Hi, Bryan Here….

Director Luc Besson must just love Martin Scorsese’s ‘Goodfellas‘. I’m sure if there was a film that showed the life of  Henry Hill one he was in the witness protection program, this would have been that film. ‘The Family‘ is a dark and ultra-violent comedy where a former family working for the New York mafia is in the witness protection program after testifying on some big bosses. This family has been re-locating every few months or so, and are now in a small town in France.

What makes this movie work so well is it’s unrelenting violence and dark comedy. It mixes well together and garners as much laughs as it does cringes. Not too mention, if you’ve seen ‘Goodfellas‘ or HBO’s ‘The Soprano’s‘, you’ll see quite a few familiar faces popping up, in addition to one of the funniest movie cameos of all time. DeNiro is cozy again playing the former mafia boss with Pfeiffer having more of a meaty character to play around with. The kids are the most interesting here, as they go through French high-school with fists flying and blood gushing.

‘The Family‘ is a fun and violent film for the whole family.

3.5 of 5 stars

★★★.5 / ★★★★★

-Bryan Kluger