Wise Guys (1986)
Dir. Brian De Palma
Rating: *** / ****
'Wise Guys' is not a very good movie. I enjoyed parts of it over others; and, I think that there are some extremely smart and funny moments. I also think there are some incredibly dumb and dully paced scenes; parts of it you can't wait for the next scene, and other parts you can't stand it. I eventually settled on a seven out of ten in my initial rating. Like I said; there are some really great parts, and some not so good parts.
The movie follows two down on life gangsters, Harry (Danny DeVito) and Moe (Joe Piscopo), who have very little rank in the mob. They're incredibly incompetent; and it's made obnoxiously clear. When they're asked to bet on a horse for their boss (Lou Albano), Harry makes a last minute decision to bet on a different horse than specified who he thinks will win. They lose 250,000 dollars. Unsure of what to do, their crew devises a plan for each one of them to kill each other. Not knowing what each of them is going to do, they run off to Atlantic City, and one mishap on top of another leads to endless hilarity.
Director Brian De Palma may be one of my personal favorite directors, but I personally don't think he's suited for a movie like this. Some of his best movies are 'Scarface' and 'Dressed to Kill'. He's a great genre filmmaker of thriller / crime. I just don't think he makes a very good comedy transition. There are a few scenes that really do shine under De Palma's direction and George Gallo's screenplay. My favorite scene of the entire movie is the horse race. They bet their 250,000 dollars on a different horse that their boss didn't ask for, and of course, they lose everything. It's VERY funny and witty, and it's one of the best moments of DeVito and Piscopo.
One major problem I have with the movie is Lou Albano, the boss that chases our two heroines through the entire movie. His entire performance is "Grrrrr!", "F**khead", and "RRRRRAAARRRR". It's way too over the top and takes away from the movie immensely. It doesn't even remotely interest you. It's a terrible performance. On the other hand, one performance that brightens up the movie is Harvey Keitel (but when is he bad). He's hilarious.
It's a very rough, uneven and even mediocre at times film. Funny at parts, but daunting at others. I think the movie is OK, there are a few moments that truly charm. Not great filmmaking, but reasonably harmless and diverting for a laugh.
'Wise Guys' is not a very good movie. I enjoyed parts of it over others; and, I think that there are some extremely smart and funny moments. I also think there are some incredibly dumb and dully paced scenes; parts of it you can't wait for the next scene, and other parts you can't stand it. I eventually settled on a seven out of ten in my initial rating. Like I said; there are some really great parts, and some not so good parts.
The movie follows two down on life gangsters, Harry (Danny DeVito) and Moe (Joe Piscopo), who have very little rank in the mob. They're incredibly incompetent; and it's made obnoxiously clear. When they're asked to bet on a horse for their boss (Lou Albano), Harry makes a last minute decision to bet on a different horse than specified who he thinks will win. They lose 250,000 dollars. Unsure of what to do, their crew devises a plan for each one of them to kill each other. Not knowing what each of them is going to do, they run off to Atlantic City, and one mishap on top of another leads to endless hilarity.
Director Brian De Palma may be one of my personal favorite directors, but I personally don't think he's suited for a movie like this. Some of his best movies are 'Scarface' and 'Dressed to Kill'. He's a great genre filmmaker of thriller / crime. I just don't think he makes a very good comedy transition. There are a few scenes that really do shine under De Palma's direction and George Gallo's screenplay. My favorite scene of the entire movie is the horse race. They bet their 250,000 dollars on a different horse that their boss didn't ask for, and of course, they lose everything. It's VERY funny and witty, and it's one of the best moments of DeVito and Piscopo.
One major problem I have with the movie is Lou Albano, the boss that chases our two heroines through the entire movie. His entire performance is "Grrrrr!", "F**khead", and "RRRRRAAARRRR". It's way too over the top and takes away from the movie immensely. It doesn't even remotely interest you. It's a terrible performance. On the other hand, one performance that brightens up the movie is Harvey Keitel (but when is he bad). He's hilarious.
It's a very rough, uneven and even mediocre at times film. Funny at parts, but daunting at others. I think the movie is OK, there are a few moments that truly charm. Not great filmmaking, but reasonably harmless and diverting for a laugh.