was a mini-series on TV instead of in theaters. I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel this weekend.

As a fan of The Godfather movies, it was inevitable that I would have to view The Last Don someday. I must be honest I actually thought it was pretty compelling. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the Godfather. But however it is in my opinion much better than Godfather Part III. Which I guess is not saying much but there you have it. I am a big fan of Joe Mantegna which probably makes me somewhat biased. Danny Aiello makes a great Don. Jason Gedrick is at least very likeable in his role as Cross. It has some of the elements of the Godfather films, which helps it out a lot. Emotional things, entanglements, killings, trials, acquittals even though there were 300 witnesses to the murder. ;)It is somewhat gripping. And I must say I think it's worth buying on VHS if you want another Godfather story. I will say this again it's nowhere near as good as Godfather or Godfather part II, but it's very compelling and interesting as a look into a lifetime of a mafia family.