Lucky Luciano

Lucky Luciano is a 1973 Italian/French/US international co-production crime film about the Sicilian-American gangster Charles “Lucky” Luciano, played by Gian Maria Volonté. It is directed by Francesco Rosi, and written by Rosi, Tonino Guerra, Lino Iannuzzi, and Jerome Chodorov. The cast also stars Rod Steiger, Vincent Gardenia, Charles Cioffi, and Edmond O'Brien. Charles Siragusa, the real-life federal narcotics agent who pursued Luciano, plays himself in the film and also served as technical consultant. The film is a French and Italian co-production, filmed on-location in Italy and New York City. Lucky Luciano was shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Born in Sicily as Salvatore Lucania, Charles “Lucky” Luciano rises to become “the boss of all bosses” of the American Mafia in the 1930s by eliminating his rivals for power. When eventually imprisoned, Luciano eventually secures his release by offering his services to military intelligence during World War II, receiving a commutation from New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and subsequently being deported to Italy. Settling in Naples, Luciano takes control of the underground drug trade, managing to avoid prosecution through the use of proxies, covertly running his operation out of a race track. Federal Bureau of Narcotics agent Charles Siragusa is assigned to bring down Luciano, managing to turn his associate Gene Giannini informant. Giannini tries to lure Luciano out of the country to Marseilles, but Luciano refuses to talk business.