Capone

As the crisp autumn of 1931 transitioned into the biting chill of winter, the infamous Alphonse “Al” Capone, portrayed by Tom Hardy, found himself imprisoned, his once fearsome reign diminishing under the relentless grip of neurosyphilis and dementia. It would take a decade for the world to finally deem him no longer a menace. It was in this frail condition that Capone, affectionately referred to as “Fonse,” was released and retreated to a life of exile in Florida, surrounded by family members as he faced his twilight years.

As Fonse wandered through the dimly lit corridors of his new abode, armed with a fire poker, he stumbled across a hidden closet. Inside was a little girl who let out a piercing scream at the sight of the notorious gangster. Yet, she soon found herself swept into the joyous chaos of play with Fonse’s grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, who were frolicking on the lawn outside. Their playful noise eventually gave way to the more sobering voices of their elders, leaving Fonse alone, his mind wrestling with the strange encounter.

Thanksgiving dinner later that day brought family together, but Fonse’s attempts to explain the holiday to one of his granddaughters were marred by the fog of his illness. A poignant dance with his wife, Mae, served as a bittersweet reminder of happier days, only to be interrupted by his sister Rosie, who delivered the grim news of an incoming phone call—one that would be disappointingly brief.

On the other end was Fonse’s estranged son, Tony, whose fleeting desire for connection seemed paired with his father’s fading memory. Struggling to comprehend the unexpected conversation, Fonse sought solace outside, joining sons Ralphie (Al Sapienza) and Junior (Noel Fisher), all while being surveilled by unseen agents. The once-mighty Capone now endured an undignified spiral into helplessness, coughing and soiling himself.

As dusk fell, Fonse’s possessions were auctioned off to pay down debts, a sobering reminder of his fall from grace. An unsettling feeling enveloped him as he sensed another presence lurking in the shadows.

That evening, as a bizarre vision of a young boy invaded Fonse’s thoughts, Mae awoke in horror to discover her husband’s distressing condition. In light of this decline, Dr. Karlock was called to evaluate Fonse’s state, suggesting that his family remain by his side as an acknowledgment of his deteriorating health. The appearance of an old friend, Johnny, brought a mix of nostalgia and curiosity. Their angling expedition opened the door for Fonse to express his bewildering belief that he had buried a staggering $10 million somewhere, though his memory seemed as murky as the lake they fished upon.

As the day dragged on, Fonse’s temper flared when an alligator snatched their catch—prompting him to retaliate in a fit of rage. The ensuing calm was short-lived, as he later sank into a Wizard of Oz marathon with Mae, but his brief escape was shattered by the arrival of an unwanted guest lurking nearby.

Disoriented, Fonse soon found himself engrossed in the past as Johnny questioned his relationship with Tony, which ignited a volatile response from Fonse, demanding more bourbon for his “friend.” This chaos escalated until Mae intervened, helping him to bed just as Gino (Gino Cafarelli), his devoted bodyguard, arrived to check on the couple, advising Mae not to call Fonse “Al.”

As his confusion deepened, Fonse mistakenly sought help from the authorities, unwittingly alerting listening agents surveilling him. His desperate wandering led him to the basement, where he encountered phantoms from his past who revealed hints of buried treasure just as darkness enveloped him in grisly scenes of violence.

In one haunting moment, he stumbled upon the corpse of a former acquaintance, which directed him toward a spectral vision of Tony, whose calm demeanor sent a shiver down his spine. The chase turned into a macabre race against despair, where his reality splintered, and he found himself paralyzed by a stroke, leaving his family frantically attempting to revive him.

Meanwhile, Mae once more summoned Karlock, now depicted by Jack Lowden, who, alongside Agent Crawford ([Crawford]), sought to extract crucial information from Fonse regarding his hidden fortunes. In a bizarre attempt to jog his memory, Karlock directed Fonse to grasp a carrot as if it were a cigar, to unearth cryptic musings about his wealth.

Ralphie’s growing suspicions fed into Fonse’s mounting paranoia, culminating in a dinner table explosion where he fixated on Gino’s steak, its disturbing appearance spiraling him deeper into madness. As the evening unfolded, Johnny’s reappearance loomed ominously over Fonse’s health, heightening the tension in an already fraught atmosphere.

The eerie echoes of a radio broadcast shook Fonse awake to the grim realities of his life, as it resurrected tales of betrayal and violence from his past. In the midst of this turmoil, Mae and the nurse rushed in to save Fonse, whose scream of terror sliced through the room.

Despite Agent Crawford’s relentless attempts to find evidence against Fonse, he found himself in a peculiar dance of delay and frustration. In a bewildering turn of events, Fonse vanished until he erupted in a manic fit, armed with a Tommy gun, firing recklessly at everything in sight, ultimately killing Gino.

As he drifted between violent rampage and lucidity, Fonse recalled a cryptic hint that urged him to “Dig where it’s wet,” leading him to plunge into a lake, only to awaken on Italian shores, where the whispers of a bygone era converged. Roused from this strange reverie by Mae, Junior, Ralphie, Rosie, and Gino, he felt the passage of time embrace him once more.

With the seasons flowing, the family gathered for Thanksgiving again, this time with Tony finally present after weeks of ghosting phone calls. Although the pair sat in silence, their unspoken understanding spoke volumes against the beautiful backdrop around them.

In the aftermath of Capone’s death, his family hastily reinvented themselves under new names, seeking refuge from their dark legacy while the enigma of his lost fortune lingered on, forever eluding discovery.

Last Updated: November 17, 2024 at 13:18