Enjoyable despite cursing and clinches

This Thing of Ours

Starring Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore, Danny…

This Thing of Ours

Starring Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore, Danny Provenzano, Edward Lynch

Directed by Danny Provenzano

The sentiments of generations clash in “This Thing of Ours,” the latest mob film to come out of the success of “The Sopranos.”

On one side, there are the tech-savvy, 21st-century criminals led by Nick Santini (Danny Provenzano) and two of his buddies who have come up with an idea to steal billions from credit card companies and banks. On the other side are the old guys; goodfellas who’ve made their bones in mob wars over drugs and gambling and now can’t make heads or tales of the scheme their proteges are hatching.

Worse than that, though, the young guys come from a culture of shoot first, respect later. Nick is, on the outside, mild-mannered as murderers go. But when someone pushes the wrong button, that someone gets a bullet. Or two. Or ten. His friends aren’t fans of such behavior, but they don’t question the motives either.

This becomes a problem when one of the old bosses disrespects the kids and Danny (Frank Vincent), Nick’s uncle, by storming out of the meeting where the young guys lay out their plan to receive financial backing. At first, this isn’t that big of a deal – if the scheme works, there will be more money for everyone else. But when the plan does work, and the old man comes looking for his cut, things become tense. He abducts and attacks the guys with the plan, much to the chagrin of the temperamental bunch. The twenty-something mobsters decide to bump him off, but the old guys will have nothing of it. Jimmy (James Caan) is the sort-of big boss who tries to explain to the boys the virtues of respect. But such virtues, and listening to their elders, aren’t their strong suit.

In a way, the film presents a culture clash: the Sopranos bumping heads with the Corleones. And this conflict makes the film wildly interesting and entertaining. When it comes down to it, the crime doesn’t matter all that much. It’s pulled off without much difficulty, and it quickly becomes secondary to the characters. The crime only exists to present the conflict between the young and the old.

It doesn’t hurt that the acting is excellent. Everyone involved, from Provenzano to Vincent Pastore in the role of a strong-arm nightclub owner – a role he’s rapidly becoming typecast in – and Edward Lynch, who seems to be channeling every insane aspect of Willem Dafoe’s look and acting as the Santini’s hitman to Caan and Pastore, knows the material and the territory well – probably because most of these guys have been making such movies for decades. And when the always entertaining Pat Cooper enters the film, all too briefly, the film soars to new heights of enjoyment.

But the film, at times, buckles under the weight of the script, a screenplay heavy with mob cliches and unmotivated, angry swearing. These things wouldn’t be so bad, but they just run rampant throughout the film. These elements are so prevalent that, at times, they knock the viewer out of the flow of the film by making them wonder, “Was that really necessary?”

The acting and conflict, though, are strong enough to make “This Thing of Ours” an enjoyable film. It’s the first directorial effort from Danny Provenzano. And while still a bit rough, his view of the world is there, and it will only get clearer and sharper in the years to come. This film could be the first from someone with an altogether new take on a tired genre.

“This Thing of Ours” opens at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont on Friday. For more information, call (412) 555-5555 or visit www.theoakstheater.com.