Today’s quick review: Nitti: The Enforcer. As Al Capone (Vincent Guastaferro) rises to the top of Chicago’s underworld, Frank Nitto (Anthony LaPaglia) becomes his right-hand man, handling the administration and enforcement for Capone’s criminal empire. After Capone is arrested for tax evasion, Nitto takes his place at the head of the outfit. But to hold onto his power, Nitto must outwit federal prosecutor Hugh Kelly (Michael Moriarty).
Nitti: The Enforcer is a crime drama based on a true story. The movie follows Frank Nitto from his early days as an immigrant in Chicago to his tenure as one of the most powerful gangsters in the country. Nitti: The Enforcer takes a methodical look at one of the early 20th century’s most successful criminal operations through the eyes of the man keeping it together. Decent storytelling and a wide range of conflicts make the movie a modest success.
Nitti: The Enforcer does a good job of balancing Nitto’s personal and professional lives. As Nitto takes violent action to ensure Capone’s dominance, he also tries to build a family with his eventual wife Anna (Trini Alvarado). Nitto is not as complicated a figure as other crime bosses, but his intelligence on the job makes him fairly interesting to follow, while his guarded compassion at home gives him a touch of depth.
Unfortunately, Nitti: The Enforcer does not tread any new ground. Nitto does not have the larger-than-life stature of other crime bosses, including Capone, and the movie constantly has to justify its focus on him. Nitti: The Enforcer does a fine job of setting up the conflicts of Nitto’s reign and how they play out, but none of them are especially gripping. The result is a biographical drama the covers the facts but adds no particular flourish.
Give Nitti: The Enforcer a shot if you’re a fan of Prohibition-era crime movies. Although it is outclassed by a number of other movies in the same vein, its grounded story and focus on Frank Nitto give it a small niche to call its own. Fans of the genre will mostly enjoy it for its subject matter. Broader audiences will find it a little too generic to be worth the effort.
For a more impassioned biographical crime drama, check out Bugsy. For a more iconic take on the arrest of Capone, try The Untouchables. For a similar portrait of Capone’s operation, try The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. For a more artistic and nuanced portrait of a crime boss, try The Godfather or The Godfather: Part II.
[6.0 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095746/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for good basics without much to set it apart.