The city of Philadelphia was a hotbed for the mob in the 1990s. There were murders everywhere, and people were afraid to go out on the streets. However, this was a much smaller and shorter-lived crime wave in the United States compared to what the world has seen before. After the fall of mob boss Nick Scarfo, aka "Little Nicky," a major power vacuum is left.
This is when we see the rise of construction contractor John Stanfa, who has deep ties to the mafia. Just as he's gaining power, his rival emerges: none other than Joey Merlino. Joey is a relatively young gangster from South Philadelphia. He supports more flamboyant mobsters and is a harsh critic of John. Slowly, Joey's crew grows, as do the shootings and murders. These two gangs are diametrically opposed, and their rivalry becomes increasingly dangerous over time.
Stars: John Alite, Angelo Lutz, Stephen Lapenta
Throughout the series, we are shown the growing differences between the two mob leaders and the impact this had on the residents. The FBI enters the scene, deciding to take advantage of the chaos and beginning to take its first steps by infiltrating informants to gather evidence. The situation takes a major turn when Stanfa narrowly escapes death while with his son, and Merlino's men are killed in a series of seemingly planned attacks. In the final episode, we see Merlino continue to rise after Stanfa's imprisonment for a time, until his own prison sentence comes knocking. Meanwhile, as mentioned, Stanfa is arrested first on RICO charges. And so ends the greatest mob rivalry.
The creators do a great job of showing us clips and videos from the past. It begins with snippets of Little Nicky, and then, as the plot progresses, we are shown related clips. Followed by interviews with people who were once associated with the mafia, we get a great perspective on 1990s Philadelphia and the world of organized crime. Yes, there are times when a smoother transition between scenes would have been helpful, but that doesn't happen in some cases.
However, it's not a major problem, as the interviews and the sequential structure of the story make it very interesting to watch. In a way, I felt that three episodes were too short for this documentary. I would have liked the creators to have explored more aspects. Three episodes give the feeling that everything is resolved too quickly, so the pace is quite fast. Right at the beginning of the first episode, we are already shown what the entire documentary will be about.
What I liked most was how Philadelphia became the protagonist, despite being the setting for the violence.
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