Gotti (2018) Movie Script

1
Let me tell you somethin'.
New York is the greatest fuckin'
city in the world.
My city.
I was a kid in these streets,
I started in the fuckin' gutter,
and I made it to the top.
This life ends one of two ways,
dead or in jail.
I did both.
I made my bones doin' a piece
of work for Don Carlo Gambino.
I don't need to tell you
what happened. You know.
But the commission is moving.
The families will not allow this
type of crime to go unchecked.
I mean, Carlo, he paid
the kidnappers.
He complied
with their every demand.
And how did they respond?
By leaving the kid
in a fuckin' Dumpster.
Now, each of the families
is organizing a team
to head the hunt
for the kidnappers.
But as far as I'm concerned,
this is a Gambino matter.
And we will not
fuckin' stand down.
This is our responsibility.
So John, I want you
to head the Gambino team.
We're not only
doing this for Carlo,
we're doing this
for the whole family.
I understand.
I want you to take care
of this for me.
It would be an honor.
Consider it done.
Ah, Jesus Christ,
you look at these fuckin' bums?
Missy, hit me again, will ya?
Whisky neat, coming right up.
James McBratney?
You're under arrest.
I guess somebody better
call the cops then, huh?
Let's go.
Motherfucker!
Hey! Down.
Not a word.
After I had a
successful hit under my belt,
Carlo Gambino opened up the books
for the first time since 1957.
And like that,
I became a made man.
Can you believe the way
they bring me in here?
Like I'm Hannibal the fucking
Cannibal or something.
I got the trifecta.
I got jaw, neck and throat.
They took my tit
and they put it on my face.
I only do one-armed pushups 'cause
they took the whole chest muscle out.
- Those fucking butchers.
- Yeah.
My body betrayed me, John, but
not my mind, and not my heart.
That'll never happen.
I'm still here, John.
I'm still motherfuckin'
these guys at every turn.
So... what's up?
They ordered me a visit.
I thought at least
I'd maybe get a phone call,
but the judge insisted
I get the visit.
John, they didn't do this out of
the kindness of their hearts.
So I'm gonna ask you again.
What's up?
I'm thinking
about taking a plea.
A plea?
And what are their expectations
of you in this plea?
Five and a half
to seven years.
Five and a half or seven?
Which is it?
Look, I don't want you should stay in
prison one motherfucking more day.
I would rather have this
cancer than you have a cold.
But, I'm tellin' you,
if I robbed a church
and I had the steeple
sticking out of my ass,
- I would deny it.
- I know, Dad. I know...
Okay, so I'm telling you,
as a father...
not as a boss,
but as a father...
if you say that you're innocent,
I believe you.
So why would you stand up in front of these
motherfuckers and say that you're guilty?
- Why would you do that?
- Because if I take this plea, it's over.
They're not gonna keep coming
after me with more charges.
I get closure.
Closure.
Let me make sure I
heard that straight.
"Closure."
What kind of a mealy-mouth
word is that?
This is a... this is a word
for over-educated,
under-intelligent
motherfuckers.
This is not a word that's
in my vocabulary.
My boys are still
young kids, Dad.
If I take this plea, I'm back with
them before they're teenagers.
If I lose at trial,
I'm doing 20 years.
Like they never had a father.
She's a nice woman.
She's a nice woman now
'cause she's dying of cancer.
Two weeks ago
everybody hated her.
Now she's Miss Popularity.
I'm just...
I'm just sayin'.
- When's Halloween?
- Next week.
Next week, this week,
what do I know?
Every day is Halloween
in this place.
What are you gonna be?
Officer Mike down the block's gonna
let me use his policeman's hat.
I'm going as a cop.
- What's the matter with you?
- With me?
What are you doing
to my son?
Oh, so now
he's your son alone?
'Cause of you,
I'm alone with them.
Let me tell you somethin'.
No kid of mine
is gonna be a cop for Halloween,
and that's it.
- It's not gonna happen.
- Johnny, he's just a kid.
Today he wants to be a cop,
tomorrow an astronaut.
If I ever hear that you let my son or any
of my kids... or you for that matter...
talk to that cop or any cop,
I'll kill you.
Relax, he's just being
nice to your son.
Don't make me
repeat myself, Victoria.
And you...
you don't dress like a cop,
you don't act like a cop,
and you don't talk like a cop.
You understand me?
- What the matter with you?
- Me? What's the matter with you?
Don't start, Victoria, okay?
I'm not in the mood.
Don't talk to me like that.
You think you're such
a tough guy.
Do you know what
you're doing to this family?
And you're gonna kill me?
- I'd like to see you try.
- Don't get smart with me.
Now, look, what do you wanna...
What do you want to be?
Why don't you ask him
what he wants to be instead?
- What do you wanna be?
- Um, a baseball player?
No, no. You don't wanna
be a baseball player.
Why don't you be
Casper the Ghost? You put a...
You put a sheet over
and make the holes...
- Casper's for five-year-olds.
- What was you? What was you last year?
You were a princess
last year, right?
- And what was you? You was a...
- Time's up, Gotti.
Ah! Gotta go.
- I love youse.
- I love you, too.
After being ID'd
by the barmaid,
- they sent me to Green Haven Penitentiary...
- Give me a kiss.
...where I served two years
out of a four-year sentence.
With the guards
in my back pocket,
I was able to get medical furloughs
to see the family dentist.
Not a cavity in sight,
Mr. Gotti.
- We'll see you next time.
- Thanks.
And while I was at it,
I was able to clean up some
unfinished McBratney business.
Remember what I
used to tell youse guys?
It was me, Angelo and Frankie,
we'd say we was goin' out of town
and that we were
at a construction job.
We was gonna build this big wall,
and it was gonna take three years.
Remember? Yeah.
John, I want what's best
for you and your family.
I know that, Dad,
I know.
And the idea of just one day you
being in prison makes me sick.
But I don't know what makes
me sicker, you being in prison,
or you bowing to these
pieces of shit.
What bowing? There's no
bowing, it's a compromise.
They get their pound of flesh,
I get my peace of mind.
The peace of mind that one day I'll be
there for my family when I am needed.
- Oh, John. John!
- That's what this is.
How could you be so naive?
Once they get you in, you will never
be free again. Do you understand that?
They say you win this time, but next
time, they'll make sure that you don't.
There won't be
a next time.
I've always felt in my heart
that the day would come
when my family and I'd
get separated by prison.
I'm just thankful
it isn't for life.
And this plea
will ensure that.
I had high hopes
for Johnny Boy.
Me? I was born with four
fuckin' cents to my name.
And now I got a kid going
to the New York Military Academy.
Johnny Boy, come on!
Let's go! We ain't got all day.
What's the matter?
You guys look like
your brother's going
to the electric chair. Cheer up.
Why don't you go, uh,
go get some ice cream.
- Pizza or something.
- I don't like ice cream.
Get Fudge Sticks.
You love Fudge Sticks, get them.
- I don't like pizza, either.
- How 'bout the movies?
You like... What's that movie
you like so much?
About spaghetti.
Meatballs or something.
Go see that.
Come on. We ain't got all day!
All right, guys.
Come here.
All right, you guys better not get
into any trouble while I'm gone.
Look out for your brother,
all right?
- Give me a hug.
- All right, enough, enough.
- Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
- I'll see ya.
- Wait, wait. Hey, hey.
- Ma! Ma, I gotta go.
- Butch, please!
- Ma, I gotta go.
I made youse a tuna sandwich
for the road.
Okay, you know what? You're
gonna see him this weekend.
At my house,
more often than not,
- was Angelo Ruggiero.
- Hey, Pete.
My best friend
since we was kids.
- Hey, Ange.
- Hey, Vic.
- He up yet?
- You talk to him. I've tried.
Hey, Uncle Ange.
Hey. Whoa.
You know what's good for you, don't
let your dad see that cop car.
Come on, you fucking prick.
Come on, co...
Look at this. Come on. Ah, co...
Oh, motherfucker!
You know what
fuckin' time it is?
Did you see that?
Did you see that?
I got six dimes on Buffalo.
They're killin' us,
ten to nothin'.
I put six dimes on New England,
they're killin' us.
I put six dimes on Chicago,
they're losin'.
And now I put three dimes
on Kansas City.
They're winning,
but they'll fucking blow it.
- Motherfuckers!
- Maybe you should hang yourself.
- Leave your troubles behind.
- Smart ass.
Listen, you wouldn't believe
how much I lost last week.
Don't wanna believe.
Don't wanna know.
Just once, you know, I'd give
my fuckin' life,
just that to have
the Redskins win once.
I got a Redskin named
Willie Boy in the car.
I gotta clean up.
Motherfuckers!
- Uncle Ange, look.
- Whatcha got there, Frankie?
Oh! No, you didn't.
Straight A's?
I've never seen
anything like this.
Hey, Frankie Boy, you show
Uncle Ange your report card?
Can you believe it?
My son's a goddamn genius.
My Frankie's gonna be
a rocket scientist.
- What do you think about that, Ange?
- Let's go.
We won't be home for dinner.
What are you talking about?
It's Sunday night.
I gotta repeat myself?
I'm not comin' home for dinner!
- Johnny, it's family night!
- I'll make it up to youse.
Manhattan's Garment
District has long been central
to the Mafia's portfolio
of lucrative rackets,
and a hugely profitable adjunct
to the Mob's historic
stranglehold on trucking
and labor unions.
Authorities believe
that this man, John Gotti,
a feared captain
in the Gambino family,
is the mobster
primarily in control
of extortion, corruption,
and robbery
within the multimillion-dollar
New York fashion industry.
Gotti is perceived as an up and comer
in the Mafia organized crime family...
Johnny Boy was tough.
He knew how to handle himself.
I told him tell anybody who had the balls
to ask what his father did for a living
that I was a 24-hour,
seven-days-a-week street guy.
Who's this fucking
guy think he is, huh?
He's Greek. He doesn't have his
head screwed up straight.
What, he just got
off the boat yesterday?
Who gave him permission
to run book in Howard Beach?
- Who?
- I... I told him.
- I read him the riot act.
- Why did you tell him?
This motherfucker's on the
phone talking about me! My name!
He says he's
with the Greek mafia.
This mook is so
full of shit it ain't funny.
Ms. Luzio, hold up, hold up.
Lou. Louie, go help her.
I'll take care of it,
Mr. Gotti.
Get that shit off your face.
He looks like a beatnik.
Why don't you grab 50 percent
of this asshole's business?
I want this shut down yesterday.
You understand?
This guy's a nobody,
and even if he was a somebody,
I don't give a fuck.
- You understand me?
- Yeah.
- Hey, hey, hey!
- Mr. Gotti, how are you?
You're still in the fight?
Yeah, you still working out?
Not that much anymore.
No? What's the matter?
You was the great white hope.
Well, they just fucking
closed down Tully's.
Tully's an institution.
How long's Tully been around?
I've been walking
by Tully's for 40 years.
What happened?
What the fuck happened?
I don't know.
Rent's goin' up.
They got cited for some code
violation or something.
Yeah. Well, don't you worry.
They're back in business.
All right. How's your father?
How's his liver?
He's... He's still here.
He's still here.
All right, man. Well, you tell
him hello from me, all right?
- Gotti, thank you. Thank you.
- All right.
All right.
Come back to the center.
I don't give a fuck
who this guy is.
He's using my name
on the phone.
So you tell this cocksucker
that if he ever deals
another card in Queens,
or ever even whispers
my name again,
I, me, John Gotti, will sever
his motherfucking head off!
- Put a little ice on it.
- Ma, I'm... Ma!
Okay. I'll fix you
something to eat.
Get your feet off the couch.
Get up.
You got suspended, huh?
What do you think you're doing?
These local kids jumped
a couple of our guys.
We're just handling
our business.
You're handling your business?
- Yeah. I guess.
- You guess.
You show up?
Yeah. I'd say so.
Attaboy.
You stood your ground.
You didn't back off.
Never back off.
You always stand up.
You fight till you
can't fight no more.
Never take a backwards
step, ever.
Dad, I'm thinking maybe I don't
wanna try for West Point anymore.
Maybe take a year off.
Take a year off? Drop out of school?
Not go to college?
Become a bum on the street?
Is that what you want?
Huh? What are you thinking?
You wanna
hang out with me?
Is that what you're thinking?
Jesus Christ.
Ah!
Butch! I'm hungry!
If they get it,
they're good.
It's just like if they're good,
they get what they get paid.
- A lot of 'em are bums.
- That's for sure.
- Ah.
- The Luccheses are here.
- I don't like that guy.
- Which one?
His name is Gaspipe.
Oh, yeah.
I heard of him.
He's trouble.
He's up in Angelo's face about
them apartments on 59th Street.
I hear he's a real sicko.
Look at him. Look at him.
He's making sure all
the families know his name.
The prick.
Relax. He's not our business.
- Sweetheart? Can we get another round here, please?
- You got it.
- Let me ask you something.
- Hm.
What do you think the Genovese
capos think of the boss?
What are you talking about?
I mean, I understand
the whole insanity plea,
but come on, running around town
in the fucking pajamas,
give me a fucking break.
Vincent "The Chin" Gigante.
According to the government,
the powerful boss
of the Genovese crime family.
To me, he was a rival.
Chin is a very smart guy.
He runs his family
as he sees fit.
I can tell you this:
You would never see Chin and his crew in a
place like this, that's for fucking sure.
Well, talking
about bosses who hide...
Don't start.
I'm just telling you, he's not here.
He's never here.
How can you run a family if you're
not on the ground with them?
Johnny, you have got
to shut the fuck up.
Paul is your boss.
End of fuckin' story.
Who's this?
Who is that guy with Frankie?
What's his name again?
- That's Sammy Bull.
- That's Sammy.
Why Bull?
Bulls Head,
Staten Island.
I know about him.
You don't like
anybody here tonight.
I just don't like what I hear about
him, okay? That's all I'm saying.
He's a good earner
and he's Frankie's guy.
He ain't never done time.
And I don't trust anybody
who's never done time.
Well, he's our friend now.
And listen, you trust Frankie,
don't you?
Frankie would vouch to the
fucking moon for this kid.
- We gotta give him a chance.
- Here they come.
Hi boys. How you doing tonight?
Hey, Johnnie.
- How you doing, Neil?
- How are you, Sammy?
- Frank.
- Frankie.
Sammy, I'd like you to meet
a good friend of ours
and a dear friend
of mine, John Gotti.
How you doing, John? Heard a
lot about you from Frankie.
- Glad to finally meet.
- All good, I hope.
Of course it's good. How am I
gonna talk about my brother?
Let me tell you somethin'.
Time in Lewisburg will make a man
out of you. Am I right, Frankie?
You come out of there
thicker than thieves.
- Right?
- My fuckin' brother, Johnny.
Let's raise a glass
to our new friend.
- Salute, guys.
- Salute.
- Neil.
- Frankie.
You trust this kid?
Thank you.
John... we walk together
and we fall together.
This is the life.
I chose my side
over 40 years ago.
The hardest thing
in this world for me to do
would be to have to
say goodbye to my kids.
- I can't do it.
- I don't want you to.
I don't want you have to lie
to your kids and you telling 'em
you are on some
construction job.
You and me, John, we never
had to lie to each other.
But it's the lies
you tell yourself,
these are the lies
you gotta live with.
And missing your kids?
You think that's bad?
Do I really have to say it?
Do I?
Frankie.
No, leave the light on.
Frankie,
we're just down the hall.
Let him leave the light on.
Kids are scared of the dark.
Just till John gets back?
- Till John gets back.
- Okay.
G'night, Frankie.
Love you. See you tomorrow.
Love you.
People, look around you
Open your eyes and see
What kind of world
This could be
If we didn't
Have hunger, hate
Along with misery
Oh, my God.
Oh, no.
Oh. Oh, God.
Frankie! Frankie!
Frankie! Frankie!
Oh! Frankie! Frankie!
Mommy's here. Oh, Frankie!
Mommy's here.
Stay awake.
Dr. Lieber,
call the operator, please.
Dr. Lieber, call the operator.
Johnny Boy,
it was an accident.
It was an accident.
It happened. He's gone.
But he'll always
be your brother.
Now, you listen to me.
I want you to be strong, okay?
I'm proud of you.
Now, we gotta do this
for your mother.
Come on. Come on.
Come here.
Come here. Come here.
Come here.
That boy had better be
right about this.
Come on, I'm late. What the
hell are you waiting for?
- What are you doing?
- He's cold.
- Vicky, come here. Come here.
- I have to bring him a blanket!
- No! No!
- Come here.
Johnny, no!
Come here.
It's gonna be fine.
No!
Calm down. Calm down.
Vicky.
- Johnny, Johnny, I need to go to...
- Calm down.
Come here, baby.
Listen to me.
Listen to me. I need to go.
Okay. I need to bring my
little Frankie a blanket!
What happened?
Is Vicky okay?
This piece of shit Favara. She smacked
him around with a baseball bat.
She's gonna be all right.
He's a stupid
fucking asshole, John.
He never fixed
the dent in their car.
He leaves it there in the driveway,
day after day, for Vicky to see.
John. We can't know why
God lets these things happen,
but there has to be a reason.
A reason?
For these things?
He was 12 years old.
He didn't have a hair
on his prick.
There ain't no fuckin' reason.
There ain't no fuckin' God.
Don't say another word.
I'm gonna take Vicky down
to Florida, see her family.
I think it'd be good for us.
Clear her head.
On March 12, 1980,
12-year-old Frank Gotti
was riding his mini-bike
on this street, 157th Avenue,
just three blocks
from his home.
John Favara's car hit 12-year-old
Frank Gotti and killed him.
People who know the Gottis say they never
came to terms with young Frank's death.
Police, however, believe someone did
come to terms with John Favara.
On July 28th, Favara left his
job and walked to his car,
which was parked next door
at the Capitol Diner.
The diner's owner told police
he saw three men
club Favara and shove him
into a van.
The best witness police had in the
abduction of John Favara was Leon Papon,
the man who owned the diner.
He had seen the whole thing.
He told that
to Nassau County Police.
But then the assailants returned
to the diner several days later.
They reportedly ordered coffee.
And as they sipped it,
they stared at Papon.
Right after that, Papon stopped cooperating
with Nassau County detectives.
His memory
of the incident faded.
He sold the diner
and moved away.
Okay, that's it. That's it.
That's it. That's it. That's it.
Vicky.
Enough.
I love you,
but we got four other kids.
We will never let go of Frankie,
you understand me?
Never. He's in
our hearts forever.
Forever. Till the day we die.
We're gonna always
live like we're seven.
I'm gonna make you some coffee.
No problem.
Merry Christmas.
Look at him.
That lousy bastard,
my father.
Turns out to be a good grandpa.
Who knew?
You never know.
I'll tell you something. Maybe if
we didn't have such crappy parents,
we wouldn't have
so much in common.
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yeah, I'd be living in Flatbush,
married to a dentist.
What are you talking about?
You get...
You get a bad tooth, I'll be happy
to knock it right out of your mouth.
There's my smile.
There's my girl.
Bet you didn't think you'd be
serving 100 people in this house.
Yeah, one night
a year I can handle.
- Yeah?
- Can you believe it?
We used to barely have
enough for the two of us.
But we had each other,
that's all that matters.
That's all that matters.
You and me, we'll get
through this together.
We'll get through anything.
- Ho!
- Hey, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Hey, Neil.
I've been meaning to ask you. Who
is that guy sitting in my chair?
You've been meaning to ask?
That guy's been in your chair every
Christmas for the last 15 years.
Hey!
What can I get you to drink?
How about a cigar?
- Let's do it.
- Yeah. Let's do it.
Sammy Gravano
told me something.
What did Sammy Gravano say?
That you was over at Paul's
house just now.
Yeah, I was at Paul's
house just now.
Did you see Sammy there?
I just stopped by
for two minutes.
Well, he tells Paul, he says, "I wanna go
see Neil to wish him a Merry Christmas."
Why do I give a shit
about all this?
'Cause Paul said "What the hell you
wanna do that for? You're on our side."
And what did Sammy
say to that?
He said "We're all
a family, ain't we?
And Neil's the underboss."
Sammy told you that?
Sammy told me.
Hey! What's happening?
I've got it good
That's what they say
Paul!
Paul Castellano was
a fucking fish in the desert.
A fish out of water.
I never respected Paul.
As an underboss, Neil was more
of a boss than Paul ever was.
- Give my regards to Victoria.
- I will, thanks.
She'll be glad to hear it.
But I'd rather be lucky
Be lucky with you
Cards, craps, or slots
That's not my way
Still, I'd rather be lucky
I'm just saying, if Paul goes
to prison for them indictments,
they're gonna make
Tommy Bilotti street boss.
Happy days. We can all go
into the wig business.
Come on, Neil,
what's going on here?
Keepin' Paul
in silk pajamas.
He's more concerned making deals with
other families than his own borgata.
He's the boss!
End of fuckin' story.
Time magazine says
you're the boss.
Shows you what a disreputable
fucking profession that is.
You know why?
Let me tell you why.
I'll tell you why.
Because we've never been
under this kind
of scrutiny before.
No. They can see you, Neil.
Yeah, too fuckin' much,
evidently.
No, no, no, no. You can sit, you
can talk man-to-man with you.
You know what I'm saying?
I mean what's Paul's contribution to
society, fuckin' his Portuguese maid?
As long as it keeps him
off of my back.
But, 35 years in the same house as
his wife, I mean, that ain't right.
That ain't right.
Course, you gotta
give him credit.
Credit for what,
his penile implant?
You got his house bugged, do you?
Yeah, I defeated that $50,000
security system with my good looks.
That Portuguese maid
was crazy about me.
She's Guatemalan,
you know so fucking much.
Did you ever see her? Whatever country
she's from, they probably made her leave.
I wouldn't fuck her
with your dick.
Listen, Paul's got diabetes.
What're you gonna do? Huh?
It's not a subject I feel
comfortable discuss...
- What the fuck is so fucking funny?
- I'm sorry.
He's hysterical. We're
gonna get in a fucking accident.
He's laughing because I
wouldn't fuck her with his dick.
Ho! Look at this place.
What a dump.
What are we doing here?
We'll get a couple of drinks and get the
fuck out of here, go get somethin' to eat.
I'm starvin'.
We'll go to Little Pete's.
He's got these shrimp
in there, like this.
That's a cop joint.
This fuckin' guy
don't stop eatin' shrimp.
Fellas, how about
a round of shots on me?
No, we're good.
Thanks, pal.
What do you mean? Come on.
How about just one shot?
Do me a favor, take a walk. You and
your fuckin' mustache, huh, please?
- Five cops walked in...
- Bartender, shots for me and my boys here.
- The good stuff.
- Hey, we're good. Thank you.
- Cheers. Salute.
- Hey, hey.
You're too good
to have a shot with me?
I said take a fuckin' walk!
Yeah, motherfucker!
- You, fuckin' asshole!
- Motherfucker!
You motherfuckin'
piece of shit!
You fuckin' motherfucker!
- You want some?
- John, come on!
Come on. Let's get the fuck out.
Come on.
I was swinging with everything, man.
I didn't give a fuck.
When he came in,
I grabbed the barstool.
- I grabbed two barstools...
- I saw you do that.
- I don't give a fuck. I just keep goin'.
- Oh, my God.
I was swinging. I didn't even
know who the fuck I was hitting.
- You swang at the wrong guy three times.
- No, I didn't.
You kiddin' me?
You hit the wrong kid.
He wasn't even with them. He was with the other kids.
You little motherfucker!
Did you have a fight tonight?
- Did you?
- Yeah.
Someone got killed!
Did you know that?
- Did you?
- No, I didn't know that.
- John...
- You shut the fuck up!
You cocksuckers!
You're gonna ruin your future!
Don't you understand?
This is gonna follow you for
the rest of your fuckin' life!
Someone got killed?
Not when I was there.
Proudest moment of his life was watching you
graduate from military school, and now this?
Your father's crushed.
You know that?
- I know.
- No! You do not know anything!
- Dad, we didn't...
- Shut up!
I'll talk to you later.
The sharks are circling.
Cops are gonna shake him down.
And that man's gonna pay
to protect you!
I didn't kill the guy!
I'll answer for it. Anything!
We didn't kill anybody.
I know that.
But it doesn't fuckin' matter.
You two stupid motherfuckers.
You brought a lot of fuckin'
heat down on this family.
Actually, it was Angelo who
brought the heat down on the family
when the government released
what would become known as
"the Angelo Ruggiero tapes."
They picked up Ange
on a wiretap,
talking about various
activities that neither Paul
or the government
would've sanctioned.
Fucking Ange.
This is ridiculous!
You got popped, Ange.
Let me just ask you
one question.
Are you badmouthing Paul
on them tapes?
- Are you?
- I don't know.
- Come on! Come on!
- That's hundreds of hours, John!
What? You don't
remember nothing?
They bugged my daughter's phone!
What were you sayin'
on the tapes?
I said a lotta things that could get a lotta
people in a lotta trouble is what I said.
My friends are on those tapes.
Our friends are on those tapes.
Neil, okay. If...
If Angelo decides that he doesn't
want to turn these tapes
over to Paul, what happens?
Is that it?
No. That is most definitely not fucking it.
If Paul wants the tapes, we gotta
get him the tapes. He's the boss.
Boss is the boss is the boss,
that's "La Cosa Nostra."
Don't tell me that I don't know
it's about La Cosa Nostra. Please.
If it was just some fuckin' asshole
gettin' called out, or some Joe,
you know, I would authorize
the handover in a second.
- But this... is our friends.
- Now, look.
If the government has a case,
Paul will find out
when it comes to trial
because it'll be a matter
of public record.
- You're fucked either way.
- We're fucked.
Okay. We're fucked either way.
No, no.
That's not gonna happen. Get
it out of your head right now.
John. Hey, John.
Listen.
You know that Paul doesn't give
two fucks about me or you.
He's shitting bricks
over his own fuckin' case.
You don't know what the fuck
you're talkin' about.
Ange, just shut
the fuck up, will ya?
You got us into this mess.
- Please.
- Get the fuck outta here, Ange.
Go on.
Christ almighty.
I ain't sayin' you're wrong, but
what do you want me to tell Paul?
I mean... Ange sayin' to a boss, "Fuck you, I
don't wanna hand over those fuckin' tapes."
I've been trying to make this
thing go away, but...
Paul keeps bringing it up.
Unless I say to him,
"Fuck you, go fuck yourself."
And then, you know
what we gotta do then, huh?
We roll 'em up and we go to war.
That's right, we gotta do
what we gotta do.
We strike him
before he gets us.
Yeah.
What?
What's the matter? You okay?
- Yeah, no...
- What do you need?
It's just... it'll pass.
It's funny.
All this fuckin' tapes
and trials,
and we spend all this time
tryin' to stay one step
ahead of the game,
but this fuckin' cancer,
I mean...
That is the ultimate
"fuck you."
If I didn't have bad luck,
I'd have no luck at all.
Ah, beautiful!
You got somethin' for me?
See this kid here?
I used to give him five dollars
to go to the candy store.
Now look at him,
he's a fuckin' earner.
Here. Buy yourself
a new sports jacket,
'cause we are going
to Regine's tonight.
Tonight. Tonight.
Let me tell you something
about your old man.
When he was sent up to Green
Haven on the McBratney thing,
as you probably know about,
Carlo Gambino was so grateful
to your father
for his service to him...
...he got him
Roy Cohn to defend him.
Roy Cohn, biggest fuckin'
lawyer in the country.
Your dad wasn't even
a made man at the time.
Cohn, he makes
a deal on a plea,
gets it reduced
to involuntary manslaughter.
Your dad's out in four.
What a lot of people
don't know about is, uh...
how your dad came to be
arrested in the first place.
Your dad was lyin' low,
he's in the wind,
and he hears I have this problem
with the Genovese family.
He showed up, interceded on my
behalf at a sit-down in Maspeth.
And the FBI picked him up
on a tip-off as he was leaving.
Loyalty cuts both ways with him.
Your Honor, the
prosecution contends that Mr. Gotti
is a clear and continuing danger
to the community,
and in lieu of a potential life
sentence in this case,
it would be imprudent
to grant him bail.
Thank you, Miss Giacalone, but you have not
convinced me that Mr. Gotti is a flight risk.
The court grants bail in the
amount of one million dollars.
Your Honor, as the court
has granted bail for Mr. Gotti,
we also request that bail be set at a
reasonable amount for Mr. Johnson.
Your Honor,
we have strong reason to believe
that this defendant's life will be in
serious jeopardy if he is granted bail.
And why would that be?
Because Wilfred Johnson has been
a confidential informant
for the FBI
for the past 19 years.
- That is a lie!
- Order! Order!
Gotti!
They're lyin'! She's lyin'!
- I'll fuckin' kill you!
- Order!
- Lie! Lyin'!
- Order!
- Gonna get me killed!
- We will have order!
Counsel, restrain your client.
In light of that information, if
confirmed, bail is denied on Johnson.
If I stand strong...
if I refuse to testify,
and we win...
...can I get a pass?
I'm begging you.
Swear it.
Swear it on your kid's grave
you won't kill me.
How am I gonna kill a ghost?
May I have
the verdict, please?
Me and Willie Boy Johnson
beat a massive RICO case
due to the lack of credibility
of the government's witness.
...find the defendants, John
Joseph Gotti and Wilfred Johnson, not guilty.
As for Willie Boy,
that's another story.
Dominic's been doing
fireworks for years.
Dominic ain't got
two fingers.
It's my gift to them.
They can do the fireworks
the way I like it.
- Look at this.
- Oh, this fuckin' thing.
All right, you wanna
have some fun?
Let's go have some fun.
Is there a problem here?
We're shutting
you down, guys.
This is an unpermitted
street gathering,
and there are illegal fireworks
on these premises.
What are you talkin' about?
We been doin' this for 20 years.
Let me ask you something. You're
gonna put these good people in jail
because they're proud of their country?
Is that right?
You got my lawyer on the phone?
- Standing by.
- You got bail money?
- With interest.
- Send 'em up!
Next time, Gotti.
Next time.
Gotti! Gotti! Gotti!
This is your town, John.
Gotti! Gotti! Gotti! Gotti!
Gotti! Gotti! Gotti!
Look at this one.
How good am I to you?
Go ahead, taste.
- Huh?
- It's not bad.
I know.
Hey. Excuse me.
I don't normally do this,
but I saw you walkin' over.
I'd hate myself the rest of my life
if I didn't come and talk to you.
Stop it, John.
You're not funny.
Wait. Do we know each other?
What, you lose your memory at the
military academy or something?
It's me, Kim.
Come on, John.
Joey Rug's daughter.
I'm sorry.
It's just...
you look different.
Guess I grew up.
Yeah, I guess you did.
You wanna get a beer
or something?
John, I'm 16.
Oh!
Uh, you wanna get a soda?
- Yeah, that sounds nice.
- All right. Let's go.
See ya both.
Joey Rugs.
Paul wants to see you. And I
held him back as long as I can.
Not the fuckin'
Angelo tapes again.
It's got nothing
to do with Angelo.
Paul has decided
to break up your crew.
- He's gonna break up the crew.
- Mm.
The fuck does that mean?
If Paul goes to prison,
he wants to make sure
that everybody knows
he's still the boss.
It's like Carlo fuckin' Gambino
all over again.
Everybody knows
that it should have been you.
All right, well, what you want and
what you get are two different things.
- If he wants reassurance, forget about it.
- No, no, no, he will get it.
And you'd better fuckin' agree with
him or at least look like you do.
He doesn't deserve it, Neil.
Look... look, you gotta earn
your merits like we did.
What world are you livin' in?
All fuckin' Paul
is about is money.
Okay? That's his get-off.
That's it.
Comin' from a fuckin'
degenerate gambler.
You're goddamn right.
You can't take it with you.
Hm. Yeah.
- If Paul makes a move on Angelo...
- You will live with it.
- If he gives you that choice.
- There is no choice.
- There's only what you do.
- Listen to me.
You kill the boss
of bosses...
- I will defend my position.
- ...you will bring down hellfire.
- I'll do what I gotta do.
- Not as long as I'm alive.
Jesus. I can't...
I ju... I can't get
over Willie Boy.
Well.
Shows you life
is full of surprises.
He's been with you since
Fulton-Rockaway Boys, huh?
Bunch of punk kids who had the balls
to stick up one of my poker games.
Yeah, you never know.
I know.
He broke my fuckin' heart.
You give him a pass?
Yeah.
Attack from the outside
you can deal with.
But attack from the inside?
You're history.
Once you take that first step,
there's no turning back.
You either succeed, or
you're lost in enemy territory.
And if you miss, you die.
And all your friends will die.
So you'll need DeCicco.
If he's onboard, then Joe Piney will join
you, he'll take care of the old-timers.
And Gallo will go along.
The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside
the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for Thou art with me.
Thy rod and Thy staff...
In the name of the Father,
and the Son...
Obviously, Paul couldn't make
it, but he sends his prayers.
Let me tell you somethin'.
Neil could have taken the family
from Paul any time he wanted.
Everybody knows that.
Paul. Up on that hill.
You gotta kiss his ring
like he was the Pope.
Fuck Paul.
I hear you. I'm with you.
You'll need DeCicco.
If he's onboard,
then Joe Piney will join you.
He'll take care
of the old-timers.
And Gallo will go along.
D.B. is important because he will
smooth out all the rough edges
and make sure that everybody
knows it's only business,
but you're gonna need the
approval of the other families.
Frank and Sammy Bull
will pay homage to Brooklyn.
The Luccheses
won't be a problem.
You got Pescucci on your side, so the
Bonnanos we're not worried about.
Leave the Colombos to Angelo.
He'll feel the pulse with
Freddy DeVico and Benny Cans.
And that leaves the Chin.
Chin. You think
I'm a stickler for the rules?
Chin will not be happy
no matter what.
But he'll be outnumbered, so...
for the sake
of a peaceful transition,
- he'll just have to accept.
- I don't know. I don't know.
Paul and the Chin
are pretty tight.
They got a lotta money
on the street.
Yeah, well, you'll take care
of that after.
And use D.B. for that.
Listen, nobody's cutting in
on Chin's action.
On the contrary,
with Paul out of the way,
what's Chin's is Chin's,
free and clear.
I have no doubt the other
families will back you,
but only if you have the support
of all five boroughs,
Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan,
Staten Island,
The Bronx. Eh?
And that's a fist.
So what it comes down to
is what do you wanna be.
And I'm askin' you.
You wanna be consigliere?
You wanna be underboss?
Because we're gonna do this
thing, we're gonna do it right.
It's gonna be La Cosa Nostra.
La Cosa Nostra till I die.
Underboss, John.
Paul's set up a dinner
next Thursday.
Friends only.
To discuss the reorganization
of the family.
We're on
a piece of work.
It's a big job, but there's no two
ways about it... it's gotta be done.
Give 'em the coats and hats.
The hats is all anyone's
gonna remember seeing.
We're around the corner
from the United Nations.
They'll think the fuckin'
Russians are comin'.
Listen up. Pay attention.
We're hittin' Paul.
And anyone else who's
in the car with him.
It's gonna take place
at Sparks Steak House.
That's up at 46th,
between 2nd and 3rd.
He's got a six o'clock
reservation.
There's gonna be a lot of last
minute Christmas shoppers,
but that's perfect for us.
We're gonna get
in and out... Bzang.
Like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So it's kill or be killed.
Let's go.
- Jimmy.
- How you doin'?
Good. Good.
Can I have a bourbon and ice,
please?
So, Frank...
This business
with the Gotti crew...
is very troublesome to Paul.
I know you like John.
Hell, I like John.
But now that
Neil's out of the picture,
Paul just wants to... shake
up the whole administration.
And he wants you
to be comfortable with it.
Eh, Paul's running
a little late.
Paul's here.
He's not gonna
make dinner.
We gotta go.
The assassination
of Paul Castellano
has local and federal officials looking
for the men who did it and for a motive.
Finding either or both
extremely difficult,
given the secrecy
of organized crime,
we may never know
why Castellano was killed.
Louis Young is standing by
in Staten Island
at the Castellano home
to tell us more.
Mafia kingpin
Paul "Big Paul" Castellano
was gunned down gangland-style
in midtown Manhattan.
The 70-year-old reputed head of
the largest and most powerful
crime family in the country,
the Gambino family...
- Uncle Ange.
- Mm?
- Where's my father?
- He'll be here soon.
- Is everything okay?
- He's okay.
Because I heard Paul...
It would be
a terrible mistake
to think that, uh,
that this is a good time
to go around, uh,
shooting up people.
He's on a jet.
He's over Iceland,
and the stewardess comes up and she
says, "My name is Pussy Galore."
He says,
"I must be dreaming."
Fellas...
We don't know who
killed Paul and Tommy.
But we're gonna find out.
Conduct our own investigation,
get to the bottom of this.
That being said...
our job now is to maintain
continuity of leadership.
Make sure nobody thinks this
family's fallin' apart here.
So...
I nominate...
John Gotti.
I second the motion.
To the new boss!
- John!
- Salute!
Whoa.
Hey.
Congratulations, John.
How's it feel?
Feels like times have changed,
and, uh, it's good.
I mean how does it feel
to be here?
This was Neil's joint.
It feels right.
It feels like it's what
he would have wanted.
It feels, uh...
Wherever he is, he's watching us.
Yeah.
And he ain't the only one.
I want to talk
to you about that.
Now, Nick Vilante's widow
lives upstairs.
We can't kick her out
on the street, but...
if we have a serious conversation,
or it's raining, or it's snowing,
we give her a little something,
she vacates the premises
for 20 minutes and, uh...
we take care of her.
Yeah, I wish some of these guys
would take a walk.
Ah... Let 'em know.
Let everybody know.
Now everybody comes to me.
They come to me.
There's a new boss in town
Kiss the ring, motherfucker
It's my turn now
- John Gotti.
- John Gotti.
- John Gotti.
- John Gotti.
John Gotti has been the most noteworthy
figure in the last 50 years.
There's a new boss in town
Kiss the ring, motherfucker
The head of the Gambino
crime family, a real-life Godfather.
Shots fired here at Sparks Steak
House were heard around the world.
Hits the block
Like a firebomb
Shouts from trucks, from cars. "Say
hello to John." "Give John our best."
The most
powerful crime boss in America.
Does it glorify the mob? Yeah, it
glorifies the mob. He's the head honcho.
On TV before
Last of the wiseguys
Last shots right between your eyes
If I have to go to another fuckin' wedding,
I think I'd rather go back to Lewisburg.
You know what I'm sayin'?
Oh, geez, everybody was there.
I mean, there was goodfellas there
and there was non-goodfellas.
My brother Pete, he clocked
75 guys come up to me.
He undersold me. It was 75
guys come up to talk to me,
but they got nothin'
to offer me. Nothing.
Conversation.
If conversation had calories,
I'd be the fattest
fuckin' guy in the world.
Know what I'm sayin'?
Geez.
Rudy... can I talk
to you a minute?
Yeah, John.
You delivered an envelope
to Dominick's wife yesterday.
Yeah. I did just like
you told me.
No, not just like
I told you.
- I dropped it off.
- Who'd you bring with you?
- Well, I was gonna bring my niece, but...
- But you didn't.
You didn't.
One simple rule.
Don't you ever go to a guy's house while
he's away and see his wife alone.
And if you ever do this again, I'll park
a bus up your ass fuckin' sideways!
- You understand that?
- Yeah, John.
Sorry, John. Sorry.
Sit. Sit.
John's getting
too much press.
Ought to learn to duck.
He's got too much pride
to duck and weave.
He don't give a fuck. He's gonna
die in jail or the gutter.
Makin' us look bad.
Then there's DeCicco.
We know he arranged
the hit on Paul.
That can't go unchecked.
Otherwise we got capos whacking
their bosses left and right?
No. Not now, not ever.
Frankie!
Frank!
Frank! Frankie!
It was meant for you.
- What are you talkin' about?
- I am tellin' you,
it was...
you-know-who did it.
I heard it on good authority.
He and Gaspipe Casso are
like two peas in a fuckin' pod.
You heard, you heard.
Your ears are bigger
than your mouth.
Okay, first of all,
I am friends with Chin.
Second, Sam and Pipe
go way back. Am I right, Sammy?
Oh, and they're all
grieving about Paul?
Why would they grieve
about Paul?
Look, whoever... killed Paul
did everybody a fuckin' favor.
Maybe it was the cops.
Uh, you know, they
pit us against each other.
That's what they want us
to believe, am I right?
Let's take care of business.
Angelo tried to take
matters into his own hands,
with an unsanctioned hit
on Gaspipe Casso.
That didn't work out
too well for nobody.
- Gaspipe!
- Who the fuck are you?
Ahh!
Good guys, bad guys
come in many different colors.
New York's finest,
serving two masters.
I got all day.
I got all week.
I mean, it's just me and you who are
just hanging out in the basement.
Just give me a name.
Tell me who it was.
- No.
- No?
Okay.
It hurts, doesn't it?
- I can make it stop.
- Okay.
I can make it all go away.
Hm?
Give me a name.
Angelo Ruggiero.
Angelo Ruggiero.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You handle it.
Angelo tried to whack another
made guy without permission.
You got no proof of that.
The shooter needed a little
encouragement, but he told Gaspipe.
He named Angelo. And there's no
good reason to disbelieve it.
Okay, but do I believe
everything I hear? No.
So I'm gonna do my
own investigation on this.
Oh, yeah? How's
the other investigation goin'?
Heard anything
about Sparks Steak House?
Yeah. The
Caesar salad is to die for.
Angelo's been askin'
for this a long time.
There's no dispute
about that.
Let me tell you
somethin', Chin.
Nobody touches Angelo.
Nobody.
If it's true that he acted
without my approval,
I'll put him on the fuckin' shelf
like that.
I know Angelo's
more than a brother to you.
But Angelo
went off the record.
- This was unsanctioned.
- Okay, but let me tell you somethin'.
The life means more
than anything to Angelo.
Okay? He's a war horse.
It means more than it does to you or to me.
He wakes up thinking about it, he
goes to bed thinkin' about it.
If I put him on the shelf
for life,
it's worse than puttin' a fuckin'
bullet through his heart.
Then I vote
to close this matter.
The matter's closed.
The last time they moved me, John, do
you know the only thing I took with me?
- Hm?
- No.
Your indictment. That was it.
And do you know
why I brought it?
Because I don't give a fuck
about my cancer.
I don't care what they do
to me in here.
What'll be will be.
- My concerns are you.
- I know that.
I must have read it 50 times,
and I tell you, I don't see it.
I don't see it.
I told you once I'd follow you
over a cliff. And I meant it.
But I'm thinking
about our family now.
Your family? What family
are you talkin' about?
You're talkin' about your 400
brothers, cousins and uncles?
Being a man is not being some guy
who's looking for closure, John.
My freedom and my life take a
back seat to my duty and manhood.
These are my standards, John.
Okay, now, listen up.
This is important.
Never do anyone a small injury.
You wanna hurt someone? Hurt him so
bad he'll never come back at you.
Neil used to say to me, "The
boss is the boss is the boss."
It ain't titles that honor men.
It's men that honor titles.
Oh, Ange, Ange.
What did you do?
Ah...
I did what I thought
was best for you.
I saved your life, Ange.
That's all I can do.
The son of a bitch
killed Frank!
I'm not goin' to war with the Chin for
the sake of Gaspipe fuckin' Casso.
I ain't doin' it.
Now, listen here.
There's ten kinds of shitstorms
comin' down on us.
And you know
what I had to do?
We had to have a meetin'
with the commission.
Why? Because of you.
Because of you.
Every boss wanted you dead.
Every one.
You're on the shelf for life.
That's it.
Go. Go. Go.
- Get out of here!
- Uncle Ange! He needs you.
- He made a big fucking mistake.
- Don't say another word.
Don't you say one word against your father.
You hear me?
You hear me?
I had to. I can't be treatin' you any
differently than I treat everybody else.
Now, if I let you
violate my rules,
the very principles
that we live by...
it weakens me
and it weakens you.
Now, one day, you
may be the shot caller,
you may be the one
that's making the rules,
and then you would be responsible
for enforcing those rules.
You know what I'm saying?
You gave me
the middle name Angelo.
How do you expect me
to turn my back on him?
You pray that
I don't know about it.
I love him, too.
Go to bed.
Who cares if he
goes to see Angelo?
It's not like John's
a part of that life.
Victoria, please.
Don't start. Okay?
Will the defendant
please rise?
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We, the jurors in the
above case, find the defendant,
John Joseph Gotti,
not guilty.
I won this trial fair and square,
thanks to a little down payment
to one of the jurors.
With my third victory
over the government,
the media nicknamed me
"The Teflon Don."
I guess it stuck.
Mr. Gotti, are you the head
of the Gambino crime family?
I'm the head of my family.
Mrs. Gotti, do you know what
your husband does for a living?
He provides.
You know why you're here?
No.
You know everybody in this room?
Yes.
This is a society of brothers.
La Cosa Nostra.
You're now about to be inducted as
a member of the Gambino family.
Honor this oath.
If you divulge
any secrets of this family,
your soul will burn
like this saint.
You never raise your hands
to a made man.
If you ever get caught with a made
men's wife, you'll be killed.
We don't fuck with bombs.
We don't endanger civilians.
The use of drugs, prohibited.
Lastly, and most importantly,
we don't like rats.
We kill rats.
You're questioned
by law enforcement?
You tell them
to go fuck themselves.
You are now reborn.
This is your baptism.
And we're your family.
Come here.
I'd like you to meet
your new soldier.
This is your boss,
your chief.
This is the proudest
moment of my life.
I'm so fuckin'
proud of you.
Look at us.
Look at us!
Ah, Elisa.
Now, Johnny.
It's like I said, it's gettin'
tougher, it's not gettin' easier.
You look around you, you got a
few good soldiers, am I right?
Yeah, Dad,
I think you're right.
Okay, well, this is not
the time to make 20 guys.
You know what kind
of guys I need?
I need guys that
do more than just kill.
I need guys whose hearts beat the
same, otherwise it won't work.
And the law is coming down
hard on us.
You know that.
If worse comes to worst we can find you a
safe house, get you out of the country.
No. I don't run. And I don't
hide in shadows, either.
You know what I do need? I need one
year on the street, uninterrupted.
And I will build something
that nobody can destroy.
A hundred years from now,
when we're both dead,
it'll still be and continue
to be a good thing.
It'd be one hell
of a legacy to leave.
A legacy.
Be it an hour from now,
be it tonight, be it 100 years
from now, when we're gone,
it'll be La Cosa Nostra.
And I'm not talkin' about gangs,
I'm not talkin' about clans,
I'm talkin' about New York, Florida,
the fuckin' West Coast and back.
It's gonna be the way
I say it's gonna be.
About a year after
I put him on the shelf,
Angelo Ruggiero died of cancer.
Ange, I know I hurt you.
But you fucked up, and I had to
do what was best for the family.
Frankly, I think he died
of a broken heart.
By the way,
I almost forgot.
Sammy thinks that you should be
running your own crew now.
You paid your dues.
You're a credit to your father.
Normally I don't show you
no favoritism,
but this time I'm gonna help you out.
I'm gonna handpick your crew.
I'm gonna give you Bobby,
because I trust him
with my life.
And I trust him with your life.
Is that okay with Bobby?
Well, ask him.
What? Being under
a little punk like you?
Madonna mia. My life, huh?
You're the skipper now, Bo.
You say the word,
I'll go over a cliff for you.
You already are.
You're gettin' married.
Yeah. Where's Victoria?
- Hey, John!
- Hey. Good to see ya.
- Good to see ya.
- Congratulations.
Congratulations.
Nice work, John.
Nice work. Beautiful.
Vic!
Gotti. How are you?
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Little pal
If Daddy goes away
Promise you'll be good
From day to day
Do as Mother says
And never sin
Be the man
Your daddy
Might have been
Your daddy didn't have
An easy start
So here's the wish
That's dearest
In my heart
Each night
How I pray
Little pal
That you
You'll turn just out right
My little pal
And if some day
Some day you should be
On a new
A new daddy's knee
Think about me
Now and then
Little pal
Pray for me
Now and then
My little pal
Neil used to say, "This life
of ours is a wonderful life..."
"...if you can
get away with it."
The man some people consider
to be organized crime's
boss of all bosses, John Gotti,
was indicted today for the
fourth time in five years.
Gotti's charged with the 1985
murder of mob boss Paul Castellano.
Prosecutors hope their best testimony this
time will come from Gotti's own mouth.
You look at me like I
don't know who I am. I am the new boss.
I do whatever the fuck I want
without steppin' over bounds.
Now, I'm tellin' ya,
if somethin' happens to me,
and I end up in the can,
I want Sammy to be
the acting boss, is that clear?
- Clear.
- These are my wishes.
I'd be a billionaire
if I was lookin' to be poor.
All I want is this sandwich here.
See this sandwich?
Every time I fucking
turn around there's a new company.
And every time
we got a partner...
The boss will fuck with us.
We kill him.
That piece of shit.
That cocksucker. He's a yellow dog.
I took your word for it, Sam.
I allowed it to be done.
Son of a fucking...
Yeah, your pal, Gravano?
He's not gonna
be here for breakfast.
They took him away
late last the night.
Please give your name.
Salvatore Gravano.
Do they
call you Salvatore?
Sammy.
Mr. Gravano, can you please
speak into the microphone?
Sure.
I didn't follow
my own advice.
Never trust anyone
who hasn't done time.
That's where men are made.
Sammy the Bull
became Sammy the Rat.
The government cut him
a deal after admitting
to his part in 19 murderers
and testifying against me.
John Joseph Gotti,
you have been convicted on all
counts of criminal racketeering,
murder and conspiracy.
You are hereby remanded to serve a term
of no less than five life sentences.
You will also be assessed
a $50 court fee.
Do you have anything to say?
Yeah, Your Honor.
The five lifetime bits,
that's okay,
but the $50 surcharge...
You really know how
to stick it to a guy.
Today another milestone
in the fight against organized crime.
The Teflon is gone,
the Don is covered with Velcro.
And every charge
in the indictment stuck.
Mayhem outside Brooklyn's
Federal Courthouse as John Gotti gets life,
and his supporters cry foul.
There'll be an appeal and he'll get
off 'cause it was very unfair.
Demanding a retrial,
they rush police lines.
They pulled a lot
of dirty tricks.
And I don't believe
their witness.
Then try to break into
the court to free the Mafia boss.
He's a good guy. He does a lot
for the community, you know.
Put him away for nothin'.
After today's arrest, his
supporters smashed and overturned cars.
The verdict on John Gotti is
less likely to be overturned.
Law enforcement officials fear
that a violent power struggle
may happen
within Gotti's family.
And, ironically, the only one who may be
able to keep the peace is John Gotti.
My loyal crewmember, Eddie
Lino, was the first to go down.
Bobby Boriello,
my closest friend...
...and
my son's goombata, was next.
That's the life.
They understood that.
So, what's goin' on?
There's a contract out on me.
And the rest of Sammy's crew.
Who's behind it?
Jimmy Brown and Joey Fanatti.
Jimmy Brown and Joey Fanatti.
Hm.
They're out
for you too, Johnny.
Why're you so pissed off?
Tell me! Tell me!
I had to read about it!
It is on the cover of the paper!
- What papers?
- That our son is a target.
On the Daily News?
The fuckin' Post?
Since when do they
tell the truth?
I already buried a son!
You want me to bury another,
then you will bury me, too.
You swore to me,
in our own bed,
you promised that you would not
bring him into that world.
What world? What world
were you talking about?
Tell me the world
you're talkin' about.
I brought him
into this world.
You brought him
into the life.
Aw, come on,
shut the fuck up.
You don't know what you...
Where are you goin'?
Get back here!
Fuck!
Look, I'm not gonna beat
around the bush.
I'm gonna ask you a question,
and regarding the answer,
one of us is gonna stand down.
The chief order this?
No, don't play dumb with me!
This fuckin' nonsense
about Sammy and his crew,
is he telling me
it came from my father?
No.
Then I suggest
you stand down, my friend.
You're prepared
to defend these guys?
No, I'm prepared
to defend my father.
Whatever he says goes.
Period.
Let's get the fuck outta here.
Five organized
crime families, uh,
are in a state of flux
at this point.
New people are moving up to take
up the place of the older ones
who are now in prison
or who have been killed.
We've locked up
or have under indictment
virtually every
boss of every family
in New York City and
throughout the United States.
You've got to be
fuckin' kidding me!
What the hell's goin' on?
"What's the hell's goin' on?"
What do you think's goin' on?
Oh, Jesus.
Kids, come to Daddy.
Come here.
I'm gonna be gone
for a little while, all right?
Don't worry about nothin'.
Come here.
FBI, front door!
Don't worry about Daddy.
I'll be back in a little while.
We have today unsealed
four federal indictments,
charging a total
of 40 defendants
with a widespread pattern of
racketeering and other crimes,
including multiple extortions,
murder conspiracy,
telecommunications fraud...
...illegal gambling, money laundry
and obstruction of justice.
The defendants charged
include John A. Gotti,
uh, also known as Junior, who
was alleged to have exercised
supervisory control over the Gambino
crime family since his father,
John J. Gotti, was convicted of
federal racketeering charges in 1992.
These are
just bullshit charges.
John, there's no way
that they can tie you
to any of those specific crimes.
They don't have to. It's the RICO
conspiracy. That's the problem.
They just have to prove
I'm a member of the enterprise.
- We can beat them.
- And then what?
They just throw more charges at
me like they did with my father?
I've had enough.
I've been pulling back.
I'm ready to move on
with my life.
Are you saying what I think
you're saying?
All right.
John, if that's what
you want to do...
If you're ready
to walk away from this life,
I'm happy for you.
Just understand there are potential
consequences to that decision.
And that there are gonna be
people out there
who are gonna be very unhappy
with the decision you make.
That's why, Charlie.
You need to arrange for me
a meeting with my father.
It needs to come
from me directly.
He's dying.
He was my cause.
Now it's time to move on.
I want closure.
John, I got no cancer in my brain
and I got no cancer in my heart.
But what I wouldn't do to have one
more time to go into that courtroom
and show 'em what a man is,
break their holes.
You show 'em what a man is.
You show 'em what
it takes to have this.
Now, we only got
five minutes left.
I don't know when or if
I'll ever see you again.
And I don't know if I got
through to you or not,
but I know you got a
lot of thinking to do.
I know.
I miss seeing you, John.
You have no idea how much
I miss seeing you.
You know,
this meeting today
was worth 55 years
hanging upside down.
Because now you know
how I feel.
I love you and adore you.
I know.
So...
You do what you have to do.
And don't worry about me.
It doesn't make sense.
What'll be will be.
You stand up strong,
with your head up.
Don't cry. Don't let them
have the satisfaction.
Come on.
- Scissors.
- Yes, sir.
What are you looking at me for?
You're gonna be here
one day too.
Yeah.
- You are beautiful.
- That's good.
You ever met my wife, Butch?
She's beautiful.
Why are you fighting
this so hard?
If you beat this, they're just
gonna send you back to solitary.
Every day I'm alive is
a "fuck you" to the government.
You understand?
My son Peter was at my
bedside till the very end.
I didn't want Vicky or the
girls to see me like that.
I made Vicky promise,
and she respected my wishes.
He's in a lot of pain.
I know the morphine's
no longer working.
Now, we can give him Ativan.
Right? It'll induce a coma.
He'll be alive,
but he won't feel the pain.
I mean...
Think about this, Peter.
It's your call.
- Peter...
- Love you too, Pa.
You keep your head up.
You be strong.
Okay? Promise.
I promise.
All right.
Hey, yo, check it out!
One of the most
high profile mobsters
of recent times, John Gotti,
died today in a prison
hospital in Missouri
after a battle
with throat cancer.
Gotti was known as The Teflon
Don or the Dapper Don,
a moniker given as a result
of his penchant
for wearing fancy
double-breasted suits.
Gotti was acquitted a number of
times prior to being sentenced
to five consecutive
life terms in 1992.
John Gotti, dead today
at age 61.
There is a house
in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
Everybody here knows
that he was a great man.
Look, he might have been in jail, but
you know something? Nobody's a saint.
He didn't go around killing
civilians or regular people,
normal people off the street
or anything like that.
He more or less
killed his own kind.
My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new...
He went to prison, the
crime rates started going up.
The street punks
were taking over.
It was a lot cleaner neighborhood when...
when Mr. Gotti was around.
John Gotti had to keep his family
surviving. Gotti is the man!
And he kept
the neighborhood safe.
In New Orleans
John,
how can you be so naive?
Once they get you in,
you will never be free again.
They say you win this time, but next
time they will make sure that you don't.
This is bullshit!
A hundred more fuckin' years?
- John...
- You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!
- Calm down.
- No! My father told me
they would never let me go.
He told me that!
They wanna fight
the legacy of John Gotti?
Then let them fight John Gotti!
We'd like to believe
that a trial in its purest form
is a search for the truth.
But a search for the truth requires
a willingness to see the truth.
Yesterday, the prosecutor spoke
to you about what he perceived
to be the courage
of his witnesses.
Well, the truth is,
sneaking up behind someone
and shooting them in the head
is not an act of courage.
It's an act of deception,
it's a display of treachery,
and it's a demonstration
of a cold-blooded willingness
to put their own interests
above that of anyone else,
regardless of the consequences.
Contrast that with the courage
required of John,
who, admittedly,
was in that life...
but who paid for his crimes
with many years in prison.
But John had the courage
to walk away from that life.
The courage to tell
his dying father,
to whom the life was everything,
that his obligations were to his
family, not to a crime family.
The reality is John left
the life on his terms.
Cooperation in return
for a reduced sentence?
No, thanks. He said "I'll do my
own time for my own crimes."
In 11 years since then,
the government has spent
millions of taxpayer dollars
in five prosecutions.
They shipped John
all across the country,
under the most
horrible conditions,
in what they jokingly
refer to as "diesel therapy."
But in the end,
they could not provide
even a single
credible allegation
of any contact
between John and the enterprise.
Once again, the government
just refuses to see the truth.
When the government
goes off the rails,
driven by ego and obsession,
it's incumbent
upon its citizens
to guide the government
back on course.
In this system, in this
courtroom, you, the jury,
are the conscience
of the government.
It's time to do
the right thing.
Send him home.
Send him home
to his wife and his kids.
Send him home to live the life
he chose to live.
He's earned it.
The government tried hard
to break Johnny Boy,
but my son took 'em to task.
Five trials in 37 months,
and the government
walked away with nothin'.
Listen to me,
and listen to me good.
You're never gonna see
another guy like me,
if you live to be 5,000.
Fuck cops
Pop, pop
Kiss with your face spot
Well dressed are the men
But dangerous
Go-gettas, hustlas, gangstas
Everything organized
And if they hit us, surprise
Ha-ha-ha
One to the heart
And two to the brain
Looks like he lost his mind
Let's ride
There's rules and codes
You don't break 'em
For no one
Unless you're a fool
Like that fuckin' prick
Sammy the Bull
Hey!
Hey!
I'm not in the
mood for toys or games or kidding.
I'm not in the mood for clans.
I'm not in the mood for gangs.
I'm not in the mood
for none of that stuff there.
This is gonna be
La Cosa Nostra till I die.
Be it an hour from now,
or be it tonight,
or a hundred years
from now, when I'm in jail,
it's gonna be La Cosa Nostra.
In the shadow of my father
How could
I ever let down
The most important man
Around the town
I remember he pulled up
And the first suit he was
wearing, it was brown
My dad's whole
Smoked windows in the Crown
This is the real goodfellas
This is everyday life
My brother passed I heard my
father cryin' Through the pipes
It's everything you know No
matter If it's wrong or right
You know the rules
Cried every time
I say goodnight
They try to keep it from you
But it pulls you in naturally
And the love
You have for life goes rapidly
It's hard to change
I'm not trying to justify it
Let me explain it
Like a marriage
You were raised in a world
With no rearrangin'
Son, you be patient
When you facin' the judge
In the courtroom pacin'
My race and takin' the blood
Is my foundation
Guns smokin' plans to above
Loyal to the family forever
Is bulletproof love
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
If you
were to get a cold, John,
I would stick a fuckin' ten-inch spike
right through my fuckin' brain.
You worry about steppin' down or
steppin' up before you would get a cold.
Capo Don
I called him Dad
Giant in my eyes
Legend of a man
How could I turn my back
On everything he stands
This life was paramount
In his eyes
Glorified a tunnel
With no light at the end
Disguised in glamour
But I've seen the effects
It'll take your heart And leave
the ones You love condemned
Live constantly to defend
In the shadow
of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
It's tight, but life
Ain't for the light-hearted
Sometimes they love you More
when you die Just like martyrs
But when you try To make a change
And move your life forward
It's like they want
To take your life for it
I saw it comin'
Had to shift gears
In front of the judge
While he's contemplatin'
My next years
Lookin' at my family
Gathered together in fear
All I wanted to do
Was wipe my kids' tears
And say,
"I'm a shadow of my father"
Not a day go by
I ain't battling my karma
Gotta carry the load He
left behind And take a fall
Cause When it's all said and
done All we have is honor
Married to the streets
With no ceremony
If you don't share my blood
You never know me
Pop said never trust no one
Even the best of homies
Are the first ones confessin'
A testimony
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
In the shadow of my
In the shadow of my father
Shadow of my father
In good and bad
The name I had
In the shadow of my father
Freedom is doubt
I'll breathe my last
In the shadow of my father
In good and bad
The name I had
In the shadow of my father
Freedom is doubt
I'll breathe my last
I suppose that's their
fuckin' business, you know what I mean?
When it's time to change,
I'll live with the change.
Till the day they carry me out
in a fuckin' body bag,
I'm not gonna change,
you know what I'm sayin'?