The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight |  | Director: James Goldstone
Actors: Jerry Orbach, Leigh Taylor-Young, Jo Van Fleet, Lionel Stander, Robert De Niro
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $4.56
as of 3/18/2010 00:52 EDT details
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Seller: inetvideo
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 21038
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D67821D
UPC: 012569678217
EAN: 0012569678217
ASIN: B000ERVK3U
Theatrical Release Date: 1971
Release Date: June 20, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Take a glance at the credits and you'll see that director James Goldstone's 1971 comedy The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is the work of some mighty impressive names. Screenwriter Waldo Salt had already won an Oscar for Midnight Cowboy, and would go on to write Coming Home and Serpico. Jimmy Breslin, upon whose book the movie is based, was a celebrated New York newspaper columnist. The cast includes a young Robert DeNiro, Jerry Orbach (decades before being unforgettably cast as Det. Lennie Briscoe in Law & Order), film veteran Lionel Stander, the very appealing Leigh Taylor-Young, and even Herve Villechaize (yes, Tattoo from Fantasy Island, except here his every line of dialogue has been dubbed by someone without an accent). Unfortunately, the film is decidedly less than the sum of its parts. The cast acquits itself adequately, notwithstanding some heavy-handed stereotypes (Jo Van Fleet, as the Orbach character's knife-happy mama, wears out her welcome early in the first reel). But Goldstone's background was mostly in television, and he handles the film with a heavy hand more suited to a bad sit-com. The story, such as it is, concerns the efforts of the hapless Kid Sally Palumbo (Orbach) and his dumb cronies to usurp mob boss Baccala's (Stander) power. Sally and his gang are inept--it's they, not Baccala, who keep getting knocked off--but not as lame as the movie, which relies on obvious gags, poorly-timed physical shtick, and an unconvincing romance between DeNiro's Italian bike racer-con man and Taylor-Young's Angela (as Sally's sister, although she's about as Italian as Mary Tyler Moore). Some of the bits are amusing, especially those featuring a lion (don't ask) in Sally's charge, but by and large, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is a dull disappointment. The DVD includes no bonus material. --Sam Graham
Product Description
Beppo Ezmo Mario...uh-oh! When Kid Sally and his gang of goodfellas come up with a plan to grab a piece of the mob action it'll be a no-brainer. The screen version of newspaperman Jimmy Breslin's best-selling comic novel about a Brooklyn turf war has all chambers firing. Jerry Orbach (Law & Order) plays Kid Sally a small-timer aiming for the big time by targeting rival Baccala (raspy-voiced Lionel Stander). And on-the-rise screen giant Robert De Niro plays Mario posing as a priest in the Kid's scheme to give Last Rites to Baccala. It's the perfect crime. Planned by perfect idiots.Running Time: 96 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 012569678217 Manufacturer No: 67821
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Stays true to the source novel. March 17, 2010
Claud E. Morris (SE USA)
A book by an Irish-American writer about Italian-Americans may seem to have ethnic problems. Put the accent on "American", and it makes sense. The movie version, now on DVD, follows the book closely. One of the movie's selling points now is the early look at the work of a very young Robert Di Nero, who had just been turned down for a role in the origional [b]THE GODFATHER. It's full of raunchy humor, ethnic digs aimed at laughs, and it achieves that goal. I enjoyed Jimmy Brislen's novel in the 1960s, and I enjoyed seeing this version.
a fun movie with great acting February 28, 2010
Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight has very good acting; and although it's funny it's still not quite as funny as I hoped. The gags are, for the most part, good but the acting is better still; we get a rare comic turn from a very young Robert De Niro and other actors including Jerry Orbach are wonderfully convincing in their roles. In addition, the cinematography and the choreography really lack nothing; these two things are done very well. The movie flows along at a good pace, all right; but there are just not enough really big laughs to bat this out of the ballpark and make it a true classic comedy.
When the action starts, we quickly meet several people: there's Mafia boss Baccala (Lionel Stander) with his buddies including "Water Buffalo" (Frank Campanella). There's also Kid Sally (Jerry Orbach), who is working on a bicycle race project for Baccala (don't ask) and Kid Sally is on pretty good terms with other members of Baccala's group including Beppo (Hervé Villechaize). The bicycle race brings many contestants from Italy; and one of them is the incredibly streetwise Mario (Robert De Niro).
However, all does not go well. The bicycle race is canceled after the wooden indoor track is not completed; and Baccala tells Kid Sally that from now on Kid Sally will only be his chauffeur--and nothing else, no chance for climbing the ladder inside the Mafia world. This certainly does not please Kid Sally's mother Big Momma (Jo Van Fleet, who does this role wonderfully); although his sister Angela (Leigh Taylor-Young) doesn't seem to care.
To make a long story short without spoilers, Mario from Italy strikes up a relationship with Angela; and Kid Sally recruits some of Baccala's men to organize an all-out gang war in Brooklyn where Baccala's offices are located. The scenes between Mario and Angela are funny and sweet at once; and Mario's desire for all things American quickly comes to light. In addition, once the gang war starts there are opportunities for funny moments as things don't always go exactly as planned despite the fact that Kid Sally and his men have a lion to terrorize people!
Look also for good performances by Philip Sterling as District Attorney Goodman; Jack Kehoe as a bartender; Irving Selbst as "Big Jelly" and Roy Shuman as the Mayor of New York City. Dorothi Fox has a cameo as a meter maid and Fran Stevens also has a cameo as Baccala's wife.
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight may not be the funniest film I've ever seen; but it's far from being an absolute dud. I would recommend this for fans of the actors in the movie; and people who like dark comedies might also want to consider this for their collections.
 Warning: Edited for Political Correctness February 9, 2010
Jane Austen Fan (Pasadena, California)
I purchased this DVD for my Dad at his request (he is of Sicilian ancestry) and he thought the original movie was hilarious.
Unfortunately, this version has the best parts snipped out. Remember when the mother is surprised by the discussion of the Neopolitanos? And then she shrugs her shoulders and says "They'a nice'a pepul, too!" That's gone.
Remember when the father keeps having the mother go out and start his car all through the film, just in case someone put a bomb in it? And obviously he doesn't care if it kills mamacita. And then at the end, she goes out to start the car, it fires right up and nothing happens. Then papa goes out, gets in, and takes off and BOOM! Well, thats'a gone, too! When the film originally came out, the audience roared in delight at that one.
Wait to buy it until they get an unedited version out. My Dad was really disappointed. And that hurt me!!!!!
 funny movie October 1, 2008
Douglas Schifter (Thornhurst, Pa. USA)
loved this movie. I remembered it from the time it first was in theaters but never saw the DVD anywhere. The stereotypes are hysterical.
C'est terrible February 18, 2008
Shaolin Warrior (Brooklyn Zoo)
I've read Jimmy Breslin's book on which this movie was based. The book is at least 10 times better than the movie. The book, which was great, has been so dissected here to make this very bad film. I cannot begin to understand how such a good story could result in such tripe. Robert DeNiro was very young and naive to agree to be any part of this, and it pains me to watch such a great actor be involved in this .
Here are a few things in particular that make this such a disappointment. First, when you read the book Breslin goes into great detail about what happens in certain parts of the story. You'd think whoever wrote the screenplay would have taken this into account, but neglects to for some kind of convenience, or thinking that whoever sees this won't appreciate it. Second, DeNiro's character in the book decides to stay in New York to pursue an art career. They forego this aspect of his character in the movie, and you wonder why. This gives his character some added dimension in the book, and he encounters some interesting people because of this. Instead Mario (who DeNiro plays) is just made out to be a petty thief. Third, the Kid Sally Palombo character is diluted in the movie. In the book you really get a sense of who this guy is, and his importance in the story, as with some of his cohorts. In the film they're all just a bunch of keystone cop kind of wiseguys.
I don't know if this review will help anyone. If you don't believe me, read the highly entertaining book then watch this, or vice versa. If you read the book first, prepare for disappointment when you see the film. This story offered a lot of potential and was dumbed down to make a film.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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