In a bit of stunt casting, Robert De Niro is cast as two friends who grew up together on the streets of New York and rose to prominence as racketeers in the 50s. With the help of a prosthetic nose, it’s somewhat easy to tell them apart, although they’re both clearly De Niro. Since this is a role that he’s handled before, there’s really nothing new here. Debra Messing is a dramatic surprise as one of his wives. It doesn’t help that Nicholas Pileggi, who also wrote “Goodfellas” & “Casino,” didn’t have sufficient steam to make this story much more than a bunch of “wise guys” posturing and bickering. Legendary director Barry Levinson did what he could to add cohesion, but the focus is scattershot leaving a lot of cruel dialogue without any emotional connection. The final scene puts the historical aspect of this true story in focus, but that still doesn’t justify sitting thru this numbing gangster gabfest. BTW, the title refers to the club where they hung out. (1.5 / 5)

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