Boss of Bosses

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Tomatometer
Not Yet Available

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: N/A

62%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 170

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2

How did you get your ticket?
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you get your ticket?
- Fandango
- AMC (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Cinemark (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Regal (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Bought somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?

You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?

Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?

Boss of Bosses Photos

View All Photos (1)

Movie Info

Dwight H. Little's Boss of Bosses is a biopic of former crime boss Paul Castellano. Unlike many real-life and movie crime lords, Castellano (embodied by Chazz Palminteri) kept drugs out of his organization and strove to legitimize his empire. This film aired originally on TNT, making the language and violence much more toned down than one might expect. The movie would make an interesting double feature with Gotti, the biopic of the man who followed Castellano as the head of the Gambino crime family. Palminteri does a fine job with the complex role. His co-stars include Jay O. Sanders and former Murder One star Daniel Benzali.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Drama, Television
Directed By:

Dwight H. Little
In Theaters:

Sep 4, 1999 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Oct 23, 2001
Runtime:

93 minutes
Studio:

TNT Original

Cast

Chazz Palminteri
as Paul Castellano

Angela Alvarado
as Gloria Olarte

Jay O. Sanders
as Joseph O'Brien

Clancy Brown
as Andris Kurins

Michael A. Miranda
as Roy DeMeo

Daniel Benzali
as Bruce Mouw

Richard Foronjy
as Tommy Bilotti

Mark Margolis
as Piney Armone

Dayton Callie
as Neil Dellacroce

Patricia Mauceri
as Nina Castellano

Al Ruscio
as Carlo Gambino

Sonny Marinelli
as John Gotti

Philip Williams
as Nino Gaggi

Steven Bauer
as Vito Genovese

Yani Gellman
as Young Paul Castellano

William De Meo
as Young Carlo Gambino

Louis Di Bianco
as Joey Bazzini

Renato Rizzuti
as Marco

View All

Critic Reviews for Boss of Bosses

All Critics (1) | Top Critics (1) | Rotten (1)

Bosses...answers no questions about Castellano and his motivations or even explains his intense dislike of rising mobster John Gotti or why he saw a life for himself in the arms of his Colombian housekeeper, Gloria.

Feb 23, 2012 | Full Review…

Phil Gallo
Variety
Top Critic

View All Critic Reviews (1)

Audience Reviews for Boss of Bosses

Apr 13, 2012

As a lover of mob films, I was disappointed with Boss of Bosses, a lackluster biopic of Paul Castellano. It succumbs to conventional storytelling, with no real sense of energy or genuine character dynamics, simply scenes of exposition interspersed with back-story. Chazz Palminteri did what he could, but ultimately the script didn't give him much to go off of. In the end, the viewer knows more about the life of Castellano, but receives no real insight into the man. The story line involving John Gotti was also horribly and dully handled, while it should have been the main narrative drive. 2/4 Stars

Jeffrey M Super Reviewer
Aug 06, 2011

Boss of Bosses is a little known made for TV movie. Despite the fact that it is a different cast and crew, it was intended as a prequel, to 1996's Gotti, telling the story of Paul Castellano. Castellano was known as the brains behind the mafia's 1980's re-emergence. He believed more in white collar crime, than in organized crime. Castellano was old school and a smart man, the film portrays him as such, but it also tries to play down the fact that he was a criminal who stole millions and hurt a lot of people. Chazz Palminteri was amazing, he was made for roles like this, and shines once again as a hardened, but loveable criminal. As for the film, it's apparently very accurate, and tells you a lot about a private man, that we generally don't hear much about. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The fact that it was made for TV and lacked the nudity and the F bombs, didn't really matter, it was still a very enjoyable film and an excellent companion to Gotti.

Todd S Super Reviewer