Avenging Angelo (2002)

*Get the film on Amazon here*

With the terrific success of "The Sopranos," and with "Married to the Mob" and "Prizzi's Honor" lurking in their collective subconscious, the film makers behind "Avenging Angelo" had some big cement shoes to fill, or I should say, fail to fill.

Angelo (Anthony Quinn) is a dying mob boss accompanied by his faithful bodyguard Frankie (Sylvester Stallone). Years before, Angelo fathered a daughter, Jennifer (Madeleine Stowe), but gave her up to a childless family. A contract had been put out on any child Angelo may have, so he and Frankie kept their distance but always kept an eye on Jennifer, who grew up to be a rich, neurotic housewife married to jerk Kip (Harry Van Gorkum). Angelo gets whacked, Frankie is injured, and he goes to Jennifer to tell her the truth about her real father, and protects her as hitmen begin hunting her down. Author Marcello (Raoul Boya) enters Jennifer's life, sweeping her off her feet. Frankie's love stays unrequited as Jennifer decides to take out a hit on the man responsible for Angelo's death.

What the DVD cover for the film doesn't tell you is this tries to be a comedy, and I emphasize the word "tries." Stallone is very likable as Frankie, and Quinn is sympathetic in his last role. Stowe throws herself completely into the film, giving us her most memorable character since "12 Monkeys" and "The Last of the Mohicans." It's a shame the film tries too hard to cram every funny idea it has into ninety-seven minutes, because snappier editing might have helped. Jokes about Jennifer's adoptive dad's homosexuality, a running gag about Frankie disposing of bodies at Jennifer's mansion, a gassy hitman- none of them land. Jennifer's first "hit" takes too long, and comes at a weird time in the film. The story never progresses smoothly as characters and situations are hurriedly introduced and executed, as if a treatment and not a screenplay was filmed.

It's easy to see why "Avenging Angelo" went straight to video, and probably resides in the Action section of your streaming service, thanks to the misleading poster art. Forget Angelo, I want my ninety-seven minutes avenged.

Stats:
(2002) 97 min. (* *) out of five stars
-Directed by Martyn Burke
-Screenplay by William Porter & Steve Mackall, Story by William Porter
-Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Madeleine Stowe, Anthony Quinn, Harry Van Gorkum, Raoul Boya, Billy Gardell, George Touliatos, Angelo Celeste, Ezra Perlman, Carin Moffat, John Gilbert, Dawn Greenhalgh, Angelo Tsarouchas
(R)