I scored this film a "7," as there were three subplots that distorted the concept of a Don. Were the following to be eliminated, this movie had the potential to equal its predecessor:1-The Kirstie Alley/Jason Isaacs involvement. 2-The fumigator 3-The autistic childIt definitely is worth a look, as it presents the mob in a slightly unique light.

I caught "The Last Don II" on the channel True Entertainment (an offshoot of the True Movies channels, which always show old and crappy American TV movies) the other night, when my mum wanted to watch it, as she had seen the first "Last Don" series many years ago, and was curious to see how they had continued it. We were both disappointed. Why? Because "Last Don II" is actually a comedy. It may not be sold as one, but believe me, it really really really IS. For one thing, the music for TLD2 sounds like the spoof "Godfather" music that Alf Clausen always does in The Simpsons whenever Fat Tony and his crew appear in it (which is ironic, considering that Joe Mantegna - the voice of Fat Tony himself - appears in this too, as part of some outlandish dream sequences). And who composed the music for this? None other than Angelo Badalamenti, the man who gave us such memorable and inventive music in his collaborations with David Lynch. For shame. And then there's the acting. Is there any? Very little, it turns out. Most of the cast members are as wooden as an elm tree. (This isn't helped by the presence of both Kirstie Alley AND Patsy Kensit, who are both the dampest of squibs in an ocean of damp squibs in this series.) But a few of the cast who emerge unscathed from this include a very young Alison Pill (who deserved better material, but thankfully went on to be extraordinary in "In Treatment," "Milk" and "Scott Pilgrim"), Jason Isaacs (HELLO TO JASON ISAACS!) and one cast member who I thought was Stephen Root, but apparently isn't, but who near the series' end breaks out through the dull dirge that has gone before, and realises that he's in a comedy, and so acts accordingly by going completely over the top of OTT...and then they throw him off the top of a building. (Boo!) And then there's the death scenes, which are tragically mishandled. How is it possible that scenes involving a man getting crushed by a shipping container, a woman being blown up by a bomb in a box, a man being strangled in a prison cell, and so on, be the most hilarious parts of the whole series? It's amazingly awful, and breathtakingly bad. It's almost the worst thing I've ever seen...but I've also happened to see David Lynch's "Wild At Heart", which thus far remains the worst film I've ever seen. Anyway, you've been warned. Only watch "Last Don II" if you're viewing as a comedy, and have a steady stream of alcohol to numb the pain. (Watch with friends, as well, for maximum enjoyment!) =))

I thought this was an amazing follow up to the first mini-series. You learn some more about the characters. Especially Rose-Marie (played by Kirstie Alley) who had, one of the worst lives in cinema history. Just when I thought her life was horrible enough it just gets worse in this second parter (and it had a chance to flourish). The move did what it was supposed to do, I felt for the character, I was horrified, saddened, angered, and so forth. Kirstie Alley once again proved her acting abilities with taking on the role of the daughter of the Don who goes "crazy". Superb!:::SPOILER::: Also, the idea of the family crumbling and needing to rebuild it after the loss of the Don was done well. You could see the walls coming down around them, their own being quickly killed off. But they regained their power in the end. I thought this was a great follow up to a wonderful first mini-series.

I don't understand our fascination with the underworld (viz. the immense success of "The Sopranos.") but I share it. Perhaps it's like our fascination of the Nazis, an intriguing mix of elegance and evil, "The Last Don" is an obvious clone of the Godfather, including its score and the dark, warm toned cinematography. But that is not to say it isn't an excellent piece of work and a gripping story. There is graphic sex and blood spattered rat-a-tat-tat violence. But, unlike the Sopranos, the language is restrained. Interesting that women voters of all ages on IMDb gave it a unanimous ten. Do they enjoy the blood? Or perhaps their secret fantasy is bedding a Catholic priest. The film was shot in and around Toronto. The city once more demonstrates its remarkable diversity. But is it too much to hope that someday Toronto might play itself rather than stand in for New York. You probably could do a pretty good film about the Toronto mob!