Rob The Mob - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

RAYMOND De Felitta’s Rob The Mob may have missed out on a cinema release in the UK way back in 2014 but it’s ripe for discovery on streaming platforms as an under-rated gem.

Inspired by a true story, the film follows the fortunes of lowlife loser Tommy Uva (Michael Pitt) and his girlfriend, Rosemarie (Nina Arianda), who briefly turn their fortunes around when they hit upon the novel moneymaking idea of raiding mafia social clubs.

For Uya, in particular, the success of the scheme counts as some kind of payback for the way in which his late father was treated by the Mob. But the subsequent notoriety their actions bring soon raises the attentions of both a tabloid journalist (Ray Romano), who splashes their story all over the front page, and aging mob boss Big Al (Andy Garcia, who previously collaborated with De Felitta on the equally little-seen City Island), who inevitably wants to shut them down.

It’s only a matter of time, therefore, before Tommy and Rosemarie’s luck runs out and they get their own Bonnie and Clyde style reckoning.

De Felitta’s film benefits hugely from its basis in reality, given that this real-life couple did actually rob the mob and inflict some suitably humiliating headlines upon the gangster fraternity. But the film does take some dramatic licence - both in terms of Garcia’s Mob boss ( composite of various characters) and the impact of a list that subsequently becomes the focal point for Big Al’s ire.

But this shouldn’t detract from what is, on so many levels, a damn fine movie in its own right, bolstered by a defined sense of its early ‘90s New York setting and a genuinely fine cast (not to mention Jonathan Fernandez’s smart, witty screenplay).

Pitt is suitably reckless and trauma informed as Tommy, yet somehow still likeable for all of the chaos he causes, while Arianda is a revelation as his girlfriend, the brains of the two, whose blind devotion to her boyfriend comes at the expense of her own intelligence (she even turns her life around during one of Tommy’s early prison visits). This really ought to have been a star-making turn.

But the supporting cast is equally engaging, adding to a rich tapestry of characters who add much nuance to proceedings: both heightening some of the absurdity surrounding the crimes and the profound nature of some of the observations on life.

Garcia, in particular, shines as Big Al, who divides his time between teaching his doting young grandson the art of cooking rice balls and imparting life lessons, while also juggling his responsibilities as a crime boss.

But there’s eye-catching support from Romano, as the journalist who comes to care for the people he’s written about; Frank Whaley, as a cynical Fed; Griffin Dunne, as Rosemarie’s always upbeat boss (a big believer in second chances); The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as Tommy’s brother, and the likes of Rocky veteran Burt Young and Michael Rispoli as various members of Big Al’s crew.

And just as Tommy and Rosemarie’s ramshackle charm eventually wears off on many of the people around them, so De Felitta’s film endears on a much deeper level than some of its early scenes suggest it will.

This is a minor classic that deserves its moment to shine.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 1hr 44mins