Kings of South Beach
Encyclopedia
Kings of South Beach is a film written by Nicholas Pileggi
about an infamous operator of nightclubs in the South Beach
section of Miami Beach, Florida
. The lead character is portrayed by Jason Gedrick
and his best friend is portrayed by Donnie Wahlberg
. The film premiered on March 12, 2007 on the A&E Network
.
, a transplanted New York
er who was involved with the Mafia
back in his hometown. He built a house of cards in South Beach of models, money and celebrity friends, including Madonna
.
After an intense undercover investigation, Paciello was arrested on racketeering and murder
charges and went on to testify against known members and associates of the Colombo
and Bonanno
crime families.
critic Linda Stasi rates Kings of South Beach as a "four star film" with a casting described as “perfect.” Robert Bianco of USA Today
describes "Gedrick and Wahlberg as absolutely first-rate, as these fine actors tend to be."
Scott Weinberg of DVD Talk-Review, however, called it "obvious, listless, and completely predictable from start to finish", and said that "Kings of South Beach is little more than a very thin retread of several much better crime stories."
Nicholas Pileggi
Nicholas Pileggi is an Italian-American author and screenwriter.-Career:Pileggi is best known for writing the book Wiseguy, which he adapted into the movie Goodfellas, and for writing the book and screenplay Casino. The movie versions of both were co-written and directed by Martin Scorsese...
about an infamous operator of nightclubs in the South Beach
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.This area was the first...
section of Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
. The lead character is portrayed by Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
and his best friend is portrayed by Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
. The film premiered on March 12, 2007 on the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
.
Background
The film is loosely based on a true story about the exploits of Chris PacielloChris Paciello
Chris Paciello is a convicted felon who was a nightclub owner in Miami in the 1990s. After serving a prison sentence, he is currently a restaurant owner in Los Angeles....
, a transplanted New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
er who was involved with the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
back in his hometown. He built a house of cards in South Beach of models, money and celebrity friends, including Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
.
After an intense undercover investigation, Paciello was arrested on racketeering and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
charges and went on to testify against known members and associates of the Colombo
Colombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
and Bonanno
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
crime families.
Reception
New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
critic Linda Stasi rates Kings of South Beach as a "four star film" with a casting described as “perfect.” Robert Bianco of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
describes "Gedrick and Wahlberg as absolutely first-rate, as these fine actors tend to be."
Scott Weinberg of DVD Talk-Review, however, called it "obvious, listless, and completely predictable from start to finish", and said that "Kings of South Beach is little more than a very thin retread of several much better crime stories."