The Valachi Papers is a 1972 crime film directed by Terence Young and starring Charles Bronson, Lino Ventura, and Jill Ireland.
Adapted from the 1969 book of the same name by Peter Maas, it tells the real life story of Joseph "Joe" Valachi, a Mafia informant in the early 1960s.
This film features examples of:
- Adaptation Name Change: The name of Joe Valachi's wife is changed from Carmela Mildred "Millie", to Maria. Probably because the real Mrs. Valachi was very much still alive when the film came out.
- Artistic License – History:
- Valachi's first boss was Joe Bonnano, not Gaetano Reina. In the film, Valachi hides in Reina's house after he is murdered, and begins a relationship with his daughter. In real life, Reina was still alive when Valachi hid in his house (which was in response to an unrelated murder).
- The scenes of Bender castrating a mobster and Maranzano comment of "I cannot bring back the dead. I can only kill the living." were invented for the film and are absent in the non-fiction book it was based.
- The film combines two separate events: the assassination of Gap Petrilli over business affairs, and the killing of Steven Franse, whom Vito Genovese believed had an affair with his wife. In the film, Genovese orders Petrilli castrated for haivng an affiar with his wife, and Franse is never mentioned. Neither Petrilli nor Franse were castrated, and in fact Valachi wasn't even present for Petrilli's death.
- The closing narration says Valachi outlived Genovese by six months. In fact, Genovese predeceased Valachi by over two years.
- Based on a True Story: Based on a book collecting the story of Joe Valachi, a real life Mafia informant.
- Bungled Suicide: Joe becomes upset with having to testify and attempts suicide, but survives.
- How We Got Here: After Joe accepts to become a informant, the movie shows his life story in flashbacks.
- The Mafia: Well, duh. Yes, the film features the Italian-American mafia.
- Murder by Mistake: In prison, Joe mistakenly kills a fellow prisoner whom he wrongly thinks is a mob assassin.
- Groin Attack: Joe's capo Tony Bender castrates a mobster for having relations with another mobster's wife.
- Mercy Kill: Joe shoots the mobster Bender castrated to put him out of his misery.
- Hauled Before A Senate Subcommittee: Joe is shown testifying before a Senate committee.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The film ends with information superimposed on the screen stating that Joe went on to outlive Genovese, who died in prison.
