1973: John Gotti (Armand Assante) holds court with his crew in the back room of the Ravenite Club, his Little Italy headquarters. Despite the joking around the table, it is obvious from the way his men look at him that Gotti is someone they respect--and fear. 'Mr. Neil" Dellacroce (Anthony Quinn), the Gambino family underboss and Gotti's mentor, pays a visit. In the presence of this Mafia heavyweight, the cocky Gotti becomes the respectful son. Dellacroce comes with the important news that Don Carlo Gambino (Marc Lawrence), head of the powerful Mafia family that carries his name, wants to see Gotti.

At Gambino's headquarters, Gotti meets Sammy Garvano (William Forsythe). With mutual respect, they size each other up. Paul Costellano (Richard S. Sarafian), Gambino's brother-in-law, looks coldly at Gotti. Gambino says he has heard good things about Gotti, and as a personal favor, asks him to kill the man who murdered the don's nephew. Gotti is thrilled by the honor, but uncomfortable when Castellano insists on sending one of his soldiers along on the job. Gotti, his buddy Angelo Ruggerio (Vincent Pastore) and Castellano's man, Ralph Galione (Silvio Olivero), find their target, James McBratney (Aidan Devine), at a bar. The plan is to lure him outside and kill him, but Galione, high on cocaine, impulsively shoots McBratney in the bar, and witnesses get a good look at the three killers. Gotti is incensed that Galione interfered with the personal favor he was doing for Don Carlo. Breaking a strict Mafia rule that prohibits the unilateral assassination of another captain's man, Gotti has one of his soldiers kill Castellano's Galione.

Castellano is livid that Gotti had Gallione murdered without seeking permission and demands that Don Carlo impose the death sentence on Gotti. Dellacroce pleads to Don Carlo not to kill Gotti, who, he says, is like a son to him and also brings in a lot of money for the family. Gotti is relieved when Dellacroce tells him that he convinced Don Carlo to grant him a pardon. But Dellacroce gives him a stern warning to play by the rules.
Gotti and Ruggerio go to jail for the murder of McBratney. When he is released, Gotti will be promoted to captain, Dellacroce tells him, in recognition of maintaining 'omerta', the code of silence. But this good news evaporates when Dellacroce adds that he has heard rumors that Gotti's brother Gene and Ruggerio's brother are selling narcotics, and Ruggerio is getting a piece of it. by Don Carlo's rule, dealing drugs is an automatic death sentence. Gotti confronts Ruggerio, who denies it.

Gotti gets a hero's welcome back to the Ravenite Club upon his release fom jail. But his happiness turns to anger when he hearns that Gambino, on his death bed, appointed Castellano the new boss. Aside from the insult to Dellacroce, Gotti worries that under the rule of the greedy Castellano, "they'll starve". Meanwhile, across the street in a hidden surveillance room, FBI agents George Gabriel (Don Dickinson) and Carmine Russo (Frank Pelligrino) and Bruce Mouw (Nigel Bennett) photograph Gotti as he rants about Castellano outside the ravenite. They wonder how the changing -of-the-guard will affect the Gambino family.

Gotti chafes under Castellano's rule. He believe that Castellano is forsaking La Cosa Nostra in his quest to build legitimate business outside of the organization. Gotti and some other Gambino captains -- Gravano, Frank De Cicco (Robert Miranda) and Rober Di Bernardo (Frank Vincent) -- agree, finding a common bond with Gotti in their hatred of the new Gambino family boss. Gotti's beloved young son Frank is killed in their Howard Beach neighborhood when John Favara (Tony De Santis), a neighbor, accidently runs him over with his car. Gotti and his wike Vicki (Alberta Watson) are devastated. At the funeral, Garvano vows, over Gotti's protests, to kill Favara. A few weeks later, Garvano and an associate follow through on his promise.

Bruce Cutler (Al Waxman), Gotti's lawyer, tells Gotti that Ruggerio has been indicted on drug charges. His house was bugged, and the talkative Ruggerio always says too much. Gotti knows that Castellano will want to hear those tapes, and then kill Gotti and his errant men. Gravano and de Cicco stew as Castellano sells off prices of the family business for his own profit and brags that he's enlisted the rival Colombo family to kill Gotti. Outraged, Gravano and De Cicco join forces with Gotti, whom they have grown to respect even more.

Gotti plots with Gravano to kill Castellano. Out of respect -- and fear -- Gotti will not carry out the plan until the ailing Dellacroce dies. When Gotti comments that Castellano deserves to die, Dellacroce reprimands him. He tells Gotti that he loves him like a son but warns him not to force his hand, reminding him that only the five-family 'commission' can order the assassination of a boss. A dtermined Gotti continues to plan Castellano's demise. Excited about the prospect of becoming Don, Gotti tells Gravano his vision of a revitalized La Cosa Nostra and that Gotti will make Gravano the underboss of the new regime. Dellacroce eventually dies, claering the way for Gotti's momentous move. On December 16, 1985, in a spectacular act that shakes the New York underworld, Gotti and his men murder Castellano in front of Sparks Steak House in midtown Manhattan. Now head of the Gambino family, the stylishly groomed Gotti becomes Don Gotti, or as the news media would dub him, the 'Dapper Don'.

In a series of trials, Gotti's fame and legend continue to grow as he becomes a favorite subject of the press. Previously, Gotti had gotten into a scuffle with Romual Piecyk (Vlasta Vrana), an irate truck driver, over a parking place. Gotti beat him mercilessly and was arrested. At the subsequent trial, Bruce Cutler wins an acquittal when Piecyk, now understanding who the notorious defendant is, will not identify Gotti. While Gotti celebrates his victory by throwing a big party for his neighborhood, the FBI seethes, vowing to go after Gotti with even greater vengeance. Soon after, Gotti is indicted under RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), a law designed to destroy organized crime. Facing his toughest trial so far, Gotti's notoriety increases with every headline and witty sound bite he utters to the press. Everyone but Gotti expects him to lose the RICO trial, but in 1987, Gotti is acquitted with the help of a bribed juror. he is the first person ever to beat a RICO case. Public adulation for him swells; the press dubs him the 'Teflon Don'.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are shocked by the verdict, a huge embarrassment to them. To them, Gotti has become the embodiment of organized crime, a symbol of the underworld that must be destroyed at any cost. With dogged determination, they continue to investigate Gotti. They eventually discover Gotti's conversation salon over the Ravenite Club, and install bugs. Taping hours of incriminating evidence about murders, vice, fraud and extortion, the Bureau mounts another RICO case. Following his acquittal, a hidden faction in the Mafia tries to assassinate Gotti with a car bomb, but kills Di Cicco by mistake. Gotti is unharmed but shaken. Meanwhile, Joe Arm,one, a retired consigliere or advisor to Don Carlo, scolds Gotti for his high profile public image that has brought unprecedented public attention to the traditionally secret La Cosa Nostra. Other changes affect the organization. Gotti and Gravano grow apart over the years following their rise to power. Gravano seems more interested in his private business ventures than La Cosa Nostra. Associates suggest to Gotti that Gravano is systematically killing off his fellow La Cosa Nostra business partners so that he will not have to share profits with them. The FBI records these conversations, as well as Gotti complaining about Gravano, questioning his loyalty to La Cosa Nostra and incriminating him in several murders.

With hours of taped conversations in evidence against them, Gotti, Gravano and several other Gambino family members are indicted on federal charges in 1990. For the embarrassed government crime fighters, this is their biggest, most important case. But the FBI needs more than tapes. They need an absolute guarantee of victory. They need Sammy Gravano. The FBI decides to play the tapes for Gravano, who is devastated by Gotti's harsh criticisms and mistrust. Feeling betrayed, Gotti's underboss agrees to cooperate with the authorities and testify against Gotti in the biggest betrayal in underworld history. Gravano's high-level breach of 'omerta' gives the FBI not only information about certain crimes, but also delivers the whole blueprint of La Cosa Nostra, a stunning victory for the government.

In a controversial plea bargain based on his giving testimony against Gotti, Gravano pleads guilty to racketeering and is sentenced to five years in prison, despite admitting to participation in 19 murders, many of which were ordered by Gotti. After his release, he will get a new life in the witness protection program. With the devastating defection and testimony of his right-hand man, Gotti and La Cosa Nostra are brought down, profoundly affecting the landscape of the criminal underworld. In 1992, John Gotti is convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole at the maximum security Federal Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. For the past four years, he has been in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in his nine by seven foot cell, which had a concrete slab for abed, a black and white TV, a toilet and wash basin. He spends his time reading and exercising. Once a day he is allowed to walk in shackles for about 50 minutes along a 36 foot long hallway.

Copyright 1996 HBO Pictures.

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"He's here . . . with his lawyer."

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"So what's your motive, Samuel? Revenge, repentance, what?"