Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is offering a little corruption, scandal and Mafioso in 2006 with the Jan. 3rd release of The Mob Box and The Valachi Papers on DVD.
From the tough streets of New York in the 1930s gangster era, to hitmen’s yacht parties in Miami, these films go deep into the life of crime and betrayal while exploring themes of love and family.
The Valachi Papers stars action legend Charles Bronson and was directed by Terence Young. It will have a suggested retail price of $19.94. The Valachi Papers: A crime-action movie based on a best-seller, taken from prison conversations and the actual U.S. Senate testimony of Joseph Valachi, a high-ranking figure in the Mafia. The book, which tells precisely who did what to whom, when and why, electrified the nation. This film had to be made in Italy, because attempts to shoot in the U.S. were stymied by mob-arranged "accidents" and protests. The story is told in flashback as Valachi (Charles Bronson) tells a Federal agent about his activities from 1929 to 1961, when he worked for the Capo of Capos, Vito Genovese. The Mob Box will have a suggested retail price of $34.95 and will include Donnie Brasco, Bugsy, Snatch and The American Gangster. The set will also come with a collectable scrapbook.
Donnie Brasco: Posing as jewel broker Donnie Brasco, FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone (Johnny Depp) is granted entrance into the violent mob family of aging hit man Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). When his personal and professional lives collide, Pistone jeopardizes his marriage, his job life and, ultimately, the gangster mentor he has come to respect and admire. From acclaimed director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), and featuring an extraordinary supporting cast including Michael Madsen, Anne Heche, Bruno Kirby and James Russo.
Snatch: When jewel thief, Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro), takes a slight detour to London on route to delivering a huge stolen diamond to his boss in New York, he unwittingly sets off an avalanche of sinister and comic events that wind their way through the rough and tumble worlds of bare-knuckle boxing, Irish gypsies, pawn shops, pig farming and... a stray dog. Snatch, Guy Ritchie's brilliant follow up to his critically acclaimed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, exposes us to his hip and helter-skelter view of London's gangster underbelly. Ritchie's characteristic fast-paced and constantly twisting story features a madcap ensemble cast of larger-than-life characters, including Jason Statham, an unlicensed boxing promoter; Stephen Graham, his bumbling sidekick; Alan Ford, the local underworld kingpin; Dennis Farina, Franky's no-nonsense boss; Vinnie Jones, a legendary thug; Rade Sherbedgia, a psycho double-crossing Russian; and Brad Pitt, in a hilarious turn as a fast-talking gypsy bare-knuckle boxer.
Bugsy: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening star in the incredible true story of Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, the playboy gangster who betrayed the Mob for love. A cold-blooded killer who dreamed of Hollywood stardom, a crazed patriot who plotted against Mussolini, and the brilliant visionary who carved Las Vegas out of the dry Nevada desert, Bugsy had it all. Until he fell for the one woman who wanted more. A critical masterpiece, BUGSY is a remarkable collaboration of Hollywood's best: director Barry Levinson, screenwriter James Toback, and an all-star supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Oscar®-winner Ben Kingsley (Best Actor, Gandhi,1982), Joe Mantegna, and Elliott Gould. But at the center of it all is the white-hot romance between Bugsy and the insatiable starlet, Virginia Hill.
The American Gangster: This unique documentary examines the origins of organized crime in America with actual film footage of such notorious underworld figures as John Dillinger, Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel.
The Valachi Papers is available for pre-order at Amazon . As of yet, there is no release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
The Mob Box is available for pre-order at Amazon . As of yet, there is no release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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