Review of Hoffa (1992) by Christopher S — 25 Nov 2011

The film was well written by the always excellent David Mamet. Jack Nicholson did relatively well to transform into the very controversial James Riddle Hoffa. However, since I am a big fan of Nicholson, I thought he did well with very few errors.

If you are not a fan of Nicholson, I could definitely see why Hoffa would be the worst film to see. First, it ran way too long. Danny DeVito is a solid director but this is not his best work. Second, some of the facts have been misconstrued to say the least.

I also thought John C. Reilly as Pete Connelly could have been given a bigger role but he was not and he was made to be the guy who brought down Jimmy Hoffa. Jimmy Hoffa brought himself down by making enemies who became very powerful people.

I also thought Kevin Anderson as Robert Kennedy was one of the worst acting performances I have ever seen. The accent was screwy and the acting was just substandard. Nicholson carried the film as much as he could but even he can do only so much.

Worth seeing if you love Jack Nicholson. If you do not, then do not waste the 140 minutes.