Pay or Die!

1960 "The Threat...and The Picture...You'll Never Forget!"

Pay or Die!

6.9 | 1h51m | en | Crime

A beautifully rendered, fact-based crime film about a crusading Italian policeman battling Black Hand extortionists in New York’s Little Italy is back on the big screen. In addition to Ernest Borgnine’s brilliantly sensitive portrayal as Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, this engrossing picture is deftly photographed by Lucien Ballard, beautifully scored by David Raksin with a stellar supporting cast including Zohra Lampert and Alan Austin. Literate, suspenseful and emotionally moving, this memorable film remains the definitive depiction about the emergence of the Mafia in America.

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6.9 | 1h51m | en | Crime | More Info

Released: July. 27,1960 | Released Producted By: Allied Artists Pictures , Country: Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

Ernest Borgnine , Zohra Lampert , Robert F. Simon

Director

Lucien Ballard

Producted By

Allied Artists Pictures ,

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Trailers & Images

Cast

Ernest Borgnine

as Police Lt. Joseph Petrosino

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Zohra Lampert

as Adelina Saulino

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Robert F. Simon

as Police Commissioner

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Reviews

bkoganbing Pay Or Die is the story of Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino and his struggle against the infamous Black Hand who has moved over from the old country in Sicily and is terrorizing the new Italian immigrants just trying to make it in a new country. The Black Hand is sad to say an unhappy reminder of what they left.During the course of the film at one point Ernest Borgnine and Zohra Lampert as Mrs. Petrosino drink a toast to President Theodore Roosevelt. It's not just an idle toast. Not told in the film is the fact that as Police Commissioner, Roosevelt recognized the talent in Petrosino and made him a personal protégé and started his climb up the NYPD promotion ladder.What attracted TR to Petrosino is the no nonsense way he dealt with criminals. Petrosino was not a guy who believed in civil liberties and rights for criminals. He'd be lost in a world of Miranda. But he was as he saw it representing the forces of law and order against a completely ruthless enemy. Just the guy you need to fight a war on terror.His life and tragic death are dealt with in a way that makes Petrosino terribly human. Zohra Lampert's character who marries Petrosino survived him by decades, dying in 1957. She and Borgnine make a perfect couple on screen. In the supporting cast Robert Ellenstein stands out as an Italian shyster lawyer who gets a really tragic comeuppance.Pay Or Die is a well constructed albeit B picture without any frills. It holds up well for today and should be in the ranks of great gangster films.

edwagreen Though tragic at the end, this film is a tribute to Lt. Petrosino of the New York City Police Department at the turn of the last century. It is also a fine vehicle for the underrated performance of Ernest Borgnine here. In my opinion, he was far better here than in his Oscar winning role as "Marty" 5 years before.The film deals with a mobster protection ring in Little Italy. These guys mean business, even if it means that children are their victims. Either you pay up or you die. Terror fills the streets.Zohra Lampert is very good as the woman who believed in Petrosino and asked him to marry her.The film shows the impact of the mob and the inability of local citizens to cooperate. They feel that as in Italy, they can't trust the police.Petrosino is the hero of this very good story. In fact, terror was never so good as depicted in this film. By the way, who sang for Howard Cain? I fondly remember him in television's Hogan Heroes and as Judy Garland's husband in "Judgment At Nuremberg."

EarthAngel91973 To me Pay or die was one of the greatest pictures of all time, I am very sorry it hasn't been shown much since 1969. Ernest Borgnine is one my favorite actors, and this picture really describes what really went on in the early 1900's on the Lower East Side of NYC.It's a picture that should be shown more often and available on DVD everywhere, and also one you can rent from your video store.I would like to see this picture shown more often on TV especially on the fox movie channel or Turner Classic movies or even if PBs shows it.This movie was the best movie pre-Godfather, and Ernest Borgnine gave a great performance as Lt.Joseph Petrocino

barhand2002 This is a fine old film about the beginnings of the mafia in America. Their nemesis was the Italian squad of the NYPD of which my grandfather was a part and whose notes and case books were used in the making of the film. The mafia at the time was called the black hand and was made up in this country of cheap hoods who mostly ran protection rackets on the small business owners of little Italy. They were backed by the dons in Sicily and the Italian squad's task was to shut the rackets down. They tried hard but the squad was pretty much broken up after the death of Lt. Petrosino in Sicily. This film shows the good and bad guys of the time and what my grandfather called, very un-pc,"one guinea killing another".

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