Men of Respect

Men of Respect is a 1990 crime drama film, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. It stars John Turturro as Mike Battaglia, a Mafia hitman who climbs his way to the top by killing his boss.

Men of Respect
Directed byWilliam Reilly
Produced byEphraim Horowitz
Written byWilliam Reilly
William Shakespeare
Starring
Music byMisha Segal
CinematographyBobby Bukowski
Edited byElizabeth Kling
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 1990 (1990-05) (France)
  • January 18, 1991 (1991-01-18) (U.S.)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Spanish
Box office$139,155[1]

The film also stars Rod Steiger, Stanley Tucci, Dennis Farina and Peter Boyle and is directed by William C. Reilly. It is not the first attempt to transplant MacBeth to the American mob culture; it was done in the 1955 film Joe MacBeth.

Plot

Mike Battaglia, a powerful lieutenant in the D’Amico crime family, executes a large-scale hit on the family's enemies, earning a promotion to caporegime and the undying respect of his boss, Don Charlie D'Amico. Despite the Don's generosity, however, Battaglia secretly resents D'Amico for passing him over as his successor.

At the instigation of Ruthie, his wife, Battaglia murders D'Amico and has his sons shipped off to Florida, clearing the way for him to assume control of the D'Amico family. He becomes an underworld despot, deciding to kill anyone he suspects as a threat to his power, including former ally Bankie Como and his unconnected son, Philly, who survives an assassination attempt.

At his coronation as boss, a drunken Battaglia alienates two more of the mob's powerful soldiers. Afraid that Battaglia's reign will spell the end of the D'Amico family, several of Battaglia's underlings desert him and ally themselves with D'Amico's eldest son, Mal.

Battaglia puts a hit out on his chief rival, Matt Duffy, but the assassins cannot find him, instead murdering his wife and son. Ruthie commits suicide out of guilt, which devastates Battaglia. Determined to get revenge for the death of his family, Duffy comes to kill Battaglia, who arrogantly proclaims that "no man of woman born" can harm him. Duffy responds that he was delivered via caesarian section, and therefore was not technically born of a woman. Disposing of Battaglia, he clears the way for Mal to assume control of the family.

Cast

Actor Role MacBeth equivalency
John Turturro Mike Battaglia Macbeth
Katherine Borowitz Ruthie Battaglia Lady Macbeth
Dennis Farina Bankie Como Banquo
Peter Boyle Matt Duffy Macduff
Rod Steiger Charlie D'Amico King Duncan
Stanley Tucci Mal Malcolm
Carl Capotorto Don Donalbain
Michael Badalucco Sal Seyton
Robert Modica Carmello Rossi Ross
David Thornton Philly Como Fleance
Dan Grimaldi Carmine Caithness
Joseph Carberry Leonetti Lennox
Richard Petrocelli Artie Angus
Edward Gallardo Manuel Menteith
Joseph Ragno Padrino Ricci Siward

References

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