The son of a mafia kingpin goes to Hollywood and ensues in a bloody rampage to get what he wants.

Leading actor Duke Mitchell also wrote, produced and directed Massacre Mafia Style. Whilst the film’s detractors may describe the movie as a Temu Godfather, this is way too uncharitable.

Yes, the use of non-actors sometimes falls flat as does some of the ‘big speeches’ which Mitchell must have thought were Academy Award worthy but they’re far from that.

But, Massacre Mafia Style feels like an underdog project. Yes, it’s not the big budget epic that The Godfather is and doesn’t contain the raw electricity and innovation of Scorsese’s Mean Streets (released the same year). But it’s still a wild ride. It also contains one of the highest body counts in a film I think I’ve ever seen. It has great characters who are genuinely bad-ass and perfect for a Grindhouse gangster flick.

There’s also a rhythm that certain scenes possess that makes them perfect for cult cinema seen in a 42nd Street movie theatre, in a 70’s Drive-In or restored on Blu Ray in a movie buff’s living room in 2025.

The pluses outweigh the minuses.

Apparently Frank Sinatra was offered a role as he was a friend of Mitchell. Sinatra declined, saying, ‘I only accept real fees to star in real films!’ Ouch.

3.5 stars out of 5 stars