Brooklyn

Brooklyn is an epic crime film released in 1984.

Plot
Young Domenic Vitale returns from the European theater of World War II to his home in the small town midwest, where he discovers his father has died from cancer. Domenic's uncle, Alberto, attends his brother's funeral and tells Domenic to come to New York City with him. Domenic, with nothing remaining for him in the midwest, agrees and heads to the east. Domenic is awed by the big city as he arrives at his uncle's home in Brooklyn. He reunites with his cousin Nico, whom Domenic last saw as a child. Nico is a fun loving yet hot headed young man, and invites Domenic to go joy riding around the city. While driving, the car comes under fire from Angelo DeLuca, a tough enforcer for the head of the Laterza Family, Don Emilio Laterza. Nico and Domenic narrowly escape, and Domenic demands Alberto and Nico tell him the truth about their business. Alberto comes clean and explains that is the money handler for the local caporegime Gaspare Nizzola, who works for Don Tony Russo, head of the Russo crime family and, along, with the Laterzas, one of the Five Families of New York City. Nico exacts extortion, scalps tickets, and sells stolen good's out of one of Nizzola's mechanic shops.

Though reluctant, Domenic participates in one of Nico's "business trips" which includes Nico nearly beating a gambler to death for failing to pay his debts. The money the two make are more that what Domenic had back at home, and he enjoys a relatively lively lifestyle. The two arrive at a club, and while Nico is busy with a prostitute, Domenic meets a woman named Maria, and the two have an immediate connection.

It turns out the original hit on Nico and Domenic were part of a larger campaign by the Laterza family against Russo's outfits. While Tony Russo attempts to negotiate with the other families, Gaspare Nizzola raises the amount of money he wants from Alberto and Nico, claiming that Russo demanded it. Nizzola suggests selling drugs, but Nico and Domenic refuse to enter that trade, due to Russo's ban against it. When they fail to reach the money required, Alberto's house is bombed and he disappears, while Domenic and Nico escape to a motel. Nizzola demands more money now in order to ransom Alberto back to them, resulting in Domenic and Nico planning to rob houses and sell the stolen goods. Their plan goes awry when one of the houses they are robbing are surrounded by a police force led by Captain Jacob O'Leary, who unbeknownst to them is under the payroll of Laterza. The duo escape, and in desperation, meet with the godfather himself: Russo. When Domenic explains that Nizzola raised his prices on Russo's orders and told them to peddle drugs for the money, Russo is enraged, having given no such order.

With Russo's youngest son, an unintelligent hot-headed enforcer named Virgil, they raid one of Nizzola's warehouse and discover crates of heroin. Virgil takes a crate and tells Domenic and Nico he will kill them if they tell his father. Russo disavows Nizzola and orders Domenic and Nico to kill him. Under the guise of paying the debt, Domenic meets with Nizzola and O'Leary in a cafe while Nico waits outside, bluffing that he has the debt. Domenic demands to see Alberto first, but Nizzola declines the comment and shows Domenic Alberto's severed pinky. Domenic retrieves a planted gun in the bathroom ceiling, and opens fire on Nizzola and O'Leary. O'Leary is kiled and Nizzola is heavily wounded. Some of the other cafe goers reveal themselves as working for Nizzola and a fire fight ensues as Nico and Virgil open fire from outside. Domenic is wounded, but Nizzola's men are killed. Domenic threatens to torture Nizzola, who breaks and explains that he planned to betray the two anyway and Alberto is already a dead man. Nizzola also reveals O'Leary's allegiance to Irish crime lord Joseph Murphy, and that they will face consequences for his murder. Nico executes Nizzola, and upon returning home to their former house, they see Alberto's body hanged from a nearby bridge.

Impressed by the two men, Russo makes Domenic and Nico bosses of Nizzola's former territory, and Nizzola's former enforcer, a Polish immigrant named Rajmund, begins working for Domenic. Domenic and Nico enter a life of luxury. At a party, Domenic unexpectedly meets Maria again. Nico realizes exactly who she is and pulls Domenic aside, explaining that Maria is actually Tony Russo's niece. Nico fears Domenic will face Russo's wrath, but Domenic begins to court Maria anyway. Domenic also befriends Russo's son and heir Rocco. The two men and Nico bond when they attend a New York Giants game Rocco had fixed.

At a meeting between the heads of the Five Families, the reason for the hits on the Russo become apparant: Russo is blocking Laterza's attempts to bring the drug trade into the city. Russo refuses to back down and threatens hits on Laterza's men. Another issue brought up is the Irish wanting recompense for the loss of their officer on the police force. Due to the fact it was Russo's men that killed him, Russo agrees to sell out Nico to settle the feud.

Russo sends Nico to go alone to meet with Irish enforcer Patrick in a pier to arrange a deal; Patrick and his Irish outfit capture Nico and bring him to a warehouse and force him to make phone calls to Rocco and Domenic. Nico tells them that he's in trouble and needs support at the warehouse. On his way there, Rocco waits for a bridge to be lowered and is killed by DeLuca and Laterza assassins. Domenic arrives at the warehouse and finds himself surrounded by the Irish, who reveal the captured Nico. Patrick brings Domenic and Nico to Murphy, who explains that his associates have killed Rocco. Domenic deduces that Murphy is the true power behind Laterza's power play: Murphy hopes to flood the city with drugs and used Nizzola and Laterza as fronts. Murphy hopes to knock off Tony Russo in order to weaken the Italian Five Families and install Virgil as the new Don, due to his lack of opposition to the drug trade. Murphy tells Domenic that should Tony refuse to open up to the drug trade, Domenic will have to kill him or else Nico will be tortured and die a slow death. Murphy lets Domenic go.

Domenic returns to Russo, who is devastated by his son's loss. Virgil goes on a rampage, killing many of Laterza's men, and Domenic personally witnesses him kill Laterza's son. Domenic and Virgil return to his house, where a prositute named Alice Virgil has been seeing is waiting. She attempts to seduce Domenic, but he refuses because he is to marry Maria in the coming months. Upon seeing Virgil unlock a suitcase filled with cocaine, Domenic leaves in disgust.

The next meeting of the Five Families is held, and Russo hopes that due to the deaths of both of their sons, the turf war can be brought to end. Laterza refuses to end the war until Russo gives into the drug trade. DeLuca kidnaps Domenic and brings him to meet with Murphy and Laterza. Murphy gives Domenic one month to kill Russo, and, hoping to entice Domenic into completing the mission, Murphy explains that Russo sold out Nico to the Irish.

Meeting with Rajmund, Domenic devises a plan and sets it into motion during his wedding with Maria. While Domenic attends the wedding, Rajmund kidnap and kill Patrick. The Pole arrives at the wedding with the body in a garbage bag, and discreetly enters the mansion. At the end of the wedding, Domenic meets Tony in his Tony's office, and Domenic explains he knows Tony sold Nico out. Domenic shoots Tony with a silenced pistol. Bleeding to death, Domenic explains that he wouldn't believe a "family man" would sell out his own family, and Tony explains that small men like him and Nico are just pawns and it wasn't personal. Domenic kills Tony, and Rajmund plants Patrick's dead body with a faked note from Laterza ordering the hit at the crime scene. The two men leave silently, and Virgil is the first to discover the dead body an hour later.

Knowing they have little time to rescue Nico, Domenic and Rajmund head to Virgil's apartment, only to find Alice. Alice explains that Virgil is out on a coked up rampage, which is all according to Domenic's plan. They find Virgil at Laterza's headquarters launching an all-out assault. Laterza is brutally killed by Virgil with a shotgun. The three men return to Virgil's car, where he buries his head in a mound of cocaine. In the parking lot, Murphy, DeLuca, and Irish reinforcements arrive. With Virgil out of earshot, Domenic explains the deed is done and that Nico should be freed. Domenic bluffs, saying that Patrick is still alive and will be released when Nico is released, hoping that he will ensure Nico's release with this leverage. Murphy famous states, "You don't bluff with a kingpin" and kills Nico. A shootout ensues, and a re-energized Virgil emerges with a machine gun. DeLuca, Rajmund, and Murphy are all killed, and after putting Nico's body in the car, Domenic and Virgil drive to safety away from incoming police cars.

In the aftermath, Virgil becomes the new Don of the Russo crime family, and at the next meeting which includes an Irish representative, Virgil allows the drug trade into the city, pleasing the Irish mob and settling the turf war. Domenic, who is now the consigliere for Virgil, attends Nico's funeral with Maria, who is now pregnant. It is revealed that despite Virgil being the Don, it is Domenic that truly wields the power. While Virgil is a party with Alice, Domenic attends to the family's state of affairs. Maria questions Domenic, who was suspiciously absent during Tony's murder. Domenic states he had nothing to do with the murder. Maria watches in fear as capos meet with Domenic in Tony's former office, who shut the door on Maria.