The Don Is Dead (1973)

17% of users liked it
(138 ratings)

In this organized crime drama (one of many that came in the wake of The Godfather), Frank (Robert Forster) is the son of a mafia kingpin. He puts together a heroin deal with the assist of brothers Vince (Al Lettieri) and Tony (Frederic Forrest), but realizes that a snitch is present when gunmen… More In this organized crime drama (one of many that came in the wake of The Godfather), Frank (Robert Forster) is the son of a mafia kingpin. He puts together a heroin deal with the assist of brothers Vince (Al Lettieri) and Tony (Frederic Forrest), but realizes that a snitch is present when gunmen burst in and interrupt the drug deal. Shortly thereafter, Frank's father dies. The old man's rackets get divided between two mob families, one headed up by Don Angelo (Anthony Quinn) - but Vince and Tony refuse to follow Angelo's leadership. In the mean time, mob accountant Orlando (Charles Cioffi), whose boss, Don Bernardo (J. Duke Russo), is behind bars, devises and begins to execute a wild plan to bring himself to a position of power in the mob; he engineers a situation that will put Frank's sexy fiancee Ruby (Angel Tompkins) into the arms of Don Angelo, thereby sending Frank into a murderous rage. Cult figure Sid Haig has a supporting role as The Arab. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Richard Fleischer
Written By: Marvin H. Albert, Christopher Trumbo
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Nov 14, 1973 Wide
On DVD: Apr 5, 2005

Critic Reviews

Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
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.

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