HBO Max’s Divisive Mob Crime Caper With Robert De Niro Is One of Its Best Hidden Gems

Turns out, the mafia is still plagued by the same family dramas as the rest of us, but laced with a splatter of blood and a good old temper. In the forgotten crime comedy, The Family, the bonds between a nuclear family are just as chaotic and sentimental as any other, except here, the characters are members of the mafia trying to pass off as regular citizens. Starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, the film is as deadly serious as it is hilarious, with the family running into countless incidents due to their penchant for violence. As it flits between absurd situations and relatable dramas, The Family is a fun release by director Luc Besson (Dracula), one that will keep you laughing while warming your heart at the same time.

Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer’s ‘The Family’ Is a Bloody Fun Crime Movie

After Giovanni (De Niro) snitches his mafia friends to the feds, he and his family of four must go into the witness protection program under a handler, played by Tommy Lee Jones. But, you can take the family out of the mafia, but you can’t take the mafia out of the family, as their bloodier instincts constantly threaten their stability, and the program is forced to move them from one location to another. As such, the film opens up with the family moving to a tiny village in France, where his wife Maggie (Pfeiffer) is sick of their attempts at a “normal,” inconspicuous life, while the kids, Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo), are always orchestrating their own criminal troubles. Crime runs in this family’s blood, and each one is absurdly psychotic in their own way, making for delightful drama when their personalities clash in this painfully civilian setting.

The film may be just under two hours, but it runs at a hectic pace filled with so much duality that it’ll feel like time flies by. The very first sequence sums up the oscillating tone of the film, where we are introduced to the family in a tense, whining car ride to their new location, all while there is a corpse in their trunk. The tensions between them are achingly familiar, where two parents aren’t totally connected with the antics their children get up to, while Giovanni and Maggie struggle to figure out their identities outside the world of crime. Then throw in a high school black market, a vicious beating with a tennis racket, and a revolving door of bloody bodies, and you get the cutthroat and borderline ridiculous atmosphere of The Family. It is as chaotic as it is sweet.

Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer Are the Chaotic Heart of ‘The Family’

While the children offer their own interesting dynamics, the relationship that demands attention in The Family is between Giovanni and Maggie. De Niro and Pfeiffer effortlessly step into these roles, as their on-screen chemistry evokes the comfort and lived-in feel of a long-time marriage, one where they have to resist their old urges to break their plumber’s legs for failing to fix the pipes. While De Niro’s Giovanni is trying to write a memoir (a questionable idea when you’re in hiding) and winking at the audience with Goodfellas references, Pfeiffer’s Maggie tries to evade her boredom and yearning for their old life by reconnecting with her faith.

As parents, when the two finally realize what their kids have been up to, it complicates family tensions even more. There’s an innate comedy in seeing them try to parent when all four characters are absolutely psychotic, but there’s also a relatable warmth in their efforts. These dynamics are the emotional and comedic core of the film, carrying us through the absurd narrative beats while grounding us in the complicated nature of familial relationships, mafia or not. The Family is a funny romp into the sentimental side of a violent world, still deserving of an audience over a decade later, and a must-watch for crime fans.