In
the time between Eliot Ness and Rudy Giuliani (before he lost his mind), Edgar
D. Croswell was the great American gang-buster of his era. Although he later
served on New York State Organized Crime Task Force, he worked the biggest case
of his career as a New York State Trooper. In 1957, the mob threw a party in
upstate Apalachin, NY (not Appalachia) and Croswell was determined to give them
the reception they deserved. The dedicated lawman crashes the infamous
Apalachin Mafia summit meeting in Danny A. Abeckaser’s Mob Town, which
opens this Friday in New York.
Being
a heads-up lawman, Croswell smelled a rat when he pulled over an associate of
local bottling magnate and reputed mobster Joe Barbara, driving without a license.
However, a judge in the mob’s pocket kicked him loose and Croswell’s boss was content
to be rid of him. Of course, the whole sordid episode stirred Croswell
righteous indignation and focused his suspicions on Barbara. A year later,
Croswell’s on-and-off surveillance paid off when he observed Barbara buying
suspiciously large quantities of meat, fish, and booze.
Having
just solidified his position as boss of New York, New York (by whacking the
interlopers), Vito Genovese wants to take a leadership position among his
peers, so decided to call a summit someplace way off the beaten path. Barbara’s
Apalachin home fit the bill perfectly. However, the mid-level mobster is about
as subtle as a Joe Pesci character hopped up on Red Bull and amphetamines, so
his manic preparations inevitable attract Croswell’s attention.
The
real-life story of Croswell and the Apalachin meeting (which really did happen pretty
much the way Jon Carlo & Joe Gilford’s screenplay depicts) is absolutely
fascinating. However, as a work of cinema, Mob Town is a low-impact,
overly safe endeavor. There is never much tension to speak of, but there is way
too much slack, especially in the sluggish first act. Still, Abeckaser and his
design team manage to give the film a strikingly stylish retro-period look and
vibe. In terms of the cars, costumes, trappings, and settings, they
over-achieve working within their indie budget constraints.
It
is hard to say whether Abeckaser the supporting actor (who had a small part in The
Irishman) is his own best ally or worst enemy, but you have to give him props
for the energy and commitment of his over-the-top fuggedaboutit performance as Barbara.
He also has some spirited chemistry with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, playing Barbara’s knowing
and complicit wife, Josephine. Similarly, the great Robert Davi chews the
scenery with relish as Genovese.
On
the other hand, David Arquette falls back on his likable Deputy Dewey shtick
from the Scream franchise, portraying Croswell as a bit of a
stout-hearted lunkhead. His scenes shyly courting a local widow (played by
Jennifer Esposito) are also bit too slow and too saccharine. Plus, the bumbling
comedic relief provided by Croswell’s fellow trooper, Vincent Vasisko, is so problematic,
it nearly undercuts the film’s inherent believability.
Abeckaser
and company deserve credit for recognizing the significance of Croswell’s story
and trying their best to popularize it. Nevertheless, Mob Town is still
best described as a workmanlike effort. Not much of the film is likely to stick
with viewers, aside from some of Abeckaser’s yelling and kvetching. Mob Town
is not really recommended, but sure, there are worse ways to spend 90
minutes. It opens tomorrow (12/13) in New York, at the Cinema Village.
