"And today will be better than yesterday."--Buster Olney

Thursday, February 10, 2011

60 Minutes Presents: Gotti


Having never followed the Gotti's, this piece was eye opening. The Mob and Mafia are gangs of these sort of folk heroes that play it close to the vest and, in most cases, seem to end up dead or completely off the map.

From a journalistic standpoint, who does it better than "60 Minutes"? They get the best interviews and ask the tough questions. Steve Kroft held a great interview, and I thought the piece followed a great form. It started with his childhood and worked us up to the point where he left the family. It is the true journey of a dangerous man. The only thing I didn't like was the framing of the interview with Gotti; for some reason the top of his forehead being cut off bothered me. I feel like that led to some unnecessary pans and movement of the camera that distracted me from what was being said. However, the effect it gave was the chance to look right in the eye of John Gotti Jr., a true gangster of his time.

I was absolutely captivated for all 42 minutes of the piece. Gotti comes off as slick, street smart, and ruthless; a calculated man with a plan. How he has escaped all of these cases is beyond me. His family has run the streets of New York for years and it makes them all the more interesting. I grew up with my dad on baseball diamonds and football fields; he ran around a social club full of murderers and traffickers. He stole, fought, and climbed his way to the top of a very powerful and dangerous family gang. 

Honestly, there is not too much to say. The fact that there are people who can live this life and think it is normal is beyond me. I encourage everyone to take the time and watch this video.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7324109n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

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