bobcobb-84371 OK, so I took these user reviews seriously that said this is worth your time. It is not. This flick's a mess. Anthony Quinn is an old don who seduces the girl of another, much younger mafioso (played by Robert Forster who's not half bad). War ensues.The plot doesn't make much sense and it is trying hard to emulate The Godfather (especially the story line of the young mafioso, played by Frederick Forest, who is trying to leave the family business). It fails miserably. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open on this one. There are maybe two scenes that held my attention, and they were both execution scenes. They were staged pretty well, but they are two isolated scenes in a dull mess.

paul-jackson92 Sigh... I have never been able to sit through the 175 mins of The Godfather something interferes like bed or food or something a little more interesting on the other channel.The 115 min The Don Is Dead on the other hand is/was tailor made for my (gnat like?) attention span. Wish they'd show it some time! I saw this when I was 10 - 12 years old and thought it was great. Loadsa guys talking tough easy to keep track of plot loadsa machine gun action and stuff. Maybe even a good performance or two tho I can't recollect much about it.Wish I could remember better and do a proper synopsis. The mob war erupts when one guy finds out that one of the other family is sleeping with a woman, wife/daughter/girlfriend? After a violent conflict the survivors are gathered together to discuss a peace. I remember Angelo? pointing the informant out to the peacemaker type and saying "he was the only one who had anything to gain". He is then taken out and disposed of, Angelo becomes the new Don. Is this actually worth a spoiler?Is it a rip off? Kinda hard to say seeing as I can't remember one and haven't seen the other lolz - probably! You wanna tell me Godfather is way better I'm not arguing (internet arguments are for idiots anyhow).You wanna watch a mafia movie and only have 2 hours rather than 3 to spare then this is for you.

zardoz-13 This abysmal mafiosi thriller about a war between the families in an anonymous city lacks anything in the way of flair, charisma, or momentum. During his prime, veteran director Richard Fleischer was a creative force to contend with, and he made his share of great movies, but "The Don Is Dead" is one of his least memorable epics. Clearly, this lackluster actioneer exemplifies the old studio system of making movies and the blame for its pedestrian quality must be traced back to its producer, the legendary Hal B. Wallis of "Casablanca" fame and his associate producer Paul Nathan. After Wallis left Warner Brothers in a dispute over "Casablanca" with Jack Warner, Wallis set up shop at Paramount, and he ruled with dozens of landmark films, among them "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and "Becket" with Richard Burton. Once Wallis left Paramount and wrapped up his career at Universal, the quality of his craftsman went down. "The Don Is Dead" is a well-produced crime thriller, but it is as lifeless as the don in its title. The pacing of this 115 minute movie is leaden, and a number of fine actors are left to wander around aimlessly in the screenplay by Marvin H. Albert. Albert is best known for "Duel at Diablo," "Tony Rome," and "Rough Night in Jericho." Matters are not helped by the dire lack of realism. Virtually everything in "The Don Is Dead" was lensed on a Universal back lot, and it is clearly obvious from fade-in to fade-out what a numbing picture that this is. Surprisingly enough, the Motion Picture Association of America gave "The Don Is Dead" an R-rating. Mind you, there is no nudity, the violence is standard-issue, and that startling loud red blood that appeared in 1970s era films was sparingly put on display. None of the gunfights stand out for their distinctive flair. The only thing that does stand out is how the Robert Forester character avoids a hit in a crowded underground parking lot. He holds himself up on the bumpers of two cars so that the gunsels cannot see his feet. Fleischer helmed "The Don Is Dead" between the sci-fi thriller "Soylent Green" with Charlton Heston and western "The Spikes Gang" with Lee Marvin, two films that rise about the flat quality of "The Don Is Dead." This is the kind of movie that only completist in the Mafia genre will want to watch. Anthony Quinn looks terrible and he has no fire in his performance. Robert Forster is pretty good as a temperamental young man and Frederic Forrest is the man to watch.

Fred Sliman (fs3) Like quite a few other of the 70's crime dramas that were not classics, but still of more grit and consequence than many of those churned out in the last two decades, this interestingly plotted mob film is a frustrating mix of a really good scene or two followed by a painfully predictable and badly presented one. Anthony Quinn is top billed but largely wasted as the boss whose romantic liaison triggers a war of wills and weapons with some headstrong younger members (led by Robert Forster, Frederic Forrest and Al Lettieri.) Some good action scenes follow, but, like the rest of the film, some of them are quite impressive while others fall flat. A mixed bag, not often seen but worth watching, with limited expectations.