Hoffa
Encyclopedia
Hoffa is a 1992 biographical film
directed by Danny DeVito
and written by David Mamet
, based on the life of Teamsters
Union leader Jimmy Hoffa
. Jack Nicholson
plays Hoffa, and Danny DeVito
plays Hoffa's fictional longtime friend Robert "Bobby" Ciaro, an amalgamation of several Hoffa associates over the years.
The film also stars John C. Reilly
, Robert Prosky
, Kevin Anderson, Armand Assante
, and J. T. Walsh
. The original music score is by David Newman
.
Hoffa and Ciaro are first seen impatiently waiting in the parking lot of a diner in 1975. Others are late for a meeting. Asked if he wants to leave, Hoffa gives Ciaro a scornful glance. The first flashback to 1935 then occurs:
A young Jimmy Hoffa approaches a parked truck, inside of which driver Ciaro is taking a nap. Hoffa talks to him about the benefits of joining the Teamsters. He gives Ciaro a business card, on which he has written: "Give this man whatever he needs."
A few days later, Ciaro reports to work to find Hoffa attempting to organize the workers. Hoffa blurts out about their ride together and Ciaro is fired. He later accosts Hoffa with a knife, but is persuaded to drop it at gunpoint by Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn. Ciaro joins the pair in the arson bombing of a laundry whose owner has refused to cooperate with the Teamsters. Flynn is badly burned and dies. Ciaro succeeds him as Hoffa's right-hand man.
Another flashback shows a Teamsters strike. While strikers fight with non-union workers and police, Hoffa is taken to a local Mafia boss. Ciaro, who speaks Italian
, comes along. An alliance between the Teamsters and the mob is formed. Hoffa meets Carol ("Dally") D'Allesandro, who would become his closest mob ally.
Hoffa rises to the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. His illegal activities include the use of Teamster funds to provide loans to the mob. At a Congressional hearing, Hoffa is questioned by Robert F. Kennedy
regarding his suspicious union activities. (Dialogue was taken directly from official transcripts.) The tension between Kennedy and Hoffa grows, especially after John F. Kennedy
is elected President and brother Bobby becomes Attorney General
.
Hoffa is betrayed by a junior associate, Peter Connelly, in court. The evidence used against him are the plans he wrote on the back of a hunting license
.
He surrenders to federal officials and serves time in a Pennsylvania
federal prison while Frank Fitzsimmons
takes his place as Teamsters boss. Ciaro, also convicted and imprisoned, is freed before Hoffa and immediately begins working for his boss's release. D'Allesandro suggests that the Teamsters endorse Richard M. Nixon for President, the idea being that if Nixon wins, a friendly administration official will arrange for Hoffa's release.
Hoffa gets out and expects to again run the Teamsters, but learns that he is forbidden to participate in union activities for ten years. Hoffa meets with D'Allesandro and is shown screaming at the gangster that Hoffa wants Fitzsimmons dead; the tirade is laced with various obscenities and descriptive suggestions as to what to do with a few of Fitzsimmons' body parts. D'Allesandro tells Hoffa that he's 'too hot' and that 'I can't get close to it'. Hoffa leaves with the matter unresolved. Some time later, Hoffa tells D'Allesandro (via Ciaro) that unless the matter of Fitzsimmons can be settled (the implication being that Hoffa wants Fitzsimmons either removed from office or killed), Hoffa will go to the press and detail his dealings with D'Allesandro. D'Allesandro then tells Ciaro to tell Hoffa that 'everything's gonna be all right' and also that Ciaro should tell Hoffa 'I know he doesn't mean it' and that they should all meet the next day at 'The Roadhouse', a local diner. Hoffa and Ciaro spend several hours waiting for D'Allesandro in the parking lot of the diner but he never arrives. A purported union driver (Frank Whaley) who had been waiting in the diner, allegedly for a part for his truck, reveals himself to be a 'hit man' after gaining the trust of Ciaro during short conversations over the course of the long wait. Just exactly who sent this 'hit man' is not revealed, however the implication is that he was sent by D'Allesandro in retaliation for Hoffa's threat to 'go to the press'. Hoffa is gunned down in the back seat of his car and Ciaro is shot while attempting to come to Hoffa's aid. Ciaro's body is dumped on top of Hoffa's and the car is driven into the back of a large truck that had driven up as the shootings were taking place. ( This is a bit of artistic liberty as in reality Hoffa's car was found abandoned at the diner on the afternoon of his disappearance). The camera focuses on the roll-up door of the truck showing the different state plates, implying a final bit of irony: that Hoffa's dead body is being transported, in all likelihood, by a "Teamster driver." The truck drives off into the sunset and the movie ends.
suburb of Bloomfield Hills
, intending to meet mobsters Tony Provenzano
and Tony Giacalone
.
in the "Idlewild Airport" police pullover scene, and the Mellon Institute depicting government buildings) serving as backdrops for the various locales in the film.The diner scenes were shot at an actual diner that was built then destroyed on Rt. 72 in Hampshire Illinois
nominations for Cinematography
and Makeup
. Nicholson's performance sharply divided critics, with the actor receiving both a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Actor and a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor
. DeVito also received a Razzie nomination for Worst Director
. Ultimately, none of the nominated awards were won. The film was also nominated for the Golden Bear
at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival
.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
directed by Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
and written by David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
, based on the life of Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
Union leader Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
. Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
plays Hoffa, and Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
plays Hoffa's fictional longtime friend Robert "Bobby" Ciaro, an amalgamation of several Hoffa associates over the years.
The film also stars John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
, Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
, Kevin Anderson, Armand Assante
Armand Assante
-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
, and J. T. Walsh
J. T. Walsh
James Thomas Patrick "J. T." Walsh was an American character actor. He appeared in many well-known films, including Nixon, Hoffa, A Few Good Men, Backdraft, Miracle on 34th Street, Breakdown, and Good Morning, Vietnam.Walsh was known for his roles as "quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs"...
. The original music score is by David Newman
David Newman (composer)
David Louis Newman is an American composer and conductor known particularly for his film scores. In a career spanning nearly forty years, he has composed music for nearly 100 feature films.-Life and career:...
.
Plot
Most of the story is told in flashbacks, starting with Hoffa first meeting Ciaro and ending with one version of Hoffa's mysterious disappearance.Hoffa and Ciaro are first seen impatiently waiting in the parking lot of a diner in 1975. Others are late for a meeting. Asked if he wants to leave, Hoffa gives Ciaro a scornful glance. The first flashback to 1935 then occurs:
A young Jimmy Hoffa approaches a parked truck, inside of which driver Ciaro is taking a nap. Hoffa talks to him about the benefits of joining the Teamsters. He gives Ciaro a business card, on which he has written: "Give this man whatever he needs."
A few days later, Ciaro reports to work to find Hoffa attempting to organize the workers. Hoffa blurts out about their ride together and Ciaro is fired. He later accosts Hoffa with a knife, but is persuaded to drop it at gunpoint by Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn. Ciaro joins the pair in the arson bombing of a laundry whose owner has refused to cooperate with the Teamsters. Flynn is badly burned and dies. Ciaro succeeds him as Hoffa's right-hand man.
Another flashback shows a Teamsters strike. While strikers fight with non-union workers and police, Hoffa is taken to a local Mafia boss. Ciaro, who speaks Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, comes along. An alliance between the Teamsters and the mob is formed. Hoffa meets Carol ("Dally") D'Allesandro, who would become his closest mob ally.
Hoffa rises to the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. His illegal activities include the use of Teamster funds to provide loans to the mob. At a Congressional hearing, Hoffa is questioned by Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
regarding his suspicious union activities. (Dialogue was taken directly from official transcripts.) The tension between Kennedy and Hoffa grows, especially after John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
is elected President and brother Bobby becomes Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
.
Hoffa is betrayed by a junior associate, Peter Connelly, in court. The evidence used against him are the plans he wrote on the back of a hunting license
Hunting license
A hunting license is a regulatory or legal mechanism to control recreational and sports hunting.Hunting may be regulated informally by "unwritten law", "self restraint", or "morality" and by laws "enforced by government authority."...
.
He surrenders to federal officials and serves time in a Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
federal prison while Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Edward Fitzsimmons , was an American labor leader. He was acting president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1967 to 1971, and president from 1971 to 1981.-Early life:...
takes his place as Teamsters boss. Ciaro, also convicted and imprisoned, is freed before Hoffa and immediately begins working for his boss's release. D'Allesandro suggests that the Teamsters endorse Richard M. Nixon for President, the idea being that if Nixon wins, a friendly administration official will arrange for Hoffa's release.
Hoffa gets out and expects to again run the Teamsters, but learns that he is forbidden to participate in union activities for ten years. Hoffa meets with D'Allesandro and is shown screaming at the gangster that Hoffa wants Fitzsimmons dead; the tirade is laced with various obscenities and descriptive suggestions as to what to do with a few of Fitzsimmons' body parts. D'Allesandro tells Hoffa that he's 'too hot' and that 'I can't get close to it'. Hoffa leaves with the matter unresolved. Some time later, Hoffa tells D'Allesandro (via Ciaro) that unless the matter of Fitzsimmons can be settled (the implication being that Hoffa wants Fitzsimmons either removed from office or killed), Hoffa will go to the press and detail his dealings with D'Allesandro. D'Allesandro then tells Ciaro to tell Hoffa that 'everything's gonna be all right' and also that Ciaro should tell Hoffa 'I know he doesn't mean it' and that they should all meet the next day at 'The Roadhouse', a local diner. Hoffa and Ciaro spend several hours waiting for D'Allesandro in the parking lot of the diner but he never arrives. A purported union driver (Frank Whaley) who had been waiting in the diner, allegedly for a part for his truck, reveals himself to be a 'hit man' after gaining the trust of Ciaro during short conversations over the course of the long wait. Just exactly who sent this 'hit man' is not revealed, however the implication is that he was sent by D'Allesandro in retaliation for Hoffa's threat to 'go to the press'. Hoffa is gunned down in the back seat of his car and Ciaro is shot while attempting to come to Hoffa's aid. Ciaro's body is dumped on top of Hoffa's and the car is driven into the back of a large truck that had driven up as the shootings were taking place. ( This is a bit of artistic liberty as in reality Hoffa's car was found abandoned at the diner on the afternoon of his disappearance). The camera focuses on the roll-up door of the truck showing the different state plates, implying a final bit of irony: that Hoffa's dead body is being transported, in all likelihood, by a "Teamster driver." The truck drives off into the sunset and the movie ends.
Inaccuracies
The film's portrayal of Hoffa's demise bears little resemblance to the actual events of July 30, 1975. Rather than traveling to an isolated diner as shown in the movie, Hoffa had in fact gone to the Machus Red Fox, an upscale restaurant next to a shopping center in the affluent Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
suburb of Bloomfield Hills
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, intending to meet mobsters Tony Provenzano
Anthony Provenzano
Anthony Provenzano also known as Tony Pro was a Caporegime in the Genovese crime family of New York City...
and Tony Giacalone
Anthony Giacalone
Anthony Joseph Giacalone, known as Tony Giacalone and by the nickname Tony Jack was an American organized crime figure in Detroit, serving as a capo in the Detroit Partnership...
.
Filming location
Although it chronicles Hoffa's early years in Michigan to his leadership in New York City and Washington, D.C. and his death in a Detroit suburb, almost all of the film was shot in and around Pittsburgh with the city's landmarks (such as Gateway CenterGateway Center (Pittsburgh)
The Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a high-rise building complex with of office space in four buildings. Gateway Center was purchased in 2004 by Hertz Investment Group, a Los Angeles, California based real estate investment company, for US$55 million...
in the "Idlewild Airport" police pullover scene, and the Mellon Institute depicting government buildings) serving as backdrops for the various locales in the film.The diner scenes were shot at an actual diner that was built then destroyed on Rt. 72 in Hampshire Illinois
Critical response
Hoffa earned two OscarAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nominations for Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
and Makeup
Academy Award for Makeup
The Academy Award for Best Makeup is the Oscar given to the best achievement in makeup for film. Usually, only three films are nominated each year rather than five as in most categories...
. Nicholson's performance sharply divided critics, with the actor receiving both a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for Best Actor and a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor
Razzie Award for Worst Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
. DeVito also received a Razzie nomination for Worst Director
Razzie Award for Worst Director
The Razzie Award for Worst Director is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst director of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
. Ultimately, none of the nominated awards were won. The film was also nominated for the Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival
43rd Berlin International Film Festival
The 43rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to 22, 1993.-Jury:* Frank Beyer * Juan Antonio Bardem* Michel Boujut* François Duplat* Katinka Faragó* Krystyna Janda* Naum Kleiman* Brock Peters...
.
Cast
- Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
as James R. "Jimmy" HoffaJimmy HoffaJames Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader.... - Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
as Robert "Bobby" Ciaro - Armand AssanteArmand Assante-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
as Carol "Dally" D'Allesandro - J. T. WalshJ. T. WalshJames Thomas Patrick "J. T." Walsh was an American character actor. He appeared in many well-known films, including Nixon, Hoffa, A Few Good Men, Backdraft, Miracle on 34th Street, Breakdown, and Good Morning, Vietnam.Walsh was known for his roles as "quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs"...
as Frank FitzsimmonsFrank FitzsimmonsFrank Edward Fitzsimmons , was an American labor leader. He was acting president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1967 to 1971, and president from 1971 to 1981.-Early life:... - John C. ReillyJohn C. ReillyJohn Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
as Peter "Pete" Connelly - Frank WhaleyFrank WhaleyFrank Joseph Whaley is an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal life:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Syracuse. He has two sisters and an older...
as Young Trucker in Diner - Kevin Anderson as Robert F. KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
- John P. RyanJohn P. Ryan (actor)John P. Ryan was an American character actor, best known for his role as Warden Ranken in the 1985 film Runaway Train.Ryan died from a stroke in Los Angeles, California in 2007 at the age of 70.-Filmography:...
as Red Bennett - Robert ProskyRobert ProskyRobert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
as Billy Flynn - Natalia NogulichNatalia NogulichNatalia Nogulich is an American actress.Nogulich was born Natalija Nogulich in Chicago, Illinois, of Serbian descent. Her best-known appearances have been on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Vice Admiral/Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev...
as Jo Hoffa - Nicholas PryorNicholas PryorNicholas Pryor is an American film and television actor.Pryor was born Nicholas David Probst in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Dorothy and J. Stanley Probst, a pharmaceutical manufacturer....
as Hoffa's Attorney - Paul GuilfoylePaul GuilfoylePaul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
as Ted Harmon - Karen YoungKaren Young (actress)Karen Young is an American actress.Born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, Young studied at Rutgers University. After graduation she moved to New York City and became an actress, appearing in such films as 9½ Weeks, Jaws: The Revenge, Daylight, Mercy and Hoffa. Her ex-husband is Tom Noonan...
as Young Woman at RTA - Cliff GormanCliff GormanCliff Gorman was an American stage and screen actor. He won an Obie award in 1968 for the stage presentation of The Boys in the Band, and went on to reprise his role in the 1970 film version....
as Solly Stein - Jon FavreauJon FavreauJonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
as Extra (uncredited)