One of Frank Sinatra's best films was "Suddenly" and he played a sadistic assassin who held a family hostage in order to make an attempt on the President's life. In many ways, this film is like Bogart's "The Desperate Hours", in which some killers on the hideout force themselves on a family. Their choice is to hide them...or die! Both films which came out before "Inside the Mafia", and since both plots are so similar, I have to knock a point or two off this later film.
When the film begins, the mob boss Martello is gunned down by two assassins. Despite pumping four bullets into the guy, he somehow survives and his right-hand man, Tony Ledo (Cameron Mitchell) is determined to pay back the guys responsible. So, when he learns about a big conference of all the mob bosses, he and his sidekicks are determined to be there waiting and make them pay!
To do this, they go to the same tiny airport when the mobsters will soon be arriving. But here's where it gets interesting...they take the guy in the control tower prisoner as well as his family and they tell them to cooperate...or else. However, it's soon obvious that 'or else' would occur regardless, as these hoods are the smart type and won't leave any witnesses to talk.
The film is very taut and the acting is also very good. I have no complaints about the picture at all...except its similarity to the other films. Plus, they only came out a few years after...so audiences of 1959 must have also noticed the strong similarities. Despite this, however, it's worth watching as it's one of Cameron Mitchell's best roles.
When the film begins, the mob boss Martello is gunned down by two assassins. Despite pumping four bullets into the guy, he somehow survives and his right-hand man, Tony Ledo (Cameron Mitchell) is determined to pay back the guys responsible. So, when he learns about a big conference of all the mob bosses, he and his sidekicks are determined to be there waiting and make them pay!
To do this, they go to the same tiny airport when the mobsters will soon be arriving. But here's where it gets interesting...they take the guy in the control tower prisoner as well as his family and they tell them to cooperate...or else. However, it's soon obvious that 'or else' would occur regardless, as these hoods are the smart type and won't leave any witnesses to talk.
The film is very taut and the acting is also very good. I have no complaints about the picture at all...except its similarity to the other films. Plus, they only came out a few years after...so audiences of 1959 must have also noticed the strong similarities. Despite this, however, it's worth watching as it's one of Cameron Mitchell's best roles.