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Ever since I watched the video “Bullets Over Broadway”, I’ve been interested in stories of mafia romance–maybe it is already a literary genre. In this early Woody Allen production mixing anxious witty remarks with some gangster flair, a cash starved Broadway play desperately seeks financial backing, and one of the New York City mafia bosses agrees to fund it, but with a little catch– the mafia boss’ girlfriend aspires to be a stage actress and she has to be casted in the play. So the girl goes to the rehearsal every day with a bodyguard from the mafia, and everybody is disgusted since the girl has no acting talent. The bodyguard happens to be an ardent theater lover and he couldn’t stand the fact that the girl spoils everything. Finally the bodyguard kills the girl and is in turned killed by the mafia.
Such stories happen not only in movies but also in real life. Here I am going to tell a story of mafia romance. It’s a true story of Southeast Asia from the news I watched last week. I won’t say from where or from which TV program since I am going to criticize it a little and I don’t want people to get upset. It really doesn’t matter where in Southeast Asia this happened since it could happen anywhere.
A policeman graduated from the police academy. He was promoted each year in the law enforcement, and groomed to be the next head of the bureau of a major city. Several years on the force, he got to know one of the local mafia boss and his wife. A love affair bloomed between the policeman and the mafia wife. The mafia boss was duly sent to prison for three years to clear the way for the lovers, and was pressed to divorce his wife. The mafia boss eventually did, although unwillingly.
Meanwhile the police department was in turmoils. Everybody criticized the wayward policeman since he’s way out of line. His family, friends, and his department pressed him to end his infamous behavior, but he refused. Then one day, suddenly he disappeared with his mafia girlfriend together with money he borrowed from others. They surfaced later in Thailand. There the love birds squandered everything. He eventually died of illness and she found another lover from the underworld.
It feels like a cliche mafia romance story fit for a dime novel. I like the story despite its platitude, but I really don’t like the way the story is presented. This TV presenter of a popular evening program tells the story from the angle of an immoral woman destroying a moral man’s life. The presentation of the story seems to claim that if he had not met such a woman, he would have led his impeccable life and become a good policeman. So his corruption, his betrayal of public trust, his abuse of power and dereliction of duty is all the fault of the woman. The argument is so ridiculous and infantile that I don’t even want to waste my time to attack it.
If one reads “Macbeth”, one tends to put the blame on Macbeth’s wife more. She does look more evil than him. She nagged him on and he looks more like an accomplice. Every story has its ambiguity and nuance.
Let me know if you like “Bullets Over Broadway” or other mafia romance story. Leave me a comment or just pay a visit.
Haoyan Do 
I’ve heard of Bullets Over Broadway but I haven’t seen it yet. Not really sure if this counts but your description reminded me of one of my favorite films because there’s a couple vs the mob in the plot. The main female character was a prostitute but i thought it was handled well, not male gaze-y or discriminating against women. But maybe i need to rewatch it to be sure.
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That sounds like a fun movie to watch. Yes, Bullets Over Broadway is a great show. LOL.
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The poor woman is always made the villain! Long way to go still..
On another note love Woody Allen films! You have to hand it to him for that black humour and wry cynicism! Annie Hall one of my favorite ones. Though haven’t seen Bullet Over Broadway..noted
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Annie Hall is one of my favorites too. And Diane Keaton is so fit for the role. His “black humour and wry cynicism” are inspiring and I can listen to it all day long. LOL. That’s true that whenever something happen, often women are the first to be blamed. Long way to go, exactly, for this uphill battle.
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Well as they say, it takes two to tango….. but guess what blaming women from each and everything is much easier than giving a balanced thought and review 🙄 😕
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So true. A balanced view will need more time to think through and to put together while some casual opinions based on old values are easy to present.
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I agree with everyone else, it’s takes two to tango. I find it hard to believe that if she wasn’t involved in his life, he would have led an impeccable one. In my mind, he would probably get himself into an another inappropriate relationship. He might even get himself involved with the Southeast Asian equivalent to Brenda Allen.
And was Brenda Allen good to the LAPD!
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Yes, as a public servant in his capacity, he has plenty of chances to get involved with such kind of characters like the mafia wife. I don’t know who Brenda Allen is, but I look it up. It is an interesting story. LOL.
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Oh, and Macbeth was power mad. He and his wife conspired together. One of the few Shakespeare tragedies that has, in my opinion, a proper ending.
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You are right. Macbeth wants it himself and his wife just says what he has already thought of himself. A proper ending, LOL. It is true since the ending is quite satisfying.
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I know there is a reason they are called tragedies but still, I think it should be called the justice of MacBeth or something like that.
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I agree. Justice prevails and it really is a kind of happy ending, though with a lot of dead bodies. Here is the question: If Macbeth had married a woman who’s not greedy and not murderous, would Macbeth have done the same thing? Is this a fair question to ask? Or is this putting the burden of morality more on the women’s side to force women to be more moral than men?
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I think Macbeth would have behaved the same way. He was mad since his first encounter with the three sisters. He would have been driven to it no matter what.
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I agree. So he is driven more by his own inner demon. When he is a successful general, he thinks he is above everything and everybody.
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It’s really wrong to try to make it sound like the woman is solely to blame. The flaws in his character would have come out sooner or later. Each person has control over their own actions. It’s what I told my kids. You control your own actions and the only thing in life that you can really own and call your own is your integrity.
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That’s so true. We are responsible for our own actions. There’s a reason why we often avoid bad foreseeable situations. Yes, in his case, it is foreseeable since the mafia boss’ wife is trouble–it is so plain that everybody can see it.
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And really, when you boil it down, it was his own lust and inability to control himself that did him in.
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Yes, I totally agree. His “lust and inability to control himself” is undoing. All things said, sometimes I still wonder if I were a policewoman, would I be attracted to a handsome mafia?
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I wouldn’t blame the mafia boss’s wife – I would tend to blame the policeman for probably giving in – not to love – but to lust – and showing a deplorable lack of commitment to his profession. There are two direction in life – the right ones and the wrong ones. He – I’m afraid – took the wrong one.
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You are right. The mafia wife is the way as she has always been–not the wholesome next-door girl. And as a public servant, he is in contact with people like that a lot and he has to have a commitment to his profession. Probably it’s easier said than done.
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Well, women are the culprit for everything bad… People tend to overlook the fact that it’s the men’s greed and desire that leads to those circumstances, such as that police officer. Some women are bad and men are not any less either. But it is ridiculous to blame either one. Blame both of them.
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Yes, I believe woman and man can be equally blamed in this case. She’s obviously not a nice-girl-next-door type. LOL. Still I was expecting somewhat balanced view from a host of a TV program, but I didn’t get it.
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