Possibly Jack Nicholson was showing up nominated at to many award shows at this time and he was due for a put down.The movie seemed to be overlooked or not reviewed very well at the time of release. I thought his "Hoffa" was a memorable portrayal of a complex and contradictory personality. Having been around during Hoffa's reign as head of the Teamsters, as well as being a Teamster back then myself, Nicholson's potrayal was uncanny in it's grasp of Hoffa's style and personality. Nicholson seemed to get in Hoffa's skin for this role as George C. Scott did for Patton. As a matter of fact I think the analogy is accurate. Both Patton and Hoffa were contoversial, larger the life characters with a lot of flaws and a lot of attributes. Both actors were highly skilled and balanced in their potrayals.
88 Reviews
A Nice Biopic
gavin694210 December 2015
A film based on the story of legendary union figure Jimmy Hoffa (played here by Jack Nicholson).
Can I first say this was strange casting for Bobby Kennedy? It just seems like someone doing a very poor Kennedy impersonation, not a serious attempt to really capture him. Which is unfortunate, given how central his role is. (This film, more than anything, seems to be Hoffa versus Kennedy.) The Nicholson casting is not perfect, either, because it is hard to hide his distinctive voice... but I think he pulls it off ,and the makeup helps.
The Hoffa story is a fascinating one, and one that deserves to be explored on film again. This was 1992, and I write this in 2015. In the past two decades, more memoirs have been written, more government documents released... we need another biopic, and maybe a really serious documentary?
Can I first say this was strange casting for Bobby Kennedy? It just seems like someone doing a very poor Kennedy impersonation, not a serious attempt to really capture him. Which is unfortunate, given how central his role is. (This film, more than anything, seems to be Hoffa versus Kennedy.) The Nicholson casting is not perfect, either, because it is hard to hide his distinctive voice... but I think he pulls it off ,and the makeup helps.
The Hoffa story is a fascinating one, and one that deserves to be explored on film again. This was 1992, and I write this in 2015. In the past two decades, more memoirs have been written, more government documents released... we need another biopic, and maybe a really serious documentary?
A Skillful Work of Fiction, Rooted in Fact, Devised with Ingenuity and a Dependable Viewpoint
jzappa30 December 2010
Written with callous virtuosity by Mamet, directed with garishly vintage technique by DeVito, this hugely underrated, passionate, powerful film not only portrays Hoffa with the enhanced corporal magnitude of Nicholson, who gives a massive thrust of a performance, but it also reshuffles the ladder of American heroes as it's recognized nowadays. Several may be uneasily startled: This stylistic take on the life and mysterious disappearance of the Teamsters Union leader views Robert Kennedy as seen by Hoffa: a bellyaching Harvard-educated well-to-do, frantic for exposure, prepared to use evenhanded ways and biased to catch Hoffa, no equal at all for Hoffa in their incensed altercations.
In the context of most commercial movies, which insist on explaining too much or repeating the obvious, Hoffa remains a reasonably detached consideration of the career of a man whose ties to the Mafia not only cost the rank-and-file teamsters millions but also set a pattern for corruption that tainted the entire labor movement. It's a quintessentially American story, for only here did Big Labor become a big business to rival Big Business.
DeVito and the Great Character Development Skeptic neither romanticizie him or try to explore Hoffa outside his own mechanical justification that you have to do it to others before they do it you. Without commentary, in very broad strokes, they authenticate Hoffa's advancement from minor reformer to big-time shark, power-dealer and mob friend.
The movie opens as the edgy, dog-tired Jimmy, convoyed by his committed odd-job guy, conjured character Bobby, waits in a Cadillac in a Detroit cafeteria lot for a rendezvous with an abiding Mafia accomplice. The reminiscences that are the bulk of the film aren't Jimmy's, but the indulgent, diligent Bobby's. He worries about Jimmy's state of affairs, remembering their first meeting in the Depressed 1930s when, one night on the road, Jimmy invited himself into his truck and tried to enlist him for the teamsters. Jimmy was then something of an optimist. As the hours drone on in the lot, Bobby sequentially recalls his way through Jimmy's career.
While Bobby's remembrance is tender, this captivating, hazy biopic sees all coolly. This gives this forgotten '90s drama an indignantly cynical tone that is generally uncommon in American movies. It compels us to decide for ourselves, something that can be infinitely puzzling as well as gratifying. The film proposes there are occasions when one must reason for oneself. It doesn't pose as a docudrama or anything close. It's a skillful work of fiction, rooted in fact, devised with ingenuity and a dependable viewpoint.
DeVito's direction is crammed with overstated kinesics that appear wholeheartedly consistent with Bobby's exceedingly highlighted reminiscences of life with Jimmy. There are numerous striking overhead shots, whether it's a scene of Jimmy incarcerated or a panoramic view of union men wrestling scabs. Simultaneously, DeVito knows when to use close-ups, that is, to divulge character instead of to intersperse dialogue. When the director shows a recalled explosion and fire, they have the massive scope of something recounted in an anecdote told late at night in a favorite dive.
It comes as a surprise, about midway through, to learn that the Teamsters head has a wife and daughter. They appear during a crowd scene. But this film about Jimmy Hoffa has no time to show him meeting his wife, dating her, marrying her, finding their dream house, having a kid. That's about as it should be.
Does the movie grant that Jimmy was an instrument of organized crime? Not by any means. Nor does it quite maintain that Hoffa would take any advantage he could get, anywhere he could, to systematize the drivers and press-gang the bosses. He was a union realist, but what makes this movie so beguiling is that we can never entirely peep the romanticism that should be in there somewhere, no glow of internal principle. Something murky must be driving him on a lonesome, ruthless revenge.
Nicholson is an actor who can echo virtually anything in his face. His intense, volcanic performance is so good as Hoffa because he betrays virtually nothing. When we first see him, the corporal embellishments are striking. He's filled with spite, not optimism. He organizes for the same reason other guys get in bar fights, because it discharges the intense stresses within.
The production is plentiful with period particulars, consecutively in an enduring procession. The truckers' world distinguishes with the world of control occupied by the insiders: The Old World sophistication of the Mafia sociables, for instance, or the rooms where dominant government men dwell. The movie makes its implicit case for union organizing simply by complementing the cabs and roadstops of the drivers with the world of opportunity.
This is an inspired and vibrant piece, but is that sufficient? It sharply divided critics, but for me it is. Others will have valid protests to the ways the film works. This genuinely absorbing piece reveals DeVito as a sincere filmmaker. He extracts the core guise and pitch for this material. Not every director would've been self-assured enough to purely show us Jimmy Hoffa rather than narrating all about him. This is a movie that finds its impact between the lines, in what is unstated.
In the context of most commercial movies, which insist on explaining too much or repeating the obvious, Hoffa remains a reasonably detached consideration of the career of a man whose ties to the Mafia not only cost the rank-and-file teamsters millions but also set a pattern for corruption that tainted the entire labor movement. It's a quintessentially American story, for only here did Big Labor become a big business to rival Big Business.
DeVito and the Great Character Development Skeptic neither romanticizie him or try to explore Hoffa outside his own mechanical justification that you have to do it to others before they do it you. Without commentary, in very broad strokes, they authenticate Hoffa's advancement from minor reformer to big-time shark, power-dealer and mob friend.
The movie opens as the edgy, dog-tired Jimmy, convoyed by his committed odd-job guy, conjured character Bobby, waits in a Cadillac in a Detroit cafeteria lot for a rendezvous with an abiding Mafia accomplice. The reminiscences that are the bulk of the film aren't Jimmy's, but the indulgent, diligent Bobby's. He worries about Jimmy's state of affairs, remembering their first meeting in the Depressed 1930s when, one night on the road, Jimmy invited himself into his truck and tried to enlist him for the teamsters. Jimmy was then something of an optimist. As the hours drone on in the lot, Bobby sequentially recalls his way through Jimmy's career.
While Bobby's remembrance is tender, this captivating, hazy biopic sees all coolly. This gives this forgotten '90s drama an indignantly cynical tone that is generally uncommon in American movies. It compels us to decide for ourselves, something that can be infinitely puzzling as well as gratifying. The film proposes there are occasions when one must reason for oneself. It doesn't pose as a docudrama or anything close. It's a skillful work of fiction, rooted in fact, devised with ingenuity and a dependable viewpoint.
DeVito's direction is crammed with overstated kinesics that appear wholeheartedly consistent with Bobby's exceedingly highlighted reminiscences of life with Jimmy. There are numerous striking overhead shots, whether it's a scene of Jimmy incarcerated or a panoramic view of union men wrestling scabs. Simultaneously, DeVito knows when to use close-ups, that is, to divulge character instead of to intersperse dialogue. When the director shows a recalled explosion and fire, they have the massive scope of something recounted in an anecdote told late at night in a favorite dive.
It comes as a surprise, about midway through, to learn that the Teamsters head has a wife and daughter. They appear during a crowd scene. But this film about Jimmy Hoffa has no time to show him meeting his wife, dating her, marrying her, finding their dream house, having a kid. That's about as it should be.
Does the movie grant that Jimmy was an instrument of organized crime? Not by any means. Nor does it quite maintain that Hoffa would take any advantage he could get, anywhere he could, to systematize the drivers and press-gang the bosses. He was a union realist, but what makes this movie so beguiling is that we can never entirely peep the romanticism that should be in there somewhere, no glow of internal principle. Something murky must be driving him on a lonesome, ruthless revenge.
Nicholson is an actor who can echo virtually anything in his face. His intense, volcanic performance is so good as Hoffa because he betrays virtually nothing. When we first see him, the corporal embellishments are striking. He's filled with spite, not optimism. He organizes for the same reason other guys get in bar fights, because it discharges the intense stresses within.
The production is plentiful with period particulars, consecutively in an enduring procession. The truckers' world distinguishes with the world of control occupied by the insiders: The Old World sophistication of the Mafia sociables, for instance, or the rooms where dominant government men dwell. The movie makes its implicit case for union organizing simply by complementing the cabs and roadstops of the drivers with the world of opportunity.
This is an inspired and vibrant piece, but is that sufficient? It sharply divided critics, but for me it is. Others will have valid protests to the ways the film works. This genuinely absorbing piece reveals DeVito as a sincere filmmaker. He extracts the core guise and pitch for this material. Not every director would've been self-assured enough to purely show us Jimmy Hoffa rather than narrating all about him. This is a movie that finds its impact between the lines, in what is unstated.
The real Hoffa and the reel Hoffa
oyason3 February 2003
James Riddle Hoffa was probably one of the most enigmatic union leaders in this history of our country. As an important labor organizer during the over the road trucker strikes in the 1930s, he accomplished many things that made possible the emergence of the Teamsters Union as a major political force for several decades afterward. At the same time, he fell into a trap that bedevils many a fighter who perceives her/himself as a "people's champion"- he convinced himself that he had to fight fire with fire, and in the end, it devoured him. Secondly, Hoffa did not have the money, the support or the political sophistication of a Robert Kennedy. This'll finish you in the United States. Despite all our bombast about law and order, the country loves its shady political characters charming and slick, or the medicine show man, witness: Clinton, Reagan, Bush. The awkward and openly coarse need not apply, witness Nixon, Hoffa, Lott. David Mamet understands that, and that's why his version of Hoffa's life works.
Mamet's Hoffa knows the Kennedy family built their fortune out of rum running to a large extent, and he sees no difference between their corruption and his own compromises. At least, Hoffa tells himself, his own deals with the devil serve something larger then his immediate family, they serve the membership of the union. And this was very true, which is why a fair number of Teamsters still swear by the name Jimmy Hoffa. Nicholson's snide asides to his "betters" completely captures the class war basis that motivated the actual man's actions. Anyone who has been through an actual labor dispute and has been witness to the patronizing communications that come through a company eager to crush a union effort knows full well what fired up Jimmy Hoffa, even as we turn aside from the path he took.
The film succeeds because De Vito, Nicholson and Mamet understand what pushed the labor movement forward, and they understand its contradictions. Most important, they understand why those contradictions overwhelmed a man as gifted as Jimmy Hoffa, and this is what makes it better then your average Hollywood drama about labor. Hoffa is a film about working class attitude that gets beneath the usual dismissals of working class concerns, and as such, deserves respect. The powers that be have every legend about their leadership. It's time the working class was allowed legends about its own once again, provided we understand that they are legends, and therefore laden with much myth. The very real larger then life qualities of Jimmy Hoffa, however, make this a film worth more then one critical glance.
Mamet's Hoffa knows the Kennedy family built their fortune out of rum running to a large extent, and he sees no difference between their corruption and his own compromises. At least, Hoffa tells himself, his own deals with the devil serve something larger then his immediate family, they serve the membership of the union. And this was very true, which is why a fair number of Teamsters still swear by the name Jimmy Hoffa. Nicholson's snide asides to his "betters" completely captures the class war basis that motivated the actual man's actions. Anyone who has been through an actual labor dispute and has been witness to the patronizing communications that come through a company eager to crush a union effort knows full well what fired up Jimmy Hoffa, even as we turn aside from the path he took.
The film succeeds because De Vito, Nicholson and Mamet understand what pushed the labor movement forward, and they understand its contradictions. Most important, they understand why those contradictions overwhelmed a man as gifted as Jimmy Hoffa, and this is what makes it better then your average Hollywood drama about labor. Hoffa is a film about working class attitude that gets beneath the usual dismissals of working class concerns, and as such, deserves respect. The powers that be have every legend about their leadership. It's time the working class was allowed legends about its own once again, provided we understand that they are legends, and therefore laden with much myth. The very real larger then life qualities of Jimmy Hoffa, however, make this a film worth more then one critical glance.
Man of honor.
rmax3048235 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I would guess that many people find Jack Nicholson as satisfying as I do because, like Cary Grant, he always seems to play an only slightly refracted version of the same character. Those leaping eyebrows, like twin Mount Raniers on his forehead. That toothy grin, sardonic and sadistic. Here, though, he gives all that up and becomes a different and highly energetic Jimmy Hoffa. His lips are tucked in, his head held back emphasizing the folds in his neck, and he wears an almost constant scowl. His voice too lacks the expected sleazy glissandos of the Nicholson School of Elocution. His speech is clipped, fast, and full of working-class grammar. ("All these rumors are unsubstantuated!") He does a great job as Jimmy Hoffa. And Danny DeVito is great as always, playing Hoffa's old-time buddy, Bobby Ciaro, a clown with a potential for deadly seriousness. Nicholson and DeVito grew up in the same town -- Neptune, New Jersey -- at about the same time and have known each other for years. DeVito claimed to have dated Nicholson's sister. It's pleasing to see the two of them working together.
In some ways, though, the whole may be less than the sum of its parts. The story is a bit like that of "The Godfather" but without the Mafia mystique. Hoffa starts out good but then -- well, what? Does he go bad? If so, the movie does as good a job of hiding exactly what he did as Hoffa himself did. There is a scene in which he seems to agree to lend money from the Teamster's Pension Fund to "a known Italian." But the scene takes place during a faux deer hunt and is played for laughs. While D'Allesandro (Armand Assante) and Hoffa argue over the terms of the loan, a deer walks up unexpectedly and is ignored by everyone until, finally, DeVito uncorks his automatic and blasts it. When the shots sound everyone hits the dirt.
The scene is amusing but it's distracting too. What WAS that agreement, exactly? Is it illegal for the President of a labor union to lend money to someone else at a profit? Hoffa claims not. And who argues with him but Robert Kennedy, played very unsympathetically as an elitist snot who never worked in his life and is just trying to make a name for himself by bringing Hoffa to court. Hoffa, eventually is convicted and goes to jail. But it is never made clear exactly what he was convicted of. Lending money to an Italian?
Nicholson plays Hoffa pretty straight. He's not a particularly nice guy but he's clever in the way that an alley cat is clever. (Mamet's dialog stays on track.) Yet the director, DeVito, gives him the almost same kind of sentimental treatment that Don Corleone got. I am happy, though, that the movie spared us scenes in which Hoffa's wife sobs and complains that he's so often away from home that she hardly knows him anymore. (Thanks again, Mamet.) There is a fictional but still unnerving assassination scene at the end. Hoffa and DeVito's bodies are dumped atop one another in the back seat of their car. The car is driven up the ramp of a waiting truck and the truck zooms off down the highway towards its unknown destination. Elegiac music swells on the sound track. The image of the back of the truck recedes and dwindles until it disappears down the highway, a setting sun hovering just overhead.
Did Hoffa really deserve this Viking's funeral? I don't know. The movie left me with a lot of unanswered questions, none of them about the performances. A viewer can't help wondering where Hoffa is now. Part of a building somewhere, or an automobile? Or a truck?
In some ways, though, the whole may be less than the sum of its parts. The story is a bit like that of "The Godfather" but without the Mafia mystique. Hoffa starts out good but then -- well, what? Does he go bad? If so, the movie does as good a job of hiding exactly what he did as Hoffa himself did. There is a scene in which he seems to agree to lend money from the Teamster's Pension Fund to "a known Italian." But the scene takes place during a faux deer hunt and is played for laughs. While D'Allesandro (Armand Assante) and Hoffa argue over the terms of the loan, a deer walks up unexpectedly and is ignored by everyone until, finally, DeVito uncorks his automatic and blasts it. When the shots sound everyone hits the dirt.
The scene is amusing but it's distracting too. What WAS that agreement, exactly? Is it illegal for the President of a labor union to lend money to someone else at a profit? Hoffa claims not. And who argues with him but Robert Kennedy, played very unsympathetically as an elitist snot who never worked in his life and is just trying to make a name for himself by bringing Hoffa to court. Hoffa, eventually is convicted and goes to jail. But it is never made clear exactly what he was convicted of. Lending money to an Italian?
Nicholson plays Hoffa pretty straight. He's not a particularly nice guy but he's clever in the way that an alley cat is clever. (Mamet's dialog stays on track.) Yet the director, DeVito, gives him the almost same kind of sentimental treatment that Don Corleone got. I am happy, though, that the movie spared us scenes in which Hoffa's wife sobs and complains that he's so often away from home that she hardly knows him anymore. (Thanks again, Mamet.) There is a fictional but still unnerving assassination scene at the end. Hoffa and DeVito's bodies are dumped atop one another in the back seat of their car. The car is driven up the ramp of a waiting truck and the truck zooms off down the highway towards its unknown destination. Elegiac music swells on the sound track. The image of the back of the truck recedes and dwindles until it disappears down the highway, a setting sun hovering just overhead.
Did Hoffa really deserve this Viking's funeral? I don't know. The movie left me with a lot of unanswered questions, none of them about the performances. A viewer can't help wondering where Hoffa is now. Part of a building somewhere, or an automobile? Or a truck?
Trucks or Threats? ...
ElMaruecan8211 December 2012
Life made him famous, but death turned him into a legend. If it weren't for his mysterious disappearance probably due to his connections with the mob, it's doubtful that Jimmy Hoffa, the leader of the most powerful union would have been such a deeply rooted figure in American pop-culture. This posthumous place among the unsolved mysteries of the last century was begging for a movie adaptation, and Danny DeVito's turned into quite an interesting biopic, but strangely enough, it says a lot about the man without saying that much. At the end of the film, I knew some of his achievements, but the motives, the traumas, the obsessions, what makes a character fascinating, were still a mystery.
This is not to belittle the film's educational value, but I don't think such a complex public figure can be understood if we don't even have some quick glimpses about his past, his background and his family. It's as if Danny DeVito sticked with the public image of Hoffa and didn't give us enough to hook our hearts on outside the Teamster business, which is a pity because Jack Nicholson made the character and gave him such an aura that it genuinely made me curious about the man. Yet, nothing is shared except what he tells his friends, the mob, the journalists, and Bobby Kennedy. I was begging for an intimate moment with his wife, not because "behind every great men, there's a woman" but because men do confess to their wives, share with them the off-the-record stuff, but "Hoffa" is not in the same caliber than, say, Oliver Stone's "Nixon", which is about a no less controversial figure. And I guess I wasn't surprised because I saw the wife in the middle of the film but because she was showed while she was useless plot-wise.
On the other hand, the film tackles its subject in a very serious and entertaining way that I'm asking myself if DeVito or the screenwriters did have enough material to approach the privacy of Hoffa, maybe they didn't, or maybe they had but they didn't have enough time. The film is more trying to answer to the question of Hoffa's whacking than the typical rise and fall, it's more about the way he became an instrument of the mob with a pragmatic view on the ends- justifies-the mean theory, but we never see how effective they are for the Teamsters. I learned more about the rights and the struggle of truck drivers from the underrated film-noir "They Drive by Night" or the thriller "Wages of Fear" than "Hoffa", which is saying a lot because it had to be about trucks too, Ebert said that DeVito showed a man who was all about trucks, he talked and breathed 'truck', well how about showing these trucks in the first place? The film fails providing insights on the character by focusing too much on the controversy; it doesn't help to get enough perspective. Imagine if "Nixon" was only about the Watergate, you wouldn't have known about Nixon AND the Watergate either, DeVito's film lacked focus and scope.
It's interesting that the film was made in 1992, the same year than another and better biopic, Spike Lee's "Malcolm X", the film is three-hour long but takes you from the roots of the leader, when he was a small-time crook to his rise as one charismatic orator. In "Hoffa", we never see him driving a truck, nourishing his heart with socialist ideas and revolting against the system. From the beginning, he's like a politician haranguing the comrades. I take it from granted than what he say is true, but it's not about belief, but empathy, the film is not about making Hoffa a good or a bad guy, but letting the viewer figuring out. If he was bad enough (in the "practical" meaning) to stick with the gangsters when he became powerful, it would be interesting to see how he started as an idealistic man, and it would make the corruption of his morality more interesting. That's what great biopics are about: evolutions, and never in "Hoffa", do we feel that the guy is changing, in bad or good, it doesn't matter, but there's no dynamics whatsoever.
And again, it's a pity because the performances are good, I can't believe Nicholson got a Razzie nomination for this, granted it wasn't the best of his career, but he did bring some energy and passion in the character. But what lacked was a structure, a right choice of episodes that would tell us something about a controversial figure. The film is two-hour and fifteen minutes long, I wouldn't have minded it being much longer if it could enlighten me on the private face of Jimmy Hoffa, we're talking about a character played by Nicholson, who's got a great chemistry with his real-life friend Danny DeVito, the film had the potential, the ambition, probably the budget, the writing was good, but the storytelling not so.
Still, for what it is, it's not wasted time, and the film has a solid consistency in it, and at least, it does something that almost redeems the flaws I mentioned: it ends with the best scene, the most memorable one. In terms of shock and emotion, even though we know the story of Jimmy Hoffa, we don't see the ending coming, and it did left me puzzled and shocked when I saw it for the first time. The film needed more moments like this, but all in all, it's a solid drama.
This is not to belittle the film's educational value, but I don't think such a complex public figure can be understood if we don't even have some quick glimpses about his past, his background and his family. It's as if Danny DeVito sticked with the public image of Hoffa and didn't give us enough to hook our hearts on outside the Teamster business, which is a pity because Jack Nicholson made the character and gave him such an aura that it genuinely made me curious about the man. Yet, nothing is shared except what he tells his friends, the mob, the journalists, and Bobby Kennedy. I was begging for an intimate moment with his wife, not because "behind every great men, there's a woman" but because men do confess to their wives, share with them the off-the-record stuff, but "Hoffa" is not in the same caliber than, say, Oliver Stone's "Nixon", which is about a no less controversial figure. And I guess I wasn't surprised because I saw the wife in the middle of the film but because she was showed while she was useless plot-wise.
On the other hand, the film tackles its subject in a very serious and entertaining way that I'm asking myself if DeVito or the screenwriters did have enough material to approach the privacy of Hoffa, maybe they didn't, or maybe they had but they didn't have enough time. The film is more trying to answer to the question of Hoffa's whacking than the typical rise and fall, it's more about the way he became an instrument of the mob with a pragmatic view on the ends- justifies-the mean theory, but we never see how effective they are for the Teamsters. I learned more about the rights and the struggle of truck drivers from the underrated film-noir "They Drive by Night" or the thriller "Wages of Fear" than "Hoffa", which is saying a lot because it had to be about trucks too, Ebert said that DeVito showed a man who was all about trucks, he talked and breathed 'truck', well how about showing these trucks in the first place? The film fails providing insights on the character by focusing too much on the controversy; it doesn't help to get enough perspective. Imagine if "Nixon" was only about the Watergate, you wouldn't have known about Nixon AND the Watergate either, DeVito's film lacked focus and scope.
It's interesting that the film was made in 1992, the same year than another and better biopic, Spike Lee's "Malcolm X", the film is three-hour long but takes you from the roots of the leader, when he was a small-time crook to his rise as one charismatic orator. In "Hoffa", we never see him driving a truck, nourishing his heart with socialist ideas and revolting against the system. From the beginning, he's like a politician haranguing the comrades. I take it from granted than what he say is true, but it's not about belief, but empathy, the film is not about making Hoffa a good or a bad guy, but letting the viewer figuring out. If he was bad enough (in the "practical" meaning) to stick with the gangsters when he became powerful, it would be interesting to see how he started as an idealistic man, and it would make the corruption of his morality more interesting. That's what great biopics are about: evolutions, and never in "Hoffa", do we feel that the guy is changing, in bad or good, it doesn't matter, but there's no dynamics whatsoever.
And again, it's a pity because the performances are good, I can't believe Nicholson got a Razzie nomination for this, granted it wasn't the best of his career, but he did bring some energy and passion in the character. But what lacked was a structure, a right choice of episodes that would tell us something about a controversial figure. The film is two-hour and fifteen minutes long, I wouldn't have minded it being much longer if it could enlighten me on the private face of Jimmy Hoffa, we're talking about a character played by Nicholson, who's got a great chemistry with his real-life friend Danny DeVito, the film had the potential, the ambition, probably the budget, the writing was good, but the storytelling not so.
Still, for what it is, it's not wasted time, and the film has a solid consistency in it, and at least, it does something that almost redeems the flaws I mentioned: it ends with the best scene, the most memorable one. In terms of shock and emotion, even though we know the story of Jimmy Hoffa, we don't see the ending coming, and it did left me puzzled and shocked when I saw it for the first time. The film needed more moments like this, but all in all, it's a solid drama.
The Union, The Mob and Jimmy Hoffa
thinker169118 June 2006
Hoffa is a surprising film which from time to time arises to keep alive the memory of the late Teamster president. Told in flash back form, the film ably describes the dramatic rise and fall of the popular labor leader. Indeed, with Nickleson's portrayal the viewer is convinced of the confrontational life of the man who became synonymous with the International union. Re-enacting the turbulent rise of Hoffa, viewers are treated to the fabulous talents of some of the giants of the silver screen. Few could argue that Jack Nicholson as James R. 'Jimmy' Hoffa is nothing short of magical. In addition there is Danny DeVito who as Bobby Ciaro, in my opinion steals the show. Further enriching the cast is Armand Assante as Carol D'Allesandro, the mob boss who assured Jimmy's rise to power and then later is suspect in the teamster's mysterious disappearance. J.T. Walsh is excellent as Frank Fitzsimmons. The dramatic film superbly encapsulates the early violent trials, successful triumphs and eventual tragedy of the great, but troubled teamster president. ****
Good but not great
vincentlynch-moonoi17 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
To me, there are 3 things wrong with this film, although they don't make it a bad film...more an incomplete film.
1. At best, it's a 2-dimensional portrait of the man. An extra 7-10 minutes early in the film could have given us a better understanding of what in his youth made him the scrappy, feisty man he became.
2. Did he have a family life? You'd hardly know it. We see his wife occasionally, but with only one scene of any value. Same for his children...almost nonexistent. A few more minutes could have completed the character sketch.
3. I'm no fan of Bobby Kennedy, but the portrayal of Kennedy here by Kevin Anderson seemed downright childish to me.
Having said that, there's a lot of good things about this film. The first, perhaps, being Danny DeVito's strong portrayal of Hoffa's chief aide over much of a lifetime (although the character is fictional). A strong theme of the film is loyalty, and DeVito portrays that extremely well.
As to Jack Nicholson's performance as Hoffa, it's difficult for me to rate. I am old enough to remember Jimmy Hoffa, and I see glimpses of Hoffa in Nicholson's performance. But that's always a problem in biographical films of people we actually remember. We can look at Don Ameche's performance as Alexander Graham Bell and accept it rather readily because we don't personally remember Bell. But some of us remember Hoffa, and it would be a mistake for Nicholson to do an "impression" of Hoffa, because it would be widely criticized. So, he does an admirable job of not letting an impression get in the way of the story.
DeVito also directed this film, and I have to give him credit for the deft manner in which he handled flashbacks. Generally I think that flashbacks are overused in many films. Here the technique worked very well with very smooth transitions.
Of course we don't really know how Hoffa died and disappeared, but the ending of this film is an intriguing and nifty explanation. Very well done.
If you want to get a sense of Jimmy Hoffa the labor leader, this film will accomplish that. If you want a sense of the whole man, you'll be a bit disappointed. But, the film is an admirable effort.
1. At best, it's a 2-dimensional portrait of the man. An extra 7-10 minutes early in the film could have given us a better understanding of what in his youth made him the scrappy, feisty man he became.
2. Did he have a family life? You'd hardly know it. We see his wife occasionally, but with only one scene of any value. Same for his children...almost nonexistent. A few more minutes could have completed the character sketch.
3. I'm no fan of Bobby Kennedy, but the portrayal of Kennedy here by Kevin Anderson seemed downright childish to me.
Having said that, there's a lot of good things about this film. The first, perhaps, being Danny DeVito's strong portrayal of Hoffa's chief aide over much of a lifetime (although the character is fictional). A strong theme of the film is loyalty, and DeVito portrays that extremely well.
As to Jack Nicholson's performance as Hoffa, it's difficult for me to rate. I am old enough to remember Jimmy Hoffa, and I see glimpses of Hoffa in Nicholson's performance. But that's always a problem in biographical films of people we actually remember. We can look at Don Ameche's performance as Alexander Graham Bell and accept it rather readily because we don't personally remember Bell. But some of us remember Hoffa, and it would be a mistake for Nicholson to do an "impression" of Hoffa, because it would be widely criticized. So, he does an admirable job of not letting an impression get in the way of the story.
DeVito also directed this film, and I have to give him credit for the deft manner in which he handled flashbacks. Generally I think that flashbacks are overused in many films. Here the technique worked very well with very smooth transitions.
Of course we don't really know how Hoffa died and disappeared, but the ending of this film is an intriguing and nifty explanation. Very well done.
If you want to get a sense of Jimmy Hoffa the labor leader, this film will accomplish that. If you want a sense of the whole man, you'll be a bit disappointed. But, the film is an admirable effort.
Great Film
wig216028 March 2004
I thought this was a great film, and I stress the word "film" because so many people are critical of "Hoffa" due to its lack of total historical accuracy. Its a movie based on a historical figure ,not a historical biography. Creative license was used to portray a man that while corrupt, was necessary for the American labor movement at that time. Many people owe Jimmy Hoffa a great deal of gratitude for the advancements he made for the "Working Man". This is often lost today because Jimmy Hoffa ultimately went down, and as we all know Americans love a winner. Danny Devito and Jack Nicholson were great. The DVD is well worth its price and contains some great extras, including some actual footage of Jimmy Hoffa and Robert Kennedy at the hearings in the late 50's. 9 out of 10 .
Where is Jimmy Hoffa?
lastliberal2 December 2007
Like the JFK assassination, the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa will be forever shrouded in mystery. The ending to this film is just as good a theory as any other.
But you don't watch this film for facts. You watch it for the great performance of Jack Nicholson. You also watch it for the very good performances of Danny DeVito and Armand Assante.
True or not, it was a good story written by David Mamet (Wag the Dog, The Verdict, Ronin) about the rise of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters, and his deal with the devil to accomplish his goals.
Fans of Robert Kennedy will not be pleased.
But you don't watch this film for facts. You watch it for the great performance of Jack Nicholson. You also watch it for the very good performances of Danny DeVito and Armand Assante.
True or not, it was a good story written by David Mamet (Wag the Dog, The Verdict, Ronin) about the rise of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters, and his deal with the devil to accomplish his goals.
Fans of Robert Kennedy will not be pleased.
Good acting, however mediocre film
ttommy-113 January 2008
Perhaps I should have known more of the history of Jimmy Hoffa and the labor movement before I undertook watching this film. Then maybe I would have followed it more closely. For me it was a blur of shouted arguments, back room deal making, riots and bullying. It was difficult for me to understand what the heck was going on.
But Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito portrayed their characters so well that the movie held my attention from beginning to end. I especially liked the scenes that pitted Jimmy Hoffa against Robert Kennedy.
Also, the ending, the demise of Jimmy Hoffa seemed pure Hollywood, which is to say spectacular and implausible. Everyone wonders about the last hours of Jimmy Hoffa's life and I don't think this film really answers that.
But Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito portrayed their characters so well that the movie held my attention from beginning to end. I especially liked the scenes that pitted Jimmy Hoffa against Robert Kennedy.
Also, the ending, the demise of Jimmy Hoffa seemed pure Hollywood, which is to say spectacular and implausible. Everyone wonders about the last hours of Jimmy Hoffa's life and I don't think this film really answers that.
great film about a great man
arthurclay5 June 2005
I actually knew a guy whose uncle would have coffee with Hoffa regularly in Chicago and they were good friends so this movie is very near and dear to me. Hoffa did for organized labor what Martin Luther King Jr. did for civil rights. He pioneered it, organized it, led it and ultimately died for it. Jack Nicholson is dynamite. He really looks like Jimmy Hoffa and he's got him down pat. You feel empathy for him, what he has to go thru, and the constant, devastating betrayals that occur throughout his life by the Mob and the Teamsters. Danny DeVito is good and you feel sorry for him almost as much as you respect him and even fear him. He's tough, brash, competent and a good shot with a .45 Auto and he loves Hoffa. That is evident early on and doesn't leave you. This movie was made not as a factual piece but more of a testament to his movement and his struggle to fight for his men and get them what they deserve. The ending is very poignant and endearing almost to a fault. If you are interested in finding out what really happened to Hoffa read Contract Killer by William Hoffman and Lake Headley it goes into great detail about his final hours, who killed him and most importantly why. The message is simple. What you love can kill you and most men who sacrifice all for a cause end up becoming martyrs to it.
A brotherhood built on solidarity. Look for the Union label.
michaelRokeefe27 January 2002
Directed and co-produced by Danny DeVito; this is a stern and brass knuckle look at the legendary Union boss James R. Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975. Jimmy Hoffa(Jack Nicholson) to many was a natural born leader. Many say he helped only himself as head of a very large and strong teamsters union. Albeit Hoffa remained devout to his cause and did not back down in his heated meetings with Robert Kennedy(Kevin Anderson). Danny DeVito gave himself the role of Hoffa's right hand man Bobby Ciaro.
This may be Nicholson at his finest. DeVito also is outstanding in a meaty role. In support as Hoffa cronies are: J.T. Walsh, John C. Reilly and John P. Ryan. Armand Assante is powerful in the role of Carol D'Allesandro a 'big money' man in association with the crafty union leader. I can't praise Nicholson enough; an exceptional actor in a dynamic movie. David Mamet's demise of Hoffa is as good as any imagined.
This may be Nicholson at his finest. DeVito also is outstanding in a meaty role. In support as Hoffa cronies are: J.T. Walsh, John C. Reilly and John P. Ryan. Armand Assante is powerful in the role of Carol D'Allesandro a 'big money' man in association with the crafty union leader. I can't praise Nicholson enough; an exceptional actor in a dynamic movie. David Mamet's demise of Hoffa is as good as any imagined.
The Irishman did it better
Chance_Boudreaux1912 December 2019
The Irishman is not a movie about Jimmy Hoffa, he's a very large part of the movie but it's a story of Frank Sheeran. The weird thing is that The Irishman gave me more insight as to who Hoffa was and what he did. It's weird because Hoffa is a 140 minute movie about his life and yet it feels more like a movie about Danny DeVito's character. I feel like without watching The Irishman first I would not have understood a lot of the movie. For example, the Irishman does a much better job of showing why Hoffa went to jail and why he had a feud with Robert Kennedy. This films approach is just too vague and doesn't get into enough detail. It also feels too sappy in parts, I was not a fan of the soundtrack at all. That's not too say it's without its merits. I liked DeVito's directing style and although he might've be trying too many camera tricks he definitely did not deserve a Razzie nomination. Additionally, the acting is pretty good all around even though Nicholson is not as good as Pacino and DeVito is tough to buy as an enforcer and a ladies man. Finally, I thought some scenes were very stellar such as the hunting trip scene. All in all, it's enjoyable in parts but mainly mediocre and failed to give me the insight into the titular character that I hoped to gain from it.
Should This Have Been Made?
Coxer992 March 1999
While it is one of Nicholson's most challenging roles, as a viewer you find yourself more attached to director and co-star DeVito, who practically sunk every penny he owned into the making of this film. While the film did garner some Golden Globe nominations, altogether the film was a commercial and personal flop for all involved. The problem may have been that the world was not ready for this story. Nicholson is quite good as Hoffa, but one almost ignores the performance when you think of the personal attachment director DeVito had to the project. It is quite unfortunate because DeVito is interesting in a rare dramatic role. David Mamet did write a fine script and there is fine support from J.T.Walsh, Robert Prosky and Armand Assante.
In ten years, this film will be a classic!
In ten years, this film will be a classic!
high epic propensity, lots of "foul" language, and a classic Nicholson in a movie (unfortunately) slight
Quinoa198415 January 2008
Hoffa needs a director that has a vision that knocks you on your ass, much like the man at the center of the film himself. Danny De Vito takes the directorial reins in a style that is, frankly, emptily flashy. He moved on from doing dark comedies into the realm of the dramatic bio-pic, and boy does he love high flying camera movements, ones that pirouette and move like Hoffa is the biggest cheese to ever cheese. He brings forth a story of a man that isn't told entirely A to Z, but skips around in getting a slight portrait. He's not a bad director, which is to say he doesn't make it at all unwatchable. But the inherent flaw to point here is more-so in a lack of the proverbial "umph".
David Mamet's script could also be pointed at for Hoffa offering a road-map of historical attractions- some of which might have not even happened- but his strengths could be elevated with a master at the helm. Hoffa calls for it, with his personality with the edge of a man who takes no s*** from anyone, and even when wrong has a sort of glow about him one can't shake. But Hoffa is fascinating because it is, inherently, fascinating stuff, no matter how simple the direction gets as a mainstream Hollywood effort. Here's a man who can't be pegged down because he's not, in a way, a well-rounded kind of character. He riles up workers into a union, and rallies them for a glorious cause to get what they want. Then he makes a back-door deal with the mob to get in on pension loans, and defends to the end that what he's got is legit when under investigation by RFK. He believes in "justice" before the law, and there's never a tear shed for anyone. Hoffa should be a very simplistic character, easy to peg in the scope of history as a (not quite obvious) question mark end.
But there's so much that Nicholson brings to him that he's hard to shake off as a this-is-what-you-get character. With Nicholson there's the physicality, where he goes through the kind of barking and yelling and cursing and yelling and, ultimately, self-preserved ego that somehow makes Hoffa more human than the character would be played any other way. Even in scenes that feel like the most conventional of biographical stories, like the verbatim hearing between him and Kennedy, there's a lot to look for under those quintessential eyebrows and the layers of make-up. He has something that one wants to guess that he's thinking, or has in mind when he's going off on someone, or in talking with his second in command Bobby (DeVito himself, also very good in a role that, in his own right, requires just as much skill as his star to act out as a common man put in a unique position). Just a squint or a furrow can get a new angle in a scene, which helps since he has to put on such a bigger-than-life persona. I'm reminded of the best of Cagney here.
Shame then that he can't quite bring up the picture to greatness. It's a rousing, handsomely made picture, and I'm sure the filmmakers wouldn't have it any other way. When one sees the big epic battle with the teamsters, the workers, with bodies going blow by blow and the music pounding and rising like a storm, it's easy to get involved in the action. It's got the production values to go however it wants. But there's something missing to it making it a classic, as opposed to just a good, above-average TV movie (yes, I used the vehement description). It goes without saying the dialog is almost as filthy as another Mamet project from 92, Glengarry Glen Ross (matter fact it's fitting both films have practically all men in the casts).
However there's something too clean and lean to the direction. It sounds as though I can't criticize it well enough, but... it's depth, basically. We're given facts, speculation (i.e. the ending), and bombastic personalities. But in the end, it's still the factor of Nicholson that makes it a bit more special that it would be otherwise.
David Mamet's script could also be pointed at for Hoffa offering a road-map of historical attractions- some of which might have not even happened- but his strengths could be elevated with a master at the helm. Hoffa calls for it, with his personality with the edge of a man who takes no s*** from anyone, and even when wrong has a sort of glow about him one can't shake. But Hoffa is fascinating because it is, inherently, fascinating stuff, no matter how simple the direction gets as a mainstream Hollywood effort. Here's a man who can't be pegged down because he's not, in a way, a well-rounded kind of character. He riles up workers into a union, and rallies them for a glorious cause to get what they want. Then he makes a back-door deal with the mob to get in on pension loans, and defends to the end that what he's got is legit when under investigation by RFK. He believes in "justice" before the law, and there's never a tear shed for anyone. Hoffa should be a very simplistic character, easy to peg in the scope of history as a (not quite obvious) question mark end.
But there's so much that Nicholson brings to him that he's hard to shake off as a this-is-what-you-get character. With Nicholson there's the physicality, where he goes through the kind of barking and yelling and cursing and yelling and, ultimately, self-preserved ego that somehow makes Hoffa more human than the character would be played any other way. Even in scenes that feel like the most conventional of biographical stories, like the verbatim hearing between him and Kennedy, there's a lot to look for under those quintessential eyebrows and the layers of make-up. He has something that one wants to guess that he's thinking, or has in mind when he's going off on someone, or in talking with his second in command Bobby (DeVito himself, also very good in a role that, in his own right, requires just as much skill as his star to act out as a common man put in a unique position). Just a squint or a furrow can get a new angle in a scene, which helps since he has to put on such a bigger-than-life persona. I'm reminded of the best of Cagney here.
Shame then that he can't quite bring up the picture to greatness. It's a rousing, handsomely made picture, and I'm sure the filmmakers wouldn't have it any other way. When one sees the big epic battle with the teamsters, the workers, with bodies going blow by blow and the music pounding and rising like a storm, it's easy to get involved in the action. It's got the production values to go however it wants. But there's something missing to it making it a classic, as opposed to just a good, above-average TV movie (yes, I used the vehement description). It goes without saying the dialog is almost as filthy as another Mamet project from 92, Glengarry Glen Ross (matter fact it's fitting both films have practically all men in the casts).
However there's something too clean and lean to the direction. It sounds as though I can't criticize it well enough, but... it's depth, basically. We're given facts, speculation (i.e. the ending), and bombastic personalities. But in the end, it's still the factor of Nicholson that makes it a bit more special that it would be otherwise.
It's got the look and spirit...if not the facts.
planktonrules11 August 2023
"Hoffa" is a tough movie to review. In some ways, it's an exceptional film. Jack Nicholson looks a heck of a lot like Jimmy Hoffa and he acts the part very well. It also is very well directed and the film looks great. But, sadly, like too many biopics, the story also is very fast and loose with the facts and much of this David Mamet script seems to be fictional. It's a shame, as with a more accurate script, it would have been amazing.
The story gets the SPIRIT of Jimmy Hoffa right. He was a hard-as-nails guy who didn't take nothin' from no one. He also was, unfortunately, a bit on the corrupt side (to put it mildly) and the film manages to get this right. But the final portion of the story is a mess and important details of his life were omitted or altered to make the story 'more cinematic'.
My advice is to watch the film. Then, read up on the man. You also might want to see "The Irishman", as it did a better job of showing a different side to a very complicated man.
The story gets the SPIRIT of Jimmy Hoffa right. He was a hard-as-nails guy who didn't take nothin' from no one. He also was, unfortunately, a bit on the corrupt side (to put it mildly) and the film manages to get this right. But the final portion of the story is a mess and important details of his life were omitted or altered to make the story 'more cinematic'.
My advice is to watch the film. Then, read up on the man. You also might want to see "The Irishman", as it did a better job of showing a different side to a very complicated man.
Bruno Kirby, RIP
lee_eisenberg16 August 2006
Bruno Kirby's death two days ago brings to mind all his movies, including "Hoffa". Kirby only has a small, uncredited part in the movie, but the movie itself is something to focus on. I admit that I can't verify the movie's accuracy - especially the end - but this look at Teamsters Pres. Jimmy Hoffa (Jack Nicholson, doing a good job as always) is worth seeing, if only as a look at history. A particularly blood-freezing scene is when the thugs attack the workers. Equally good as Nicholson is director Danny DeVito as Hoffa's assistant Bobby Ciaro.
So, it's not the best movie for either man, but still worth seeing. It's weird to imagine Bobby Kennedy going after Hoffa like that. Also starring Armand Assante, J.T. Walsh, John C. Reilly, Frank Whaley, Robert Prosky, Richard Schiff, a cameo by Tim Burton, and even Jack Nicholson's daughter Jennifer in a brief appearance.
So, it's not the best movie for either man, but still worth seeing. It's weird to imagine Bobby Kennedy going after Hoffa like that. Also starring Armand Assante, J.T. Walsh, John C. Reilly, Frank Whaley, Robert Prosky, Richard Schiff, a cameo by Tim Burton, and even Jack Nicholson's daughter Jennifer in a brief appearance.
A Self-Proclaimed "Friend Of Labor"
seymourblack-117 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Jimmy Hoffa was one of the most fascinating public figures of the 20th century and the events depicted in this movie are an attempt to encapsulate in 140 minutes what it was that made this force of nature so remarkable. What emerges most strongly is that he had a very clear vision of what he wanted to achieve and some exceptional personal qualities that enabled him to succeed where others couldn't. His story spans a forty year period and unfolds in a way that aims for objectivity by acknowledging his outstanding leadership and negotiating skills whilst also unflinchingly exposing his links with organised crime and his apparent lack of compunction about being involved in a whole variety of corrupt practices.
The action begins in 1975 at a roadside diner on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, where two men in a car are anxiously awaiting the arrival of someone they've arranged to meet there. The men in question are Jimmy Hoffa (Jack Nicholson) and Bobby Ciaro (Danny DeVito) and during what seems like an interminable wait, Bobby's mind wanders back to his first meeting with Hoffa in 1935 when the union firebrand had approached his parked truck and tried to convince him of the benefits of joining his union. Against his better judgement, Bobby had been talked into giving Hoffa a lift but dropped him off some time before reaching his destination because he knew that if he was seen with his notorious passenger, it would cost him his job. Unfortunately, when they meet again some time later, something Hoffa says does cost Bobby his job and following this incident, Hoffa gives him a role in the union.
Through Bobby's reminiscences, the events that propelled Hoffa from a union organizer to the Presidency of the Brotherhood of Teamsters are played out. These include the firebombing of a laundry where the owner had resisted the unionization of his workforce and where Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn (Robert Prosky) had died after sustaining terrible burns all over his body. After a particular strike had turned violent because of skirmishes that broke out between strikers and non-union drivers, Hoffa is "invited" to a meeting with a local Mafia boss who discloses that he "protects" the business that was involved in the strike and questions why he shouldn't simply dispose of the problems that Hoffa had caused by eliminating him. Hoffa responds by proposing a scheme that would enable the mob to profit from an arrangement whereby the union would arrange for certain cargos to be diverted to mob locations. It's at this meeting that Hoffa and Carol D'Allesandro (Armand Assante) establish a long-lasting alliance that strengthens Hoffa's power further and contributes to his inexorable rise to the top.
Hoffa further abuses his power when he makes an arrangement with D'Allesandro for union pension funds to be used to finance mob investments and gets subjected to some scrutiny by Robert Kennedy at a Congressional Hearing. Hoffa subsequently gets jailed in 1967 after being found guilty of fraud but has his sentence commuted in 1971 by a Presidential pardon issued by Richard Nixon. This pardon, however, precludes him from returning to his previous role as the union's leader and the roadside diner meeting with D'Allesandro had been set up to make an arrangement whereby he could try to regain his previous position of power. What follows, however, soon makes it clear that this can't and won't ever happen.
Bobby Ciaro is an entirely fictitious character who embodies the qualities of a number of Hoffa's real-life associates and acts as a conduit through which the audience learns about the actions and fearless nature of the legendary union leader. This device works well and Danny DeVito is very effective as Hoffa's closest and most loyal friend. Jack Nicholson is also absolutely tremendous as he not only immerses himself entirely into his role but also looks stunningly like the man he's portraying.
It's understandable that even the relatively long running time of this movie can't possibly cover everything that happened in Hoffa's exceptionally eventful life but the most regrettable omission is any explanation of what inspired his mission, what made him so driven and how this self-proclaimed "friend of labor" could be so unconcerned about jeopardising his members' pension funds.
The action begins in 1975 at a roadside diner on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, where two men in a car are anxiously awaiting the arrival of someone they've arranged to meet there. The men in question are Jimmy Hoffa (Jack Nicholson) and Bobby Ciaro (Danny DeVito) and during what seems like an interminable wait, Bobby's mind wanders back to his first meeting with Hoffa in 1935 when the union firebrand had approached his parked truck and tried to convince him of the benefits of joining his union. Against his better judgement, Bobby had been talked into giving Hoffa a lift but dropped him off some time before reaching his destination because he knew that if he was seen with his notorious passenger, it would cost him his job. Unfortunately, when they meet again some time later, something Hoffa says does cost Bobby his job and following this incident, Hoffa gives him a role in the union.
Through Bobby's reminiscences, the events that propelled Hoffa from a union organizer to the Presidency of the Brotherhood of Teamsters are played out. These include the firebombing of a laundry where the owner had resisted the unionization of his workforce and where Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn (Robert Prosky) had died after sustaining terrible burns all over his body. After a particular strike had turned violent because of skirmishes that broke out between strikers and non-union drivers, Hoffa is "invited" to a meeting with a local Mafia boss who discloses that he "protects" the business that was involved in the strike and questions why he shouldn't simply dispose of the problems that Hoffa had caused by eliminating him. Hoffa responds by proposing a scheme that would enable the mob to profit from an arrangement whereby the union would arrange for certain cargos to be diverted to mob locations. It's at this meeting that Hoffa and Carol D'Allesandro (Armand Assante) establish a long-lasting alliance that strengthens Hoffa's power further and contributes to his inexorable rise to the top.
Hoffa further abuses his power when he makes an arrangement with D'Allesandro for union pension funds to be used to finance mob investments and gets subjected to some scrutiny by Robert Kennedy at a Congressional Hearing. Hoffa subsequently gets jailed in 1967 after being found guilty of fraud but has his sentence commuted in 1971 by a Presidential pardon issued by Richard Nixon. This pardon, however, precludes him from returning to his previous role as the union's leader and the roadside diner meeting with D'Allesandro had been set up to make an arrangement whereby he could try to regain his previous position of power. What follows, however, soon makes it clear that this can't and won't ever happen.
Bobby Ciaro is an entirely fictitious character who embodies the qualities of a number of Hoffa's real-life associates and acts as a conduit through which the audience learns about the actions and fearless nature of the legendary union leader. This device works well and Danny DeVito is very effective as Hoffa's closest and most loyal friend. Jack Nicholson is also absolutely tremendous as he not only immerses himself entirely into his role but also looks stunningly like the man he's portraying.
It's understandable that even the relatively long running time of this movie can't possibly cover everything that happened in Hoffa's exceptionally eventful life but the most regrettable omission is any explanation of what inspired his mission, what made him so driven and how this self-proclaimed "friend of labor" could be so unconcerned about jeopardising his members' pension funds.
An Incomparable Epic
deanofrpps27 August 2006
Danny DeVito produced an incomparable epic in the bio-pic of James Riddle Hoffa who came to symbolize the struggle for the workingman for a place in the sun, contrary to another reviewer, thwarted not by those evil republicans of the time but by the impeccably liberal kennedy family which dogged Hoffa with repeated charges until one stuck.
true hoffa made many bargains with the mob which circumstances required to attain a balance in the bargaining position with management. but of course the kennedy family came up bootlegging and stock swindling, giving them the touch of liberal elegance.
Hoffa's final speech that he brought the workingman into the middle class sums up his entire career.
true hoffa made many bargains with the mob which circumstances required to attain a balance in the bargaining position with management. but of course the kennedy family came up bootlegging and stock swindling, giving them the touch of liberal elegance.
Hoffa's final speech that he brought the workingman into the middle class sums up his entire career.
The man who was willing to pay the price for power.
Hey_Sweden26 April 2021
Writer David Mamet and director Danny DeVito (the latter taking a break from the dark comedy genre) here attempt a portrait of the legendary Teamsters leader who remained firmly on the side of the working man. Jack Nicholson, giving one of his best film performances, is believable as James R. Hoffa, a man so devoted to the rights of his people that he was willing to "deal with the Devil", and develop associations with organized crime figures to get things done. This was a passionate and yet complex figure, whose ultimate fate remains shrouded in mystery (with Mamet devising one possible explanation for what happened).
Somewhat sentimental in its approach, with a grandiose score by David Newman, this is given slick, stylish treatment by DeVito, who creates some visual tricks at select moments. Its main point is to show how this incredibly forceful personality, with his fair share of both assets and flaws, just completely galvanized blue collar workers across America. In that sense, it does its job well. And it moves along rather well, for even as it clocks in at two hours and 20 minutes, it remains easy to watch, with some compelling passages.
It's not unreasonable to say, however, that Nicholson's performance essentially IS the movie. Although, as time and his career went on, he could often easily slide into "wacky Jack" mode, he was still thoroughly capable of immersing himself in a character and leaving eccentricities far behind. DeVito himself plays a fictional character who became a steadfast companion to Hoffa throughout the years. They receive exceptional support from a cast just full of familiar faces: Armand Assante, J. T. Walsh, Robert Prosky, John C. Reilly, Kevin Anderson (as Hoffas' nemesis, Bobby Kennedy), John P. Ryan, Frank Whaley, Natalija Nogulich, Nicholas Pryor, Paul Guilfoyle, Karen Young, and Cliff Gorman. Nicholson's daughter Jennifer has a bit as a nursing nun in white; Bruno Kirby has an uncredited cameo as a nightclub entertainer.
Overall, it is this great cast that helps to smooth over any flaws in the script or the film. This viewer has not yet seen Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman", but comparisons between the two films is sure to be interesting.
Seven out of 10.
Somewhat sentimental in its approach, with a grandiose score by David Newman, this is given slick, stylish treatment by DeVito, who creates some visual tricks at select moments. Its main point is to show how this incredibly forceful personality, with his fair share of both assets and flaws, just completely galvanized blue collar workers across America. In that sense, it does its job well. And it moves along rather well, for even as it clocks in at two hours and 20 minutes, it remains easy to watch, with some compelling passages.
It's not unreasonable to say, however, that Nicholson's performance essentially IS the movie. Although, as time and his career went on, he could often easily slide into "wacky Jack" mode, he was still thoroughly capable of immersing himself in a character and leaving eccentricities far behind. DeVito himself plays a fictional character who became a steadfast companion to Hoffa throughout the years. They receive exceptional support from a cast just full of familiar faces: Armand Assante, J. T. Walsh, Robert Prosky, John C. Reilly, Kevin Anderson (as Hoffas' nemesis, Bobby Kennedy), John P. Ryan, Frank Whaley, Natalija Nogulich, Nicholas Pryor, Paul Guilfoyle, Karen Young, and Cliff Gorman. Nicholson's daughter Jennifer has a bit as a nursing nun in white; Bruno Kirby has an uncredited cameo as a nightclub entertainer.
Overall, it is this great cast that helps to smooth over any flaws in the script or the film. This viewer has not yet seen Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman", but comparisons between the two films is sure to be interesting.
Seven out of 10.
Something About This Just Doesn't Work
sddavis6313 September 2002
Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito are both fine actors, and Jimmy Hoffa surely led a life fascinating enough to have made a very interesting movie, but somehow even with strong leads and an interesting subject the end result just doesn't work.
Nicholson was all right as Hoffa - but no more than all right. He seemed to be forcing the role a bit in places. DeVito (who also directed, with mixed results I thought) was passable as Hoffa's right hand man Bobby Ciaro, but - to me at least - just didn't really suit the part very well.
The movie is constructed as a series of flashbacks. We find at the start that Hoffa and Ciaro are waiting outside a diner for - well, someone. It's never really defined who they're waiting for, but Hoffa gets progressively agitated as time progresses and this someone doesn't show up. Meanwhile, Ciaro reminisces about his past experiences with Hoffa - from their first meeting, through the years of union organizing, fights with the Kennedy administration, encounters with organized crime, imprisonment, etc. The flashbacks left me empty. They tended to raise important subjects, but then never really seemed to have specific conclusions. Overall, I thought the movie was poorly constructed and quite disappointing as a result.
In a biographical movie such as this one, one of two things should happen: either you should feel you know the title character by the time it's over, or you have the desire to get to know him. Neither happened for me in this. Jimmy Hoffa is a character I can just as soon do without.
2/10
Nicholson was all right as Hoffa - but no more than all right. He seemed to be forcing the role a bit in places. DeVito (who also directed, with mixed results I thought) was passable as Hoffa's right hand man Bobby Ciaro, but - to me at least - just didn't really suit the part very well.
The movie is constructed as a series of flashbacks. We find at the start that Hoffa and Ciaro are waiting outside a diner for - well, someone. It's never really defined who they're waiting for, but Hoffa gets progressively agitated as time progresses and this someone doesn't show up. Meanwhile, Ciaro reminisces about his past experiences with Hoffa - from their first meeting, through the years of union organizing, fights with the Kennedy administration, encounters with organized crime, imprisonment, etc. The flashbacks left me empty. They tended to raise important subjects, but then never really seemed to have specific conclusions. Overall, I thought the movie was poorly constructed and quite disappointing as a result.
In a biographical movie such as this one, one of two things should happen: either you should feel you know the title character by the time it's over, or you have the desire to get to know him. Neither happened for me in this. Jimmy Hoffa is a character I can just as soon do without.
2/10
Should of got more recognition.
gottogorunning17 August 2005
Possibly Jack Nicholson was showing up nominated at to many award shows at this time and he was due for a put down.The movie seemed to be overlooked or not reviewed very well at the time of release. I thought his "Hoffa" was a memorable portrayal of a complex and contradictory personality. Having been around during Hoffa's reign as head of the Teamsters, as well as being a Teamster back then myself, Nicholson's portrayal was uncanny in it's grasp of Hoffa's style and personality. Nicholson seemed to get in Hoffa's skin for this role as George C. Scott did for Patton. As a matter of fact I think the analogy is accurate. Both Patton and Hoffa were controversial, larger the life characters with a lot of flaws and a lot of attributes. Both actors were highly skilled and balanced in their portrayals.
Ok biopic that could have been better
bellino-angelo201420 September 2022
I was curious about HOFFA because it's directed by Danny de Vito and in THE IRISHMAN Hoffa is played by Al Pacino and, since I really like Jack Nicholson I knew I had to see this movie.
It begins on 30 July, 1975 with Jimmy Hoffa (Nicholson) and his friend Bobby Ciaro (De Vito) that wait in a parking lot. The movie then unfolds in vignettes reminiscing Hoffa's life. From when he joined the workers' movements to the truckers' strike, to when he meets boss Carol D'Alessandro (Armand Assante) and has a speech with Robert Kennedy in his wide office, to his arrest and subsequent freeing, to his murder in the parking lot.
De Vito directs nicely and Nicholson is good as usual, and also J T Walsh and John Reilly are spot-on. My issues were that it could have benefited of some trimming of at least 15 minutes, because at times the pace looked dull and the acting stilted. As it is, I wouldn't put it among Nicholson's best movies but it's still good.
It begins on 30 July, 1975 with Jimmy Hoffa (Nicholson) and his friend Bobby Ciaro (De Vito) that wait in a parking lot. The movie then unfolds in vignettes reminiscing Hoffa's life. From when he joined the workers' movements to the truckers' strike, to when he meets boss Carol D'Alessandro (Armand Assante) and has a speech with Robert Kennedy in his wide office, to his arrest and subsequent freeing, to his murder in the parking lot.
De Vito directs nicely and Nicholson is good as usual, and also J T Walsh and John Reilly are spot-on. My issues were that it could have benefited of some trimming of at least 15 minutes, because at times the pace looked dull and the acting stilted. As it is, I wouldn't put it among Nicholson's best movies but it's still good.
Disappointing Hollywood fiction of fact.
glenn-9001911 July 2021
Many, many assumptions with no proof of truth. Who the heck was Bobby Ciaro..other than a vehicle for Devito to be the star? A fictionalized perspective of a real story. Sadly now people will think this is the real story of Hoffa.
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