Men of Respect

Starring:John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz, Dennis Farina, Peter Boyle, Lilia Skala, Steven Wright, Rod Steiger, Stanley Tucci, Carl Capotorto, Michael Badalucco, Robert Modica, David Thornton, Michael Sergio, Tony Gigante, Dan Grimaldi, Joseph Carberry, John Gallagher, Richard Petrocelli, Jeff Mazzola, Joe Paparone
Director: William Reilly
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A fatally ambitious gangland enforcer (John Turturro) collides with destiny after following the murderous advice of three fortunetellers and his shrewish wife . . . does any of this sound familiar, Shakespeare fans?

Amazon.com

A fatally ambitious gangland enforcer (John Turturro) collides with destiny after following the murderous advice of three fortunetellers and his shrewish wife . . . does any of this sound familiar, Shakespeare fans?

While this occasionally effective, mostly hilarious drama may not be the first film to transplant the tragedy of Macbeth to a modern-day milieu (that honor goes to a 1955 obscurity with the wonderfully blatant title of Joe Macbeth), it's surely the most brazenly literal, with a jaw-dropping amount of anachronistic boogying by cast and crew. (Viewers familiar with the Bard are advised not to drink milk during the reworking of Lady M's famous "Out, damn spot" soliloquy, lest they run the risk of having said dairy product forcibly eject itself via nasal passage.) The result is a failed experiment to be sure, but a well-acted (especially by Dennis Farina and the perfectly cast Steven Wright as the Gatekeeper), oddly watchable one all the same. An altogether more successful reimagining of the source material can be found with Akira Kurosawa's masterful Throne of Blood. --Andrew Wright

Customer Reviews:

a little more on shakespeare in the movie.......2006-07-26

Just an addition to what some people have already said: part of the wonder of this movie is that it is so clearly based on Shakespeare's Scottish play, but--to my recollection at least--not one line is from Shakespeare. Yet they get the pacing and feel, the essential creepiness even, down pat. When the underling comes to report the shoot out towards the beginning (ie the "bloody man" who comes to tell Duncan the news of the battle at the beginning of Shakespeare's play), even the rhythm seems to carry through. Wonderful job. Eerie.

shakespeare on the mean streets.......2006-03-24

This film is a very good interpretation of Shakespeare's MacBeth, transplanting it into the New York Italian American mafioso setting. John Tutturo is intense as usual as Mikey Battaglia. Peter Boyle as Irish mob boss Duffy (MacDuffy) is the final obstacle that Mikey can't clear. Especially good is the way in which Shakespeare's language has been preserved, if modified, into current day vernacular. "He has honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions..." becomes "He's given me honor and respect here, and people are sayin' good things about me. I want it should last." Even the off beat humor of the Porter has been preserved, with a nice low key turn by Steven Wright. Students who enjoy the Sopranos will dig this film.

Men of Respect.......2004-03-18

Men of Respect is an excellent movie. It has so many similarities and some differences to the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by Shakespeare. I would have to say the number one similarity of the two would be the characters' names. Such as Macbeth, in the movie Men of Respect, his characters' name is Michael Battaglia, and the similarity would be they have the same initials. Then there is Banquo who is Bankie Como, Macduff is Duffy, Lady Macbeth is Lady Battaglia, and so on. In the movie, as in the play, there are witches who give Macbeth and Michael prophesies. The only difference is that in the movie they are called fortunetellers. There are still three of them but instead of the three weird sisters it is a mom, pop, and son, and they are in a backroom fortuneteller's parlor, and they watch a television show on cooking a lambs head, where in the play the witches have a cauldron, which is a large kettle or boiling plot, and they actually cook a lambs head in it. Some more would be the murder of King Duncan, or as in the movie Padrion D' Amico, who is the Godfather of the mafia. Lady Macbeth and Lady Battaglia both persuade Macbeth and Michael into mudering him and are both power hungry. Lady Battaglia has visions of stains of blood, as did Lady Macbeth, but instead of saying "Out, out damn spot!" when Lady Macbeth sees the blood, Lady Battalia starts throwing linen from the tables of the restaurant off and onto the floor saying that they are dirty and have stains on them. The only real big difference is when Macduff's family is killed. He is there and the murdereres are with him, and he is on the pone while the mom and son are in the are and they start the car and it blows up. Then there is when Lady Battaglia kills herself, Michael actually cares, where Macbeth did not care too much. Other then that, there was a lot of similarities as of what they said and did throughout the movie. I recommend the movie to anyone who does not understand Macbeth because this movie truly helps and gives better definition and understanding to the play The Tragedy of Macbeth.

A brilliant reworking--don't listen to the "experts".......2001-11-17

John Turturro pulls out all stops here in this gangster version of Macbeth in the 'title' role (Michael Battaglia), ably complemented by his real-life wife, Katharine Borowitz as Lady Macbeth/Mrs. Battaglia. Also contributing with great performances are Rod Steiger as the aging mob chieftain (the King), Peter Boyle, Dennis Farina, Stanley Tucci, and, in an inspired bit of casting, comic Stephen Wright. The performances are truly riveting. It's a shame that the 'expert' critics can't see the power and ingenuity of this film.

Far more than a shlock version of Shakespeare's masterpiece, it's an intense, flawless work, updating the Bard's lines with the brutal lingo of the mob. William Reilly, the writer-director, also co-wrote Mortal Thoughts, another sadly overlooked razor-sharp film. And he really knows how to write; the script here allows the performances to be as great as they are.

Don't pay attention to Leonard's totally-missing-the-boat words of condemnation. In fact, I would say, Out, out, damned Leonard. Rent this movie--better yet, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Leonard Maltin [once again] left clueless.......2001-09-07

This film is flawless. Don't let the TRULY pretentious Shakespeare snobbery of the reviewers put you off if you're fans of the mob genre or the greatest writer of all time. Done with a more modest indie budget, it compares equally with "Goodfellas" or any other example you care to name and the Shakespearean quality remains in the timelessness of human lust for power. Maltin's talking about flashlights shows a genuine density of insight, as the character is actually wandering at night in a trance of insanity. Its not about sleeping disorders, Leonard!

Turturro by the way gives this film his best performance ever and all the casting is outstanding.

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