The Family

The Family

Brutal ultra violence mixed with sitcom gags

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2013

Ever since mob-enforcer dad (Robert De Niro; talk about inspired casting!) turned rat, the Manzoni family (mom Michelle Pfeiffer, kids Dianna Argon & John D’Leo) has been living in France under the Witness Protection Program. But sharing as they do certain ingrained attitudes toward conflict resolution, they have proven a handful for their beleaguered FBI handler Tommy Lee Jones. Luc Besson’s would-be crowd-pleaser is sporadically entertaining but tonally all over the place, gleefully mixing sudden, brutal ultra violence with sitcom gags. Spoof or thriller? Not really good enough for either. Japanese title: Malavita. (111 min)