The Last Don (1997) User Reviews

though not spectacular, "The Last Don" scores big

[negeati · 8/10 · 17 May 2000]

I am reviewing this movie without seeing previously "The Godfather" trilogy. I heard that they were all very good but for a made-for-TV drama, "The Last Don" is wonderful.

Don Clericuzio (Danny Aiello) is the central character of the movie. Everyone around him gravitates around him somehow. He has several sons, and when the youngest of them is killed by a rival family, he vows revenge. He sees the opportunity of getting even when his only daughter, Rose Marie, falls in love with the youngest son of the rival don. He has Rose Marie's brand new husband taken from the marital bed (with Rose Marie helplessly watching) and killed. That was enough to make her lose her mind. Aided by her craziness, she will hate her father and her brothers all her life. And I will stop here because the plot is getting too complicated and it would take me a huge amount of time to write it down.

The performances are as important as the stars. Danny Aiello is very effective in his portrayal of the Don. Jason Gedrick shows some genuine talent under that handsome face of his. But sincerely, Kirstie Alley, as the adult Rose Marie, steals the show. Though at times underused, when she is on the screen she overshadows all her co-stars. A lot of other famous people star in fantastic piece of work: Joe Mantegna (as the Don's executioner), Penelope Ann Miller (as Mantegna's wife), Daryl Hannah (as major movie star Athena Aquitane and Jason Gedrick's girlfriend), etc.

"The Last Don" is not a masterpiece, but it certainly comes very close. 8/10.

P.S.: The movie version I've seen was the complete mini-series. Four and a half hours uncut. You need a lot of patience with this film but it is worth every minute of it.

As a mini-series, transcends the genre...

[The_Core · 6/10 · 14 March 2000]

As a mini-series, this production is *far* better than average. Presented as a movie it is only average. To be fair I rated "The Last Don" 6/10, but it should be noted that there are so many high quality gangster movies (Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino, The Godfather, to name a few) that "The Last Don" has some truly formidable competition.

Anyway, I was entertained, and watching the excellent cast at work was very enjoyable. Sure, we've seen it all before, but if that was the criteria to judge a film by I'd have to become a serious pessimist. This was a very fine production.

Mario Puzo is truly a genius

[BucsWeb · 8/10 · 21 May 2003]

Maybe not as good as the Godfather, but a great movie nonetheless. The only negative I have to say is that it was sooooo long. I guess that's why it was a mini-series on TV instead of in theaters. I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel this weekend.

Come on, was'nt that bad!

[Twilight_Wraith · 9/10 · 23 September 2002]

As a fan of The Godfather movies, it was inevitable that I would have to view The Last Don someday. I must be honest I actually thought it was pretty compelling. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the Godfather. But however it is in my opinion much better than Godfather Part III. Which I guess is not saying much but there you have it. I am a big fan of Joe Mantegna which probably makes me somewhat biased. Danny Aiello makes a great Don. Jason Gedrick is at least very likeable in his role as Cross. It has some of the elements of the Godfather films, which helps it out a lot. Emotional things, entanglements, killings, trials, acquittals even though there were 300 witnesses to the murder. ;)

It is somewhat gripping. And I must say I think it's worth buying on VHS if you want another Godfather story. I will say this again it's nowhere near as good as Godfather or Godfather part II, but it's very compelling and interesting as a look into a lifetime of a mafia family.

Puzo Turning in Grave

[fart_fire69 · 7/10 · 4 September 2003]

Well, both me and my friend just finished reading the book. We rented the movie and watched it. The book was so much better. They left out many characters, didn't build characters up enough, and left a huge part of hollywood out. If you like mafia movies, this is a good one to see. Not to the caliber of Godfather or Goodfellas though. I suggest reading the book over watching the movie.

Worst mafia movie ever

[Alkoholiks · 17 February 2002]

Out of all the mafia movies I have seen (I have seen a lot) this one was the very worst of them all, it had all what it takes to make a bad movie: bad actors, boring story and everything-but-a-mafia-person personality. The crazy kid with the stupid hat says enough about this movie. I don't recommend this movie to anybody, it gives all the other mafia movies a bad name.

Immensely surprising

[Spuzzlightyear · 8/10 · 11 December 2005]

I am not really a Gangster-movie/ series fanatic. It took me forever and a day to finally see The Godfather, haven't seen any of the Sopranos, etc. So I was EXTREMELY hesitant to see 'The Last Don', which came available for me to view on DVD. At 4 and ½ hours, you could say I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to see this, especially from the very beginning, when along with Danny Aiello, the series also promised appearances by Kirstie Alley, Robert Wuhl, Penelope Ann Miller, Seymour Cassel AND kd lang! I mean, what on earth was the casting director smoking? But, despite deep reservations from the beginning, I REALLY got into this harrowing drama of the deep divisions of the Clericuzio family. Danny Aiello is simply great as the family patriarch, here, and he essentially holds all of the movie together. Rather then focusing squarely on him, the movie paces itself out wonderfully and focuses on a number of characters, namely with the De Lana family, a close confidante of the Clericuzio family. The father, played by Joe Mantegna (who is thankfully not wasted here) and his son, played by the wonderful Jason Gedrick are amazing here in the other leads. The other characters come and go, and are good as well. Special commendations, though, go to Rory Cochrane and his truly NASTY portrayal of Dante, the VERY trigger happy grandson of Danny Aiello. Is this too long? Nah, it's a miniseries, and it's sprawling, and it's never dull. This was quite great!

Clericuzio family values

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 December 2017]

I'm sure that when The Last Don premiered on television given that it was a creation of Mario Puzo of the legendary Godfather fame a lot was expected from it. If this is not The Godfather it sure bears some resemblance to same and can stand on its own merits. Puzo probably felt like David O. Selznick who was forever trying to top Gone With The Wind couldn't do it, but made a few good films in the process.

There's a bit of The Corsican Brothers thrown into this tale. Godfather Danny Aiello who narrates this in flashback has his son killed by the rival Satedi family, even as his daughter is going to marry their son. He pulls off then a massacre like the Colonna clan did to the Franchis in that novel. The pregnant but as unknown daughter is spared by the assassins, but Kirstie Alley as the daughter is sent to the old country to give birth to the child who grows up to be Rory Cochrane.

The guy who led the killers who did the dirty deed is Aiello's nephew Joe Mantegna who does this kind of work for the family. He marries and has a son who grows up to be Jason Gedrick. But it's Cochrane who inherits the bloodlust. With Mantegna it's a business, but Cochrane really gets his jollies as well.

The young cousins Gedrick and Cochrane take over the story then and their rivalry is on the order of the Ewing brothers and cousins from both versions of Dallas. Only a lot more murderous.

I have to confess I enjoyed seeing Christopher Meloni as the psychotic stalking husband of film star Daryl Hannah who Gedrick gets involved with. Just the kind of guy SVU detective Elliott Stabler would track down and arrest. The Clericuzio clan does go into the film business on a much bigger scale than leaving a horse's head for intimidation in a studio boss's bed.

Gedrick and Cochrane are an interesting pair of rivals. Aiello's narration holds the story together. People who like these mob sagas won't be disappointed with The Last Don.

One of the best shows

[ibrahimkamala · 10/10 · 31 January 2022]

This is one of the best epic Italian mafia, gangster mob family shows ever It builds up and really really good in everything.

Acting is unforgettable.

Very typcial 90's TV Mini Series

[sonjamin · 1/10 · 3 January 2020]

The over acting and cheesy dialog is par for the course. This series doesn't do the book justice. The book is very panoramic and rich in character development. What we get here really hard to watch from finish to end. Danny Aiello is really stiff and acting is tough to stomach.

This is like watching a high school play. All the acting and lines are delivered by mannequins and I cannot emphasize how bad the acting is. Darryl Hannah plays her character like a full on crackhead, instead of someone on the edge of hope and resigned to her fate.

Danny Aiello is the worse as the Don....UGH.

Watch if you want a laugh.

Kirstie Alley Will Break Your Heart

[possumopossum · 9/10 · 8 December 2006]

Based on Mario "Godfather" Puzo's novel, this is another great story about how the Mafia plans and executes their nefarious activities. For once, Kirstie Alley is not typecast as a neurotic Lucille Ball type, although she is living in her own little world as the tragic Rosemarie Clarricuzio. In this movie, she gives notice that she is a very fine dramatic actress as well as a fine comedic actress. She gives a heart-breaking performance as Rosemarie. There are many parallels between this movie and THE GODFATHER. Cross is the Michael Corleone character and the Don...well, need I say more? Even as recycled GODFATHER, it isn't bad at all. 9 out of 10.

RIP Mario Puzo.

Not bad, Not Great

[ca54880 · 5/10 · 6 October 2020]

Suffers from a TV Movie of the week filming style and feel (camera angles and edits). The plot isn't helped by the fact that its very similar to "The Godfather". The Acting in the staring rolls are fine but the performances suffer at times from some bad acting by bit parts and background actors.

a cool gangster movie

[zegonzales · 2 April 2004]

A good altought not exceptional gangster movie, ( Goodfellas is still the best one to me ). Danny Aiello and Rory Cochrane characters are great on this movie. However I think that Kirstie Alley should look for comedy movies because I think that this type of film is not exactly what shes skilled for. I think they should have added a bit more of sadistic/cruel violence which is a indispensable *sauce* to movies like this ( check out Goodfellas and Casino to know what I am talking about ). Not really a classic, But still reccomendable if you like Mafia movies. as far as I know this one was exhibited as a TV serie in United States, but I think I have never seen this movie on TV.

Very compelling organized crime drama

[perfectbond · 9/10 · 20 February 2003]

This is my second favorite movie about organized crime. By the way my favorite is Road to Perdition. I know I'm in the extreme minority here but I honestly enjoyed this movie more than The Godfather. I haven't yet seen Part II and III of the trilogy nor do I watch The Sopranos. I just found the course of the lives of all the main characters very riveting to follow. Some of the other comments below aren't too enthusiastic about the cast but I sincerely thought the casting was perfect. Danny Aiello, Joe Mantengna, Jason Gedrick, Daryl Hannah, Kirstie Alley et al. were all first rate in my opinion. I was totally subsumed in their triumphs and tribulations. Despite opinions to the contrary I heartily recommend this film, 9/10.

Confusion in the family tree.

[radesch1 · 10/10 · 23 November 2000]

I was a bit confused on who's son/daughter, was who's. That includes grand children. Maybe I'm getting old but I really had a hard time trying to figure out who belonged to whom. Probably because it was condensed from a long mini-series to a movie so one must take that into consideration and overlook it.

But, that aside this movie was excellently done. The cast was well chosen and did a very good job. However, the performances of Aiello and Mantegna were OUTSTANDING. I didn't realize, until this movie, just how good these two really were.

This movie is definetly on the par with Godfather and Goodfellows for substance and character.

If you want to see realistically how the mob worked and haven't see the aforementioned movies this one is a must.

Worth renting, buying and seeing again several times.

Decent Puzo Mob Mini-Series From Network TV

[bayardhiler · 8/10 · 25 January 2014]

With the way people are fascinated by the mob and organized crime these days, films about gangsters and mobsters are a dime a dozen. Some of these movies haven risen to the heights of movie glory ("The Godfather") while others not as much ("A Brooklyn State of Mind"). Then there are the gangster flicks that fall somewhere in between, like the 1997 CBS mini-series "The Last Don". Adapted from the novel of legendary "Godfather" author Mario Puzo, it centers around powerful mafia Don Clericuzio (played by Brooklyn native Danny Aiello) and the journey of his family through the decades. With his magnetic prescience, Danny Aiello is able to play the Don (in a rare starring role for him) as someone who not only has the wisdom and intelligence of an ancient tribal chief, but also as a baron or prince who will not hesitate to be ruthless when the occasion calls for it. In other words, he perfectly captures the type of Don that you'd expect to find in Mario Puzo's world. But the series isn't just about the Don, it's also about the journey of his family. Through the Don's narration and the film's series of events, we get a good look at the members of the family.

There's Pippi (Played wonderfully by Joe Mantegna), the Don's nephew and main enforcer; Cross (the competent Jason Gedrik), the Don's grandnephew and manager of the Vegas casino; Dante, the Don's blood thirsty and mentally disturbed grandson (Played very well with a punk like zeal by Rory Cochrane); Rose Marie (Played by the beautiful Kirstie Alley), the Don's mentally train wrecked daughter and mother of Dante; and Giorgio (Played with administrative zeal by David Marciano), the don's son and consigliere. In addition, the movie boasts an amazing cast that includes but is not limited to Daryl Hannah as Cross' love interest, Burt Young as one of the Don's lieutenants, Michelle Burke as Cross' tough lawyer sister, a pre-"Law and Order: SVU" Christopher Meloni, and Mike Starr. To be sure, the series does not quite capture the glory and splendor of "The Godfather" or any of the other mob epics, like "Goodfellas" or "Casino". In all fairness to the movie though, it was probably made on a low budget since it was after all, a mini-series for network television. Had it been made for theaters or for HBO or any of the other deep pocketed premium channels, it probably would have had a grander look. Never the less, the series is very memorable, due to the caliber of its actors and it's ability to tell a good mob story without the hard hitting violence and profanity that we're used to seeing in "The Godfather" or "The Sopranos". The story fascinated me so much, that I am interested in reading the novel. It's for these reasons, that I recommend "The Last Don" as not only an entertaining mob film, but also as a movie about the price of power and wealth. The movie is available on you tube as well as on DVD, which is strangely an Australian released disc but one that works in all regions. So watch, be entertained, and remember to always respect the Don.

Sorry to bust your balls, this is a dud

[safaribills · 3/10 · 3 November 2018]

I wasn't expecting anything to rival the Godfather, Goodfellas etc, but hoped at least for a 7/10 lesser known gem. I like Danny Aiello, I noticed that Angelo Badalamenti had provided the score, I spotted a few other actors in the cast that I'd enjoyed seeing in other films, such as Joe Mantegna (House of Games). Sadly, the dialogue has very little subtlety, much of the acting is poor, and the characters are underdeveloped. Even as someone who loves Italian-american Mafia films and is inclined to be more forgiving, I just can't recommend this.

The Last Don details the events of a mafia family crossing two generations.

[camocorner-1 · 10/10 · 12 July 2005]

I have watched this movie and the sequel several times and find it to be a well written and delivered movie. I truly enjoy watching this film each and every time I take it off the shelf. Jason Gedrick does an outstanding job as Cross as well as all the other actors. I feel this movie has many in-depth characters and each actor/actress does an excellent job of delivering their part. Unlike most movies, the sequel does take you beyond the first movie and is not just a boring remake of the first. I hope plans for a third are in the making as I look forward to seeing it. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a fantastic movie.

Terrible acting

[andassociates · 1/10 · 23 February 2017]

I remember seeing Danny Aiello in an interview, he was so proud when he said "I never had an acting lesson!! ",I thought no kidding Sherlock that's obvious and not something to boast when you suck. Can you imagine a musician saying i never had a teacher or practice I just play?

Extremely Powerful and entertaining

[MovieFan983 · 17 January 1999]

This was a great movie, that was powerful and entertaining. It's recommended to everyone who likes the Godfather or Mob movies. I give it a 9.5 out of 10. Rated TV-14 for some strong violence, language, and sexual content.

Not bad

[lucasvigor · 8/10 · 6 August 2022]

The story is very good. But the acting is not great and the lines aren't realistic or well written.. if The Godfather is the original Star Wars then the last Don is the Star Wars prequels.

Having said that, the story is interesting and enjoyable anyway, and Kirstie Alley absolutely makes the movie.. she is GREAT.

Rory Cochran also real shines as the sociopath, Dante Clericuzio.

Boring Movie Out of A Good Book

[ladyjane99 · 1/10 · 19 January 2003]

About the most boring movie ever made on the subject. The book was good, but wasn't transferred into a movie that would have held one's interest. Maybe it was the use of the Don himself as a narrator, maybe the flat performance of Danny Aiello, maybe the fact that none of the characters came out with any depth...whatever "it" was, it resulted in an uninteresting movie.

Seen it all before

[PeterJackson · 5/10 · 13 February 2000]

Probably quite good if you've never seen any of the Godfather movies before. Unfortunately, I have. And it's not that I'm a big fan of these films, but after having seen this series I really think it's hard to outdo them. I know, comparing this TV series to 3 all-time classics may seem an unlucky choice. But the story line is so familiar,the actors try so hard to imitate Pacino, Brando and co,etc. And Dany Aiello (who had a SMALL part in The Godfather!)and Joe Mantegna just aren't that good an actor to carry a whole series that's so familiar of The Godfather 1,2 and 3. 5/10

Lousy book=lousy film.

[yenlo · 30 June 1999]

I was in the process of reading the book as the movie was being televised. I taped it for future viewing until I finished the novel. The book was to say the least not one of Puzos best. Then I watched the movie on tape. It wasn't any better than the book. The overall story just didn't have that Mario Puzo Mafia "ZING" to it like The Godfather had so it left a talented corps of actors with little to work with.

BAD!, don't watch it... not a mafia movie, OK well it is, but it sux!

[PersianPlaya408 · 4/10 · 8 August 2005]

This film's 6.7 rating is exactly the thought behind the stereotype that gives us Mafia fans a bad name. This film is horrible! Most Horrible films have like under 5 ratings... this film was not believable at all, i mean i know its a mini series but i saw it on VHS and i was bored to death! The acting was not great although I like Joe Mantegna he is way worse than his great performance in Godfather 3 as Joey Zasa. Only average performance in this film was Rory Cochrane who was good but even he looked a bit silly. This film is not good at all, the writing is horrible, it is very cliché and copies godfather in so many ways its pitiful. The sets are horrible as well. 4/10