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In the 1930’s being part of the mob was more than just a passing phase; it was a way of life. These original gangsters ran the streets because it’s about the pride of the family and the respect of the community often becoming “The Street” against “Corporate Bosses”. So it is with Ray Tempio (Christopher Walken), Chez Tempio (Chris Penn), and Johnny Tempio (Vincent Gallo), known simply as the Tempio Brothers. Despite all having been raised on the hardened streets of New York City, the brothers and their wives all face their own struggles when Johnny, the less of a stereotypical mobster as he prefers a more socialist style, is savagely killed by Gaspare (Benicio del Toro) of a rival mob. Ray is the logical thinker and planner and seeks a hard and fast revenge on his brother’s killer while Chez is a hot-headed fireball and seeks a less methodical manner of revenge caring little for anyone who may become collateral damage in the process, even if that includes his wife, Clara (Isabella Rossellini). As Clara and Jeanette (Anabella Sciorra), Ray’s wife, try to deter their husbands’ demand for “justice” on their brother’s behalf. At Ray and Chez battle their own inner demons, everyone seems to begin to realize the consequences of the lives they’ve lived thus far and they’re faced with some very difficult decisions that extend much deeper than how best to avenge Johnny’s death.
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