Massacre Mafia Style Blu-ray + DVD Combo

A wonderful tribute to a truly idiosyncratic talent. Sadly, Duke Mitchell died fairly young (55) of lung cancer. Don't smoke, Paisans.Directed, written and starring Duke Mitchell, better known as a musician, and after seeing this movie, you’ll still know him better as a musician, is a mafia movie that certainly feels gritty and realistic, but man, does the story jump all over the place! I could barely follow what the h**"was going on, as you have sudden time jumps of several years, which is only explained by having Duke Mitchell’s hair turn gray. It’s a wonderful mess of a film, but you know what, it has a low budget charm that sticks with you long after the credits roll. In fact, the charm you will stick with you that much longer if you buy the Grindhouse Releasing Blu-ray, as the disc is a love letter to Duke Mitchell, with plenty of other surprises I’ll get into the features in the features section below.YOU’RE IN, OR YOU’RE IN THE WAY!Italian-American actor and nightclub singer Duke Mitchell wrote, produced, directed and starred in this homemade answer to THE GODFATHER, self-financed with earnings from his career as the self-proclaimed “Mr. Palm Springs.” Previously best known (I'd like to think the two GH releases changes this) for his Martin and Lewis act with Sammy Petrillo as seen in BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA, Duke plays the ruthless son of a Mafia kingpin who blasts his way through Hollywood on a bloody crime spree. Promising “more guts, more action, more dynamite” than the Mario Puzo gangster classic, MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE delivers an onslaught of low-budget mayhem unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Grindhouse Releasing proudly presents the definitive release of one of (non-horror) the most violent movie ever made.As previously mentioned, Duke Mitchell (also seen in a film by porn director, Anthony Spinelli, and voiced and episode of The Flintstones) stars in his directorial début as Mimi Miceli, the son of Mafia Kingpin, Don Mimi. Don was exiled out of the US and his son, Mimi (Mitchell) wants to go back to Hollywood and take over the mafia scene, but in order to do so, he has to leave his father and young son back in Sicily. Without hesitation, Mimi leaves for the sunny land of fake personalities and quickly gets connected with the head of the mafia, Chucky Tripoli. The way he does it is pretty interesting, although, rather excessive if you ask me. Without spoiling it, an appendage is removed and after a couple shakes of hands and a few fake smiles later, he is in the good graces of the mafia group. From there the film jumps ahead several years, without telling you, and interjects a bunch of random scenes involving singing, shooting random people and filming pornography, cause you know, a man has to go the straight and narrow after killing so many people. After Mimi becomes bored with the porno scene, he finds out that the people he trusted is trying to kill him and he goes on a rampage, resulting in some amazing scenes of carnage and epic monologues about crime, mafia families, the Italians, and a bunch of racist material. Also stars Cara Salerno - veteran of several Nudie Cuties and Roughies - including several by Russ Meyer!Massacre Mafia Style doesn’t make a lick of sense, and by God, I love it for just that reason. It’s like Duke Mitchell just took a bunch of different things he saw as a child growing up (the electrocution/urinal scene is based in reality, allegedly.) and put them in the movie, hoping it would work. It does. This movie is a blast - I haven't been so entertained in recent memory. It’s certainly "bad" but the charm of terrible acting, a nutty, incoherent story and an ending that comes out of left field, or Mars, makes it one movie that is worth checking out - ideally with a bunch of pals.The Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing is quite the wonder to behold. A lot of work went into improving the video and audio of Massacre Mafia Style and a big bravo needs to be given. The film is looking absolutely fantastic, especially when you compare it to the included trailer, which shows a film full of dirt and scratches. There is still a bit of dirt here and there, but nothing that detracts from your enjoyment of this meatball. The audio fares just as well, packing a nice punch and delivering that wonderfully inappropriate soundtrack through your speakers. No subtitles, however.Special Features for Massacre Mafia Style are many, although not much is actually about the movie you just watched. The features mostly focus on Duke Mitchell and his personal and professional life. I would have loved to have learned more about the movie (a commentary track would have been welcome, but for anyone that wants to know anything about Duke, you’ll be in heaven here. You have a terrific documentary (roughly 43 minutes - I wish it was longer) that interviews Duke’s son, Jeffrey Mitchell (toured the U.K. with Suzi Quarto, Slade and more) and goes deep into Duke’s life. (A showbiz who's who - too many celebrities to mention - The Manson Family even puts in an appearance!) Duke's opinion of Jimi Hendrix will peel the paint on the walls. Yikes! The interview does a good job addressing the films un-PC/ racism. The doc, if lengthened, would be a feature film worth buying as a stand-alone disc. Great stills, archival footage and all around production values makes this one of the best "extras" I've seen.Also, a slew of home videos, a short interview (10 minutes) with exploitation legend (and this films co-star)actor/director/ producer Matt Cimber and co-star Jim Lobianco, which is probably the only feature on here that goes into any sort of detail about the making and marketing of the movie; numerous still galleries, trailers, radio spots, filmographies and lots more. It’s quite a list of stuff included, which you can see below, however, there is one feature I need to point out, the aforementioned, Cara Salerno, who stars in the movie and bares her “talents”, has a filmography included as a feature and inside you have the option to view a nude photo gallery of her. It’s a sight to behold! Also included in her (impressive!) filmography is a trailer for a movie she starred in: a 60’s, roughie titled Space Thing (it takes place in 2069. Rimshot).Stunning digital restoration of the original mono soundtrack. (No subtitles, though.)Interviews with Jeffrey Mitchell, Frankie Ray, George Jacobs, Jim LoBianco, and exploitation legend Matt CimberAlmost one full hour of never-before-seen Duke Mitchell home moviesLost audio recording – Duke Mitchell Live in Concert, June 9, 1960Bonus TV special – AN IMPRESSIONISTIC TRIBUTE TO JIMMY DURANTEExtensive still galleries, radio spots, and theatrical trailerDuke Mitchell Filmography (lots of surprises!)Cara Salerno Filmography and nude gallery!!!Glossy booklet containing liner notes by veteran cult movie journalist David SzulkinSpectacular new cover painting by renowned Los Angeles cult artist Dave Lebow“Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla” (74 minutes) – Feature length movie starring Duke Mitchell and Bela LugosiOther Grindhouse Releasing Trailers (14 trailers)BD-ROM Content – Scripts and high-res photo scansAs you can see, the Blu-ray of Massacre Mafia Style from Grindhouse Releasing is jammed full, almost bursting out of its Blu-ray case. The movie itself is certainly a cheesy mafia affair, but one that is fun just because it’s so completely insane. Duke Mitchell should be proud of what he produced and if he was alive today, he would be amazed at the fantastic job Grindhouse Releasing did on this Blu-ray. A perfect pickup for anyone interested in having a great time.

Painfully racist and pseudo profound b movie with long cloying speeches and a despicable central character. Why do I give it five stars? Well in spite of what I just said, there is something irresistibly energetic, charming, and fun about this campy bloodbath of a grindhouse mob movie. It is frankly impossible that Tarantino wasn't influenced by this. Misguided, ridiculous, absurdly violent and somehow just...fun. Faggedabaddit.

Grindhouse releasing packed this disc with great extras, including Duke Mitchells first movie role in Bella Lugosi meets a Brooklyn Gorilla and several notable features. They did a great transfer of the film as well.The film itself is actually really good. I expected to sit through a really goofy home made movie but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the movie. Duke Mitchell is great as the lead role his speeches do start to get long winded and mess with the flow of the film, and while all the supporting cast are sort of lacking in their acting ability they all have real moments that showcase potential, especially Duke Mitchells best friend and girlfriend in the film. The film is also edited a bit weird and that also messes with the flow of the film, but even with that Massacre Mafia Style is the best home made mafia film.

I thought I would like it a lot more than I did. A lot of hard to explain stuff happens but this seems to be a movie it is better to watch as a group so you have someone to share the film with and exclaim when the next weird thing happens.

First, a warning about this film: This is a raw 1970s exploitation film with all kinds of politically incorrect values, opinions and whatnot else. Lots of violence, sex and nudity. If this isn't your cup of tea, now would be a good time to move on.Having said that, I really liked the movie. Duke Mitchell wrote, directed and starred in what was obviously a project he believed in greatly. Filmed on a shoestring with occasional shaky acting (except from Mitchell himself, whose enthusiasm makes one overlook a lot of the movie's deficiencies), it still has panache and chutzpah to burn. Mitchell's protagonist Mimi Micelli has several long self-absorbed monologues on the lost honor of the Italian people, but it only adds to the charm. This is definitely a film of its time.The picture is incredible: forget the fuzzy trailers and clips you've seen on YouTube: apart from the very occasional camera blurriness, this film looks like it was shot yesterday. The only complaint is a lack of subtitles or captions.As good as the movie is, the special features are even better. There's an almost hour-long retrospective of Duke Mitchell's life, tons of home movies including an audio performance of an entire 1960 Duke Mitchell concert (think Dean Martin with just a touch of Sammy Davis' manic energy), a bunch of trailers for other 70s exploitation films (including Mitchell's own upcoming "Gone With the Pope" Blu-ray release), and the entire 1950s film "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla," featuring Lugosi (obviously), Mitchell, and low-rent Jerry Lewis wannabe Sammy Petrillo.Highly recommended for anyone who likes 1970s films, mafia films, or grindhouse films in general.