“American Godfathers: The Five Families” (2024) / Z-View

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American Godfathers: The Five Families (2024)

Director:

  • Pouria Baladi, Jason Wright (eps. 1-3)

Teleplay:

  • Selwyn Raab (eps. 1-3)

Narrator: Michael Imperioli

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Members of the Sicilian Mafia immigrate to America and set-up  shop in New York City.  Prohibition provides opportunities for increased wealth and power.  There is a tradition of honor and omerta (a strict code of silence and non-cooperation with legal authorities) that protects the crime families.

As time passes and American born crime bosses rise, the old traditions are lost.  Some mafia bosses are more concerned with their personal wealth and public persona.  This attracts attention from the FBI and politicians.

The FBI uses RICO statutes for the first time to bring down mafia families.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Michael Imperioli is an excellent choice to narrate the series.

The series does an excellent job of covering the century of organized crime.  While there isn’t much new ground broken, there is a lot of acreage to cover.

American Godfathers: The Five Families (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.