Gotti (2018)
The movie Gotti was about John Gotti, one of New York’s most revered gangsters. His life story has inspired rappers to change their names, documentaries on the mafia, and so many caricatures of Italian life (both good and bad). One might think a biopic about him would make for an exhilarating movie. One might think that. Yet after eight years in development, four directors, and 44 producers, the audience received a failed movie that did nothing to stand out from the typical mob movies of the past. Gotti rose to power by being charismatic and disposing of anyone who posed a threat to his family, their lifestyle, or his business. This film did little to showcase his individuality.
Furthermore, some might argue that although leading actor John Travolta is a veteran actor with blockbuster appeal, he simply did not embody the mystique of the Teflon Don. Jason Bailey of Flavorwire expressed his disappointment in the film. He called it, “a comically terrible imitation of a biopic, directed by Kevin Connolly with all the flair and nuance of a movie-within-a-movie of Entourage.”