While shows like The Sopranos are works of fiction, the mafia is, in fact, real.
A nine of three parts netflix The documentary sheds light on the conflict between warring mob factions in Philadelphia during the 1990s and the FBI’s efforts to take down the two bosses.
Often sensationalized by film, television and books, Mob War: Philadelphia vs. the Mafia makes clear the reality of the mafia.
Watch with us is a little obsessed with it, and we decided to explain why it should be at the top of your Netflix queue this weekend.
It highlights a lesser-known mafia syndicate in the United States
People know the names John Gotti i Al Caponethe Chicago Outfit and the Five Families of New York, but what about the Philadelphia Mafia? Does it even exist? Well, the Philadelphia mob became a maybe excessively known during the 1990s, when a succession of high-profile mob hits were regularly front-page news in the City of Brotherly Love, and these murders took place in broad daylight.
It was a brief but bloody conflict between two warring mob bosses: the old guard led by Joan Stanfaand the “young guns” headed by Joey Merlino — a classic generational divide conflict. After the arrest of Nicky Scarfo in 1986, a position opened up for a new mob boss in Philadelphia. The two candidates who stepped up to the plate were deeply opposed and incompatible, sparking a chain reaction of violence to determine who would be the new boss.
The story is fascinating and doesn’t overstay its welcome
With only three episodes, Mob War: Philadelphia vs. the Mafia it has a short window to cover a lot of information, but it ends up being the perfect amount of time for the story at hand. director Raissa Botterman knows not to spend too much time with interviews and unnecessary talking head reenactments (the latter are used sparingly) and does a great job of sticking to the facts and available players.
Because the story, while perhaps complicated at times with so many characters and unclear loyalties, is compelling on its own, and Botterman presents the story simply. Eventually, things got so out of hand with the violence at play between the two mob men—there was an assassination attempt on Stanfa along the Schuylkill Expressway, for example—that the FBI eventually got involved to put an end to things. But it was still hard to build an evidentiary case against an organization that manages to be so secretive despite such blatant violence and required life-threatening moves like sneaking into mob hangouts and planting bugs.
The show’s engaging cinematography keeps things interesting
It’s easy for mob documentaries to be filled with old interviews, photos and clips. But Botterman gets a little more creative with his filmmaking, creating a pace that manages to match the high-octane emotions of the true story he’s telling. The series features fast-paced editing and exciting music, plus an eccentric cast of personalities in outfits you’d think mobsters only wore in the movies.
It also helps that Botterman films his interviews in a revolving door of different locations rather than in an uninteresting interview space, from a dimly lit bar to the offices of Philadelphia Inquirer and even a parked car. There are inherent limitations to certain types of documentaries, and most are usually dictated by the quality of the subject matter itself. So it’s good for Botterman to go the extra mile to add a little more creative punch to a story that probably didn’t need it.