Violence Plays Big Role In ‘The Last Don’
Does Mario Puzo plus a suds-and-blood story about an American Mafia family equal ratings success? CBS is banking on it.
In fact, the network is convinced that Mafia violence begets such a desirable winning formula that the TV adaptation of Puzo’s bestseller, “The Last Don,” will air over three nights, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9.
“Don” delivers six hours worth of graphic violence (at least two executions per night), ill-fated romances and much Mafia rhetoric. (There is lots of talk about who is or who’s about to “swim with the fishes” and advice to the lovelorn about never marrying for love).
The title refers to the powerful don (Danny Aiello) of the Clericuzio family. He is determined to see that his grandchildren never become involved in the family business. He wants the Clericuzio kids to be legitimate.
To reach the desired goal, the don faces several roadblocks, including his own daughter (Kirstie Alley) and her son Dante (Rory Cochrane), a psychopath-sadist who kills kittens for pleasures. In Mafialand, Dante is referred to as having a “bloody mouth.”
Part 1 is made enjoyable by Aiello’s forceful performance as the all-knowing don and Joe Mantegna as a dance-aficionado and the family’s primary executioner, Pippi De Lena.
The pacing is extraordinarily fast. It’s hard to savor Aiello’s and Mantegna’s performances, especially when they are sandwiched between scenes of graphic violence.
Keep in mind that the first two hours are designed to set the stage for later action in Parts 2 and 3. What is confusing becomes clearer as the miniseries progresses.
In the end, it all comes together. But you just may feel you’ve had enough of “The Last Don” after the first few gangland murders.
Highlights
“Basketball,” NBC Sunday at 9:30 a.m.: An NBA game launches a playoffs tripleheader.
“My Girl 2” (1994), ABC tonight at 8: Anna Chlumsky stepped back into the role of sensitive Vada for this likable coming-of-age tale about an adolescent girl’s search for an identity.
Vada faces maturation issues in Los Angeles, where she searches for information about her late biological mother. Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their roles as the girl’s father and stepmother.
“The Simpsons,” FOX Sunday at 8: TV’s love affair with creating spinoff series (remember how many “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” spawned?) is spoofed in this enjoyable half-hour.
Troy McClure (voice of Phil Hartman) explores three possible “Simpson” spinoffs, including “The Love-Matic Grandpa,” “Chief Wiggum, P.I.” and “The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour” with Tim Conway.
“Nature,” KSPS Sunday-Wednesday at 7: “Spirits of the Jaguar” is a four-hour-long documentary on the history of Central America and the Caribbean. The word jaguar in the title refers to the people of this region who had respect for the animal’s power and prowess.
Part 1 uses re-creations to show the birth of the islands 150 million years ago.
“Timecop” (1994), NBC Sunday at 9: Jean-Claude Van Damme saves a futuristic world from a criminal (Ron Silver) who wants to change the past. He plays a lucky guy, but audiences weren’t so fortunate. They had to suffer through this actioner with not much plot and acting stiffer than cardboard.
“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1997), ABC Sunday and Monday at 9: This four-hour-long tale, based on Jules Verne’s undersea adventure, gives us great special effects and notable monsters. But Part 1 offers little action.
Michael Caine plays maniacal speechmaking Capt. Nemo.
xxxx “TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL” CBS Sunday at 8: Bill Cosby dons a halo as the angel of redemption in a well-written hour in which Cosby gives a touching speech about loss.