The Don Is Dead

The Don Is Dead is a 1973 American gangster film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Anthony Quinn, Frederic Forrest, Robert Forster, Al Lettieri, Angel Tompkins, and Charles Cioffi. It is based on the 1972 novel by Marvin H. Albert (under the pen name 'Nick Quarry'), who also co-wrote the film with Christopher Trumbo and Michael Butler.^[2]

The film was released by Universal Pictures on November 14, 1973, to mixed reviews.

Frank Regalbuto is the ambitious son of mafioso Don Paolo Regalbuto. He plans a heroin deal with the help of Tony Fargo and his brother Vince. But when a gangland snitch secretly tips off the cops, Frank's drug deal results in a violent gun battle, which Frank and the Fargos narrowly survive. Later, on discovering who set them up, Frank learns of his father's death due to illness.

A meeting called among the various mob families to select a new Don to succeed Paolo. It is decided that Frank, still too young to take over for his dead father, will instead learn the business under the wing of his father's lifelong friend, Don Angelo DiMorra. In doing so, Angelo becomes a sort of protector to the future Don.

Unfortunately, Angelo begins an illicit romance with Frank's young and beautiful fiancée Ruby Dunne. This sends the hot-tempered Frank into a self-destructive rage. He beats Ruby so badly she has to be hospitalized. She informs Don Angelo, who swears vengeance against Frank. Miraculously, Frank survives the attempt on his life. But the incident causes everyone to choose sides, and a bloody, all-out war is waged in the streets.

Credits from the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.^[2]

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, The Don is Dead holds a 60% positive rating, based on five reviews.^[3]

A.H. Weiler of The New York Times was positive: "Expertise, if not imagination, is evident in the explosive, action-oriented direction of Richard Fleischer... The Don Is Dead has the attributes of some lively, pithily accented performances that are adult and effectively natural. Among these are Forrest, as the brainly hood who attempts to escape the racket, but winds up a don, Al Lettieri, as his roughhewn, dependent, ill-fated brother, and Forster, as the rising, vengeful muscleman who is eventually cut down. As the embattled don who is finally felled by a stroke, not a gun, Quinn is moodily menacing and as polished and relaxed as a professional long familiar with this sort of role."^[4]

Chuck O'Leary of Fulvue Drive-In called it "A fun gangster potboiler made to cash in on the success of The Godfather. Full of shootings, double crosses, polyester and big '70s gas-guzzling cars."^[3]

Kevin Wight of The Wee Review gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing "For all the talent at work, it's ultimately forgettable, though plenty entertaining in the moment."^[5]

• The Don Is Dead at IMDb
• The Don Is Dead at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
• The Don Is Dead at Letterboxd
• The Don Is Dead at Rotten Tomatoes