The Rat Pack on DVD (1998)

Philip Concannon from London , 27/06/2004

American cable channel HBO makes a fair attempt to tell the story of Frank Sinatra and pals. Directed by Rob Cohen(before he started inflicting Vin Diesel films upon the world), 'The Rat Pack' is a stylish film that aims to contrast the gang's public high life with their private traumas.

Of course, in a film such as this casting is key and here 'The Rat Pack' mostly passes the test. Ray Liotta takes the lead role of Sinatra despite not looking or sounding a great deal like him, but he gives a strong enough performance to carry the picture. The real success stories lie in the supporting cast. Joe Mantegna nails Dean Martin's swagger and wry one liners and portrays him as a character casting a jaded eye over the soulless showbiz scene. He may play up to the womanising, partying image but he sleeps alone.

However the real star here is Don Cheadle who superbly plays Sammy Davis Jr. Davis is shown to be a slightly insecure man who knows Sinatra and Martin are often condescending to him but he needs their friendship. The most poignant scenes in the film occur when Sinatra vows to stand by Davis over his controversial marriage to May Britt in the face of hostile bigotry.The script gives short shrift to the rest of the cast. Peter Lawford is well played by Angus MacFayden while Joey Bishop is marginalised into irrelevance. But William Petersen has fun as a sleazy JFK.

'The Rat Pack' is not without it's flaws. It often tries to cram major events into floating newspaper headline montages while the likes of Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Cohen vanish as soon as they appear. The film glosses over Sinatra's mob connections and did we really need Davis' dream sequence where he faces off against the racists? It really jars with the realistic tone elsewhere and takes the viewer out of the picture.

While 'The Rat Pack' doesn't have all the details(those interested might like to check out Shaun Levy's excellent book of the same name), it's solid cast make it a more than entertaining chronicle of an era when a select group of entertainers could have, and do, anything they wanted.

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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Jane from Somerset , 15/10/2006

This biopic covers a remarkably short period of time in Sinatra's life. The other ratpackers are peripheral. Although Peter Lawford gets plenty of screen time it's only in his role as emissary of the Kennedys, Dean Martin just floats about with a drink in one hand, making the same joke ('How'd everybody get in my room?') over and over again and I don't suppose anyone could have played Sinatra believably - Ray Liotta included. Don Cheadle's Sammy Davis Jnr is the movie's best performance but the single purpose of his entire character seems to have been to inject the film with some much needed humanity. If you're interested in hints of Sinatra's Mafia connections, hints of his JFK association, and hints of a personal life then rent this movie, but if you're anything like me you won't even pause it if the phone rings.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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A customer from London , 25/11/2007

This is educational and entertaining. A good representation of The Rat Pack and the Kennedys, but Liotta looks nothing like Frank. Worthwhile for any Rat Pack / Sinatra fan

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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Karl Wright from Oxfordshire, UK , 14/04/2005

This awas rented with great expectation of a great performance from all concerned but it turned out to be a very forgettable one. If you liked the rat pack for real then this is certainly not for you. The story is very very thin and the acting just looks like second rate drama school.

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Philip Concannon from London , 27/06/2004

American cable channel HBO makes a fair attempt to tell the story of Frank Sinatra and pals. Directed by Rob Cohen(before he started inflicting Vin Diesel films upon the world), 'The Rat Pack' is a stylish film that aims to contrast the gang's public high life with their private traumas.

Of course, in a film such as this casting is key and here 'The Rat Pack' mostly passes the test. Ray Liotta takes the lead role of Sinatra despite not looking or sounding a great deal like him, but he gives a strong enough performance to carry the picture. The real success stories lie in the supporting cast. Joe Mantegna nails Dean Martin's swagger and wry one liners and portrays him as a character casting a jaded eye over the soulless showbiz scene. He may play up to the womanising, partying image but he sleeps alone.

However the real star here is Don Cheadle who superbly plays Sammy Davis Jr. Davis is shown to be a slightly insecure man who knows Sinatra and Martin are often condescending to him but he needs their friendship. The most poignant scenes in the film occur when Sinatra vows to stand by Davis over his controversial marriage to May Britt in the face of hostile bigotry.The script gives short shrift to the rest of the cast. Peter Lawford is well played by Angus MacFayden while Joey Bishop is marginalised into irrelevance. But William Petersen has fun as a sleazy JFK.

'The Rat Pack' is not without it's flaws. It often tries to cram major events into floating newspaper headline montages while the likes of Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Cohen vanish as soon as they appear. The film glosses over Sinatra's mob connections and did we really need Davis' dream sequence where he faces off against the racists? It really jars with the realistic tone elsewhere and takes the viewer out of the picture.

While 'The Rat Pack' doesn't have all the details(those interested might like to check out Shaun Levy's excellent book of the same name), it's solid cast make it a more than entertaining chronicle of an era when a select group of entertainers could have, and do, anything they wanted.

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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Karl Wright from Oxfordshire, UK , 14/04/2005

This was rented with expectation of a great performance from all concerned but it turned out to be a very forgettable one. If you liked the rat pack for real then this is certainly not for you. The story is very very thin and the acting just looks like second rate drama school.

Read all highest rated reviews