Robert Turano Movies

Director Michael Corrente's coming-of-age comedy drama Brooklyn Rules unfurls in 1985, coincident with the early rise of John Gotti. Three young Brooklyn men of Italian-American heritage -- Michael Turner (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Carmine Mancuso (Scott Caan), and Bobby Canzoneri (Jerry Ferrara) -- make the pivotal, potentially irreversible choices that will determine their directions in life. The boys' periodic run-ins with a sadistic mobster type who rules the neighborhood, Caesar Manganaro (Alec Baldwin), suggest the ever-present option of drifting into a career of crime. On the surface, Michael courageously and doggedly bucks this choice, opting instead for the pre-law program at Columbia and a straight-laced romance with blonde-haired, blue-eyed coed Ellen (Mena Suvari), yet this path is not as antiseptic as it may seem, for he actually scammed his way into the law program. Meanwhile, Carmine idolizes Caesar, and his desire to emulate this thug not only compromises his own moral integrity, but threatens to jeopardize the stability of Michael's life as well by drawing him into a sticky web of criminal activity. While the first two men navigate these treacherous paths, the third friend, Bobby, stakes out safer ground with a low-key job at the post office and married life with his intended. Over the course of it all, the boys' bonds of friendship become stressed and strained given the divergence of their paths. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A police officer is killed while on an undercover stakeout. Investigating, the detectives come to the grim conclusion that the death may have been caused by someone close to the victim. The outcome of the case hinges upon the abusive relationship between the decedent and his former partner, NYPD officer Marisse Hastings (Jenny Bacon). Originally scheduled to air on March 17, 1999, this episode was moved forward to March 24. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A black student is murdered, and the main suspect claims that she had been previously drugged and raped by the dead man. The parents of the victim insist that the girl is lying and demand that the DA's office prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law. The outcome hinges upon two mutually dependent "airtight" alibis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A group of friends from a rough, predominantly Italian-American neighborhood consider their future in surroundings dominated by petty crime in this drama. Nicky (Anthony DeSando) and his pals grew up together in the Federal Hill section of Providence, Rhode Island, where Nicky makes ends meet by dealing cocaine and stealing cars. His best friend Ralphie (Nicholas Turturro), who works in construction, is prone to wild mood swings and has a dangerous penchant for breaking into the homes of local wise guys, including mob boss Sal (Frank Vincent). He also has a barely sublimated sexual attraction to Nicky which he tries to camoflage with outbursts of anti-gay violence. Nicky falls for Wendy (Libby Langdon), an archeology student at nearby Brown University, when she buys some coke from him for a sorority party; while Wendy treats their affair casually, Nicky thinks that they have a future together, and he considers travelling with her to Italy for an upcoming archeological dig. Ralphie, however, resents Nicky for spending so much time with his new girlfriend, which makes his reckless streak even more pronounced. While Federal Hill was shot and released theatrically in black and white, a colorized version was distributed on home video over the objections of director Michael Corrente; the original monochrome version was later released on tape as well. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide