In the last 10 years, really great gangster films have been few and far between. Some have been so close to being at the heights of success like Goodfellas while others have fell short of their goal, and some are just purely underrated. The gangster film genre is so broad but what everyone is so familiar with is the Italian Mafia films, the films which really reiterate how important loyalty can be and the impact if that loyalty is somehow tarnished.
And The Family really does attempt to bring that tradition back in this film but at times it just get’s so lost in all the other subplots!
It was great that they kept to that very basic storyline, but the problem isn’t with that storyline, it’s with all the other layers and sub plots added along the way. It’s a great idea trying to incorporate a subplot for each family member so the audience can see how they are settling in and if they can identify with one of the characters. But because each of the subplots can get so damn dramatic at times, it can get a little distracting. So by the time you have walked out of the film, you have definitely enjoyed the ride and thought it was fun and had cool throwbacks to gangster films, but you feel that the original plot was just lost in everything else.
And then there is Dianna Agron. I don’t have many nice things to say about her, so I will just say this; she under acted. Throughout the film and there is zero development in her character. And finally there’s John D’Leo who plays the son Warren Blake. Throughout the film all you can think of is a young Henry Hill in Goodfellas. This kid can act, and he has a lot of attitude, some great acting chops on him and if there should be another high calibre gangster film to come out in the next few years, this kid needs to be the lead!
Enjoy this film for what it is, and you will find the richer qualities and themes throughout the film that are hidden underneath everything else. You can definitely see the direction this film was trying to take, and it is somewhat sad it does fall short however it isn’t a bad film at all; it’s just not a masterpiece.
If we all went into the cinema with that mentality we actually might have a better viewing experiences.
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