Michael Franzese has emerged as a shining example of a criminal who has managed to turn his life around in recent years. After departing from the Mafia, Franzese endured numerous stints in prison before ultimately finding redemption through his faith. Since then, he has become a renowned figure worldwide for his candid discussions on the Mafia lifestyle, which he openly shares on his YouTube channel under the simple moniker, Michael Franzese.
What sets Franzese apart is his refusal to glamorise his former life, opting instead to address the harsh realities of organized crime with unwavering honesty. One of the highlights of his channel is a segment where he analyzes mafia movies and TV shows, offering his insights and dissecting the accuracy of their portrayal of the underworld. Franzese’s platform has resonated with a diverse audience, underscoring the power of personal growth, self-reflection, and the journey towards redemption. So, let’s look into his life and break down his views on some of the most renowned Mafia movies and TV shows.
Who Is Michael Franzese?
Michael Franzese was born on May 27, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. From a young age, he was exposed to the world of organized crime due to his father’s prominent position in the Mafia. His father, John “Sonny” Franzese Sr., was a well-known American mobster who served as a longtime member and former underboss of the infamous Colombo crime family. Growing up in this environment, Michael Franzese was groomed for a life of crime and quickly became involved in his father’s criminal activities. Initially, his father didn’t want Michael to enter the world of the Mafia, however, when he was sent to prison, Michael became a part of “the life”, as he often refers to it as.
After working as a foot soldier for a number of years, Michael became a “made” member of the Mafia on Halloween Night 1975 after his father proposed him. In the beginning, his main aim was to get his father out of prison. However, from here, he became involved in many forms of racketeering, with his biggest and most notorious scheme setting out to defraud the government by selling gas without paying tax.
Franzese has stated that he was making up to $8 million a week at the height of his criminal endeavours, before going on to Florida, where it was estimated that between $40 million and $250 million in petrol tax was lost annually. Furthermore, revenue officials calculated that $250 million in petrol tax was stolen in New York State. This would eventually land Franzese a 10-year prison sentence. After turning government witness, he was released in 1989 only to be rearrested in 1991 for a parole violation, sending him back to prison before being released in 1994. After this, he turned his back on crime and became a devout Christian.
The Mafia Movies and TV Shows That Michael Franzese Approves Of
One of the many segments on Michael Franzese’s YouTube channel is called Mob Movie Monday. These videos see Michael sit down and break down moments from both Mafia movies and TV shows. While he has picked holes in many of these productions, there are a select few that he has given large amounts of praise to for their authenticity in their depictions of the Mafia world, or as he refers to it, The Cosa Nostra, which translates to “Our Thing”.
Out of the dozens of productions Michael has dissected, he has declared TV shows like The Sopranos as accurate renditions. Furthermore, he has showered movies like The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, and Goodfellas with massive amounts of praise. Interestingly, although he has hailed Goodfellas as one of the best movies that “captures the essence of the street life”, there was one element he disagrees with. In the famous tracking shot that works its way through a mob bar, Ray Liotta‘s character narrates and introduces the audience to a plethora of Mafia members. Amongst these men, is Michael Franzese. However, when he was released from jail, Franzese attended a screening of the film, only to be shocked that his name was included. While he did know the characters of the movie personally, he has stated that he wasn’t part of that crew and would have never had been in a bar with them.
Has Michael Franzese Ever Acted?
There are many examples of reformed criminals who became actors, and these individuals often lean into their former lives and portray characters of the criminal elk. However, Franzese is no such example. To date, his only acting credit is in the 2017 movie, Let There Be Light. In the film, Franzese starred opposite Kevin Sorbo (most renowned for portraying Hercules). Instead of leaning into his former life of crime, Franzese leaned into his new-found faith as a Christian, portraying Pastor Vinny, a man of the cloth who helps a former atheist find God after a near-death experience. Although this is his only acting credit, Franzese has been a part of acclaimed documentaries like Fear City: New York vs the Mafia, and Netflix’s How to Become a Mob Boss. In these productions, Franzese shed light on the world of organized crime via interviews.
Watch Let There Be Light on Prime Video
Will There Ever Be a Mob Movie About His Life?
In 2014, Michael Franzese wrote, produced and narrated his own documentary God the Father. In the documentary, Tom Benedict Knight portrayed Franzese in the reenactment segments. As well as this, the film was also spliced with animated moments to which Franzese narrated over. As of yet, this is the closest there has been to a movie being made about his life in the Mafia. However, ever since his YouTube channel took off, he has often hinted that a movie is on the way and that he has been approached numerous times by studios wanting to tell his story. However, as of the time of writing, there is no such project in official development. Want to read more about the Mafia? Here’s our breakdown of the cast of the iconic mob movie Goodfellas.
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