You may have seen many films like Zarra’s Law so don’t be surprised if you get a little déjà vu while watching this crime thriller. It does have an upside and that being a chance to see Burt Young on the big screen once more. He’s aged well and so has Tony Sirico who was a mainstay in the Sopranos and a great support character in Goodfellas. This film has a couple of surprises, but not much more. But, if you like films that feature a mafia theme, then take a shot at this one now on DVD.
The film opens with Detective Tony Zarra (Tony Sirico) about to retire from the force. As he walks away from his brother Roberto’s (Salvatore J. Reale) car that evening it explodes killing him. Its years later and Bobby Stax (Wass Stevens) who was convicted for the murder is getting out of prison. Upset at the fact that he did not serve the whole sentence for the crime, Tony along with his brother’s son Gaetano (Brendan Fehr) start looking for ways to get even. When he goes to the head of the local mafia Paul Canto (Burt Young) for a favor however, paybacks are hell.
The film takes on some predictable paths and both law enforcement and crime families duke it out for final resolve. Director Juha Wuolijoki does a sufficient job to keep the film moving at a fast pace. However, the film has a lot of loose ends, his storyline flow gets off kilter and predictability is a bother. The low budget and inexperience working with it by Wuolijoki, may have been too much for the film to survive. That said, the film is a nice walk down memory lane recalling several mafia driven films from the past.
Tony Sirico carries the film with his signature Italian persona that he’s richly known for from films like Goodfellas and the Sopranos. While he’s on the screen, the film becomes memorable of films gone by. Director Wuolijoki does what’s right for the film and lets Sirico carry the brunt of the dialogue and action. In support Wass Stevens makes his character Bobby Stax a dispicable criminal and gives a very good performance that saves the film from losing all life. He makes his character an insidious thug who won’t back down or come to terms with the fact that he’s out gunned. But when he tries to put down the whole Zarra family, he bites off more than he can chew.
Zarra’s Law has been rated R by the MPAA for language throughout and brief violence. There is also a scene of vicious brutality that’s chilling. The film is based on a true story.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Tony Sirico, Brendan Fehr, Erin Cummings, Nick Sandow and Burt Young
Director: Juha Wuolijoki
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout and brief violence
Genre: Crime, Drama
Running Time: 1 hr 19 min
Video Release Date: January 13, 2015
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: None
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: ARC Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
