Universal Pictures’ response to the huge success of Paramount’s The Godfather was this mean shoot-em-up mafia vengeance story that could’ve been out of the 1930’s were it not for the merciless cruelty and buckets of blood depicted. Helmed by ace genre master Richard Fleischer and scored by the inimitable Jerry Goldsmith, The Don is Dead stars Anthony Quinn as the head of a crime organization who oversees a tenuous peace, but ignites a gang war with his heir apparent (New Bev favorite Robert Forster) over the love of a beautiful singer. Power abhors a vacuum and every hot headed gangster in town wants a piece of what’s coming to them!
Marc Edward Heuck writes about The Don is Dead on the New Beverly blog.
Sean Fennessey writes about The Don is Dead on the New Beverly blog.
