The Last Godfather

The Last Godfather is directed and written by Hyung-rae Sim. Hyung-rae also stars in the movie as Young-goo, the son of Don Carini, who is a mafia boss of one of the biggest gangs of New York.

The character of Don Carini is played by Harvey Keitel. The mentally impaired son, Young-goo, approaches his father and expresses his desire to be the successor of his gang. Don Carini calls everyone to announce his successor and everyone starts dreaming that it would be their name. However, they all become surprised to know the name, which is Young-goo’s. Although he doesn’t appear strong enough to hold all the responsibilities bestowed upon him, his father believes in his potential and begins training him intensively. Tony V (Michael Rispoli) trains Young-goo to be the heir of his father. As the story progresses, Young-goo is entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding a woman named Nancy, who is the daughter of Don Bonfante. Jocelin Donahue has beautifully portrayed the character of Nancy. Her father, Don Bonfante, is the boss of another mafia gang and he is also the rival of Don Carini.

A major twist follows when a person named Vinnie (Jason Mewes) kidnaps Nancy and puts the blame of the crime on Young-goo. The innocent Young-goo is assumed to be the real culprit by Don Bonfante. The misunderstanding causes a rift to develop between the families However, the truth eventually surfaces, proving that in a war between the humble and the haughty; victory eventually belongs to the former!

For the action movie buffs, director Shim Hyung-rae is back with his latest offering, The Last Godfather, which is a comedic tale about two Mafia families out to kill each other. The movie begins with Don Carini’s love affair with a Koran woman in the 1920s, and his son Young-goo is shown to be stupid. Hyung Rae himself stars as the son and his portrayal of a mentally challenged young man who trains to become a Mafia boss, provides the much needed comic relief from the rather drab set-up of the plot.

But after his introduction, the movie provides all the basic elements of a potboiler. The drama begins when Young-goo (fool in Korean) rescues the daughter of his father’s rival and is framed by his enemies. The resulting chase and fights between the two rival families delivers the desired amount of action and thrills. All in all, it’s a decent movie with some decent performances and innovative direction.