Wise Guys (1986)

Wonderful character development!

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This movie got panned by the critics, but we saw it anyway. No, it's not some sidesplitting classic, it is only a mild comedy...as it was meant to be.Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo are dimwitted mob lackeys looked down upon by all the others. DeVito has to do things such as start one mobster's car which might contain a bomb in it-and there is a funny sequence when he looks around 360 degrees and everyone around is running away. But the lackeys do have higher ambitions, so when they are ordered to place a $250,000 bet at a racetrack expecting it to be lost anyway, they put it on a different horse, hoping to win-and not knowing the race had been fixed previously. Both are in trouble with their bosses for this, of course-but what irks the bosses worse is that the lackeys are more loyal to each other than to them, so that each is given a contract to kill the other.But instead, they decide to steal one boss's prized antique Cadillac and escape to Atlantic City, deliberately ruining it, as one lackey has a mobster uncle who might rescue them. Once there, DeVito decides he can still defy his bosses, as he is now far away from their base of operations.Indeed, DeVito gives an enthusiastic performance while Piscopo draws a blank. You actually root for the lackeys to possibly defeat their overlords-can they do it? The story's fast pace helps keep it going.

DeVito (Harry) and Piscopo (Moe) are a great team. Both of them play their parts to perfection and Piscopo (in the funeral/suicide attempt scene) even sells his extreme grief without even saying a word. I think he is highly underrated as an actor. DeVito plays the well intentioned snake oil salesman to a T. Every idea he has goes wrong in his quest for "respectability", and he drags Moe down with him in every endeavor. But their loyalty to each other keeps them going.This movie is funny from the get go and even tosses in the tear-jerking twist that throws you for a complete loop. Lou Albano is perfectly cast as Frank "the Fixer" Acovano. He's a major highlight of the movie. It's well written, acted, and just a very funny film. If you haven't seen it you should rent it ASAP.

"Wise Guys" is about as much fun as getting teeth pulled. This was probably the worst DePalma film I have seen...and I've seen "Raising Cain". Devito is so over the top & annoying that I actually wanted him to get killed half way into the movie. Also, how many movies did you see Joe Piscopo in after this? Yeah, he's that bad! Not even Captain Lou or Harvey Keitel could save this one. "Wise Guys" is a truly unfunny film that exceeds in getting crappier with every scene. Worth a look for DePalma fans, if only to say you've seen it. I've seen worse films, but this is pretty bad considering the filmmaker. When will Hollywood realize that mobsters and comedy don't mix?

I don't know why this film was so horribly panned when it was first released, its just a harmless and lightweight gangster comedy. I will admit that director Brian DePalma who has directed such classics as Scarface and The Untouchables was taking a huge risk by agreeing to take on this lightweight comedy, but I think it ended up turning out just fine. DeVito and Piscopo have surprisingly good on-screen chemistry and DePalma's directing style shows through and works well in this film. This was certainly one of Danny DeVito's better comedies in the 1980's. I was also glad to see that Roger Ebert actually gave this fun comedy a good review. ***/****. Great fun.