Even Angels Eat Beans (1973) Plot Summary Explained

Sonny and Charlie were hired because Angelo, a mobster, assumed they were tough enough to handle a job. Sonny had fallen on hard times working as a gym cleaner, while Charlie was a wrestler with a formidable physical presence. Their rough appearance and the circumstances made them appear to be the kind of enforcers Angelo needed.

• Angelo mobster
• Sonny
• Charlie Smith
• hired enforcers
• mistaken identity

Angelo hired them to hit a gambler, but in a reckless moment they attacked the wrong person, they beat up a US Senator instead. The plan went awry due to their bumbling approach, and this mistake sparked a confrontation that drew lethal attention from authorities, forcing the underworld to respond.

• US Senator
• gambler
• Angelo
• mistaken target
• botched job

While working as debt collectors in Little Italy, Sonny and Charlie befriended the Gerace family, a poor clan struggling to survive. Touched by their plight, they decided to help by taking on two debt collectors sent by Angelo's rival, Mr. Colosimo. This marked a moral shift in their character, choosing to protect the vulnerable rather than just serve the mob.

• Gerace family
• Little Italy
• debt collectors
• protect
• poor family

The feud ignited when Sonny and Charlie beat up two collectors working for Angelo's rival, Mr. Colosimo, to help the Geraces. This crossed a line and triggered a bitter conflict between the two mob bosses, escalating into a broader mob war in the neighborhood that threatened innocents and destabilized the criminal landscape.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Angelo sends them to work as debt collectors in Little Italy, establishing the territory where the conflict unfolds.

• Angelo
• Colosimo
• mob war
• feud
• collectors
• Little Italy

Captain Mackintosh initially intended to jail Sonny and Charlie for their involvement in the violence. However, the two men discovered that Mackintosh was somehow entangled with Angelo and Colosimo in their criminal racket. This conflict of interest forced Mackintosh to let them go, leading to their acquittal.

Foreshadowing: The police intervene to stop the bloodshed, with Mackintosh initially threatening arrests.

• Captain Mackintosh
• police
• released
• acquitted
• mob connection
• conflict of interest

After their acquittal, Charlie returned to wrestling, and Sonny agreed to become his trainer. This represented a character transformation for Sonny, stepping away from his reckless, narcissistic ways toward a quieter, steadier role. It marked their friendship's evolution from bumbling crime partners to a disciplined professional relationship.

Foreshadowing: Sonny's early characterization as narcissistic and womanizing contrasts with his later willingness to take on a supportive, stable role.

• Sonny
• Charlie Smith
• trainer
• wrestling
• character change
• partnership

When the US Senator whom Sonny and Charlie accidentally beat publicly declared war on organized crime, it escalated into a city-wide crackdown. Law enforcement ramped up pressure on the underworld and on anyone connected to Angelo, making Sonny and Charlie targets and forcing the mob to change strategy to protect themselves.

Foreshadowing: The assault on the Senator directly leads to this political response.

• Senator
• war on crime
• crackdown
• organized crime
• law enforcement

Captain Mackintosh and the police stepped in to stop the bloodshed as the feud between Angelo and Colosimo escalated into violence threatening the entire neighborhood. The police sought to halt the mob war before it spiralED further, threatening both their authority and public safety.

• police
• Captain Mackintosh
• mob war
• stop violence
• neighborhood

After they accidentally beat the Senator and drew lethal attention from authorities, Angelo sent them to Little Italy to work as debt collectors. This was a way to lay low and keep them away from the heat of the crackdown while still using their muscle for Angelo's operations in a less visible location.

Foreshadowing: The Senator's declaration of war creates the pressure that forces Angelo to relocate them.

• Angelo
• Little Italy
• debt collectors
• lay low
• relocate

Sonny was narcissistic and prone to chasing women, while Charlie was blunt, aloof, and more focused. Despite their stark differences, they became fast friends and complemented each other, Charlie's quiet strength balanced Sonny's flamboyant recklessness. This dynamic drove their comedic bumbling throughout the story.

• Sonny
• Charlie Smith
• personality contrast
• friendship
• partnership dynamic