Chicago Overcoat

Starring: Frank Vincent, Katherine Narducci, & Mike Starr

Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars

Many actors known for their work in Mafia films become tight-cast as gangsters, meaning that audiences are so familiar with them as a gangster, that they can't see them as anything else. That's fine when they're younger, but once these guys are in their 70s, it becomes a lot harder to find work. Some turn to comedy, while other try, unconvincingly, to remain gangsters, this is one of those stories. Lou Marazano (Frank Vincent) is one of the last OG's in his Chicago crew. While he still sees himself as a gangster, the next generation sees him as a dinosaur. One night Marazano becomes aware of how the others see him, and decides to take on one last big job in order to prove himself. Frank Vincent was terrific in the Sopranos, because he was an old school boss. In this film, he's an old school hitman, running around town, trying to intimidate people with a Tommy-Gun. The whole thing, wasn't believable or funny, it was just sad, watching this old man running around like it's still 1940. The rest of the cast was no prize either, made up of guys who had three lines in a Sopranos episode 15 years ago. Chicago Overcoat proves that it takes a lot more than just gun fire and some f-bombs to make a decent film about the Mafia. There is no honor in this final act of violence and there isn't even a compelling reason for it. The whole theme of this film is an old man trying to prove something that he no longer has. I feel badly that a legend like Frank Vincent is forced to take on roles like this and I just found the whole thing to be sad and in poor taste.