Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Bradley Anbro I purchased a new copy of this movie from a seller who listed it on one of the internet "for sale" sites; I had checked with my library and also with the video rental store in my area and neither one had the movie available. I had just finished reading the 400+ page book, "Hoffa," by Arthur A. Sloane, Ph.D. Mr. Sloan's book told both the good and the bad about Jimmy Hoffa. I learned by reading the book that Jimmy Hoffa typically worked 16-hour days, six and sometimes seven days a week. I also learned that Jimmy Hoffa neither smoked, drank liquor or ever cheated on his wife. The movie realistically portrayed Jimmy Hoffa as doing his utmost for his Teamster members. The movie also realistically portrayed that the two paramount concerns that Jimmy Hoffa had were for his family and for the rank-and-file members of his union.In my opinion, Jimmy Hoffa's downfall was that he chose to associate himself with organized crime, which in the end cost him his life.

vincentlynch-moonoi To me, there are 3 things wrong with this film, although they don't make it a bad film...more an incomplete film.1. At best, it's a 2-dimensional portrait of the man. An extra 7-10 minutes early in the film could have given us a better understanding of what in his youth made him the scrappy, feisty man he became.2. Did he have a family life? You'd hardly know it. We see his wife occasionally, but with only one scene of any value. Same for his children...almost nonexistent. A few more minutes could have completed the character sketch.3. I'm no fan of Bobby Kennedy, but the portrayal of Kennedy here by Kevin Anderson seemed downright childish to me.Having said that, there's a lot of good things about this film. The first, perhaps, being Danny DeVito's strong portrayal of Hoffa's chief aide over much of a lifetime (although the character is fictional). A strong theme of the film is loyalty, and DeVito portrays that extremely well.As to Jack Nicholson's performance as Hoffa, it's difficult for me to rate. I am old enough to remember Jimmy Hoffa, and I see glimpses of Hoffa in Nicholson's performance. But that's always a problem in biographical films of people we actually remember. We can look at Don Ameche's performance as Alexander Graham Bell and accept it rather readily because we don't personally remember Bell. But some of us remember Hoffa, and it would be a mistake for Nicholson to do an "impression" of Hoffa, because it would be widely criticized. So, he does an admirable job of not letting an impression get in the way of the story.DeVito also directed this film, and I have to give him credit for the deft manner in which he handled flashbacks. Generally I think that flashbacks are overused in many films. Here the technique worked very well with very smooth transitions.Of course we don't really know how Hoffa died and disappeared, but the ending of this film is an intriguing and nifty explanation. Very well done.If you want to get a sense of Jimmy Hoffa the labor leader, this film will accomplish that. If you want a sense of the whole man, you'll be a bit disappointed. But, the film is an admirable effort.

Prismark10 Danny DeVito directs and co-stars with Jack Nicholson in Hoffa. DeVito had high hopes for the film and felt that not only would it be a commercial success but a critical one with awards for cinematography, production design and acting.The film failed at the box office and did not garner the awards expected. The reason because the film is a honourable failure. There is a script by David Mamet and although there are some great production values its not consistent. There is a great scene where Hoffa is talking to some people in a corridor of a building with big windows. Through the windows you can see a courtyard with a market going on with people going about in period costume. In a costume drama, many other people because of the budgetary concerns would had done it just in a walled corridor.However you have scenes where its obviously done in a film set and some scenes are obviously staged such as the hunting scene.The biggest problem is the film does not address the audience outside of the USA who have little or no idea of who Hoffa was. I heard about him as a college student mainly to do with the fact that this a notorious Union leader who is now supporting some bridge under a highway!During the initial scenes when DeVito's character who is a composite of several real life persons first meets Hoffa, I had no idea when the meeting took place. In the 1930s or 40s or the 50s? When Hoffa takes over the Teamster union and wants some people fired, why exactly did he want this? Who were this people that he wanted fired? As we do not know this people do we care? What exactly did Hoffa do wrong for him to be imprisoned? Getting a shady Italian-American to make money for you via some loans is not illegal surely at that time unless it was actual money laundering. Wikipedia tells me that it was fraud, jury tampering and bribery. The film is called Hoffa yet we know so little about him after viewing the film.The film is told in flashbacks as Hoffa waits for a meeting in a parking lot of a diner. Again we are not told of the time period of this setting which should be the mid 1970s as that is when he disappeared although the ending in this film leave little doubt what happens to Hoffa.Its a well constructed film of a man that divides America but DeVito the director needed Mamet to put more detailed in the script so we have a better idea of who Hoffa was.

Emil Bakkum Hoffa is a film with two distinguished actors: Nicholson and DeVito. However, it is also a propaganda film of a rather vicious composition, with greatly reduces its quality. It tries to portray Jimmy Hoffa, one of the contemporary leading American union leaders. This is done in such a downgrading way, which is not substantiated by evidence, that it must be painful to all those who valued the man. In addition it implies that unions are interwoven with organized crime. It is hard to understand what motivated DeVito to direct and produce this film. Is it the desire to shock and provoke? Union busting? I don't know all the details (who does?), but imagine that Hoffa was an exceptional and controversial personality. In fact Stallone made a similar film "FIST" based on the life of Hoffa, which is much more sympathetic and nevertheless tactfully abstains from using Hoffas name. Let us first look at the facts, that emerge from the film Hoffa. Jimmy Hoffa started as a local union official with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union of Transport personnel. He advocated a confronting method of collective bargaining, including an aggressive attitude of picket lines (which probably fitted the trade). In this way he succeeded in realizing results for the workers, although he also disregarded the orders of the national union board. There were also defeats. One time he lead a demonstration against a railway company, that employed a large bunch of thugs (private security?), who beat several of the demonstrators to death. Eventually he was elected president of the Teamsters. In the mean time a senatorial committee under the chairmanship of Robert kennedy accused him of having connections with communists and the mafia (a rather funny combination - but it is of coarse true that political figures can be affiliated with crime). Later Hoffa was accused of abusing the pension fund of the Teamsters, and convicted. However, the evidence is not really conclusive. Any way, after five years Hoffa was freed on parole. Shortly afterwards, he mysteriously disappeared. These appear to be the facts. Now the fictional (dramatized) additions of DeVito: at the start Nicholson (playing Hoffa) lighted the warehouse of a rebellious employer. Hoffa made a deal with the mafia, allowing them to rob the cargo of Teamster trucks. Hoffa managed the pension fund of the Teamsters together with the mafia. After his release from prison Hoffa wanted to regain power of the Teamsters and tried to murder one of its leaders. DeVito knows (so he tells us) that Hoffa was actually liquidated by his "former mafia mates". If for some reason you really truly hate unions, this is the film for you. Otherwise I recommend you to shun this portrayal. If you are just interested in collective bargaining or even sympathize with unionism, there are definitely more informative and realistic accounts. Try Salt of the Earth, Norma Rae, Bread and Roses, Harlan County War, Matewan, Man of Iron. Or take a look at the other films about social action, that I have reviewed here on IMDb.