Don Q: Little Italy in lower Manhattan needs a new Boss. Skateboarders, incompetent waiters, and macho Chinese boyfriends are everywhere, upsetting the idyllic life of the residents. Don Q (Armand Assante), disavowing his drug-controlled sanity, sets out to reclaim his neighborhood from the incorrigible and unwashed, adopting a mafia persona inspired by his vast library of mobster novels and mafioso crime books.

An almost original movie, it catalogs the great cost of a delusional life, not only to oneself but also for those around him, all on the lighter side without becoming preachy. The film is a masterpiece in storytelling—funny, sad, frustrating, if not downright maddening, which is likely the not-so-subtle point of the plot. And the ending is absolutely Hitchcockian; a finish of ambiguity and unease. Schizophrenic, actually.

“Don Q” and the early 17th-century Spanish comedic novel “Don Quixote” share a commonality of delusion and a desire to protect those they perceive as vulnerable. Don Quixote sees himself as a chivalrous knight on a quest to defend the helpless, while Don Q envisions himself as a powerful mob boss with a mission to control and safeguard his community.

Trivia: Armand Assante, of Italian/Irish descent, played John Gotti, the Gambino crime boss, in the 1996 HBO TV film “Gotti,” winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance. Within the family and the organization, Gotti was referred to as Boss, while to the outside world, he was known as the Godfather.

Genre: Comedy–Crime–Drama

Directed by: Claudio Bellante

Screenplay by: Claudio Bellante, Michael Domino

Music by: Jeremy Adelman

Cast: Armand Assante, Federico Castelluccio, Chuck Zito

Film Location: Little Italy, Manhattan, NYC

ElsBob: 6.0/10

IMDb: 4.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: –%

Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter: –%

Metacritic Metascore: –%

Metacritic User Score: –/10

Theaters: 1 November 2024

Runtime: 84 minutes  

Budget: —

Box Office: —

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic. Graphic: Don Q Poster and Trailer, copyright Archstone Entertainment.