The Last Don
Encyclopedia
The Last Don is a novel by Mario Puzo
, best known as the author of The Godfather
.
The story alternates between the movie industry and the Las Vegas
casino
s, showing how the Mafia
is linked to them both.
boss, is to eventually make his family enter the legitimate world and melt in the American society.
Twenty-five years later, his grandson Dante and his grandnephew Cross (Croccifixio) make their way through life, and the eighty-year-old Don is half-retired.
Cross, who holds a majority share in a Las Vegas
casino, is supposed to become the strong arm of the family.
However, when he refuses to take part in the murder of an old friend, Dante is left to be the sole tough guy.
Dante's greed for power and blood lead him to plan the elimination of his relatives, who are an obstacle to the desire to become as powerful as the old Don himself.
Cross, who is aware of being on the black list
, precedes Dante and catches him in a trap.
Having acted against the family, he waits for the Don's vendetta, but, to his own surprise, his life is spared and he's only condemned to exile.
The story concludes with the revelation that the Don had planned this outcome all along for the long term survival of the family.
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
, best known as the author of The Godfather
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
.
The story alternates between the movie industry and the Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s, showing how the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
is linked to them both.
Plot
The last plan of Don Domenico Clericuzio, an aging mafiaMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
boss, is to eventually make his family enter the legitimate world and melt in the American society.
Twenty-five years later, his grandson Dante and his grandnephew Cross (Croccifixio) make their way through life, and the eighty-year-old Don is half-retired.
Cross, who holds a majority share in a Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
casino, is supposed to become the strong arm of the family.
However, when he refuses to take part in the murder of an old friend, Dante is left to be the sole tough guy.
Dante's greed for power and blood lead him to plan the elimination of his relatives, who are an obstacle to the desire to become as powerful as the old Don himself.
Cross, who is aware of being on the black list
Black List
Black List is the second of two L.A. Guns compilation albums featuring their third singer Paul Black.-Track listing:#"Stranded in L.A."#"L.A.P.D."#"Show No Mercy"#"One More Reason to Die"#"Looking Over My Shoulder"#"Love & Hate"#"On And On"...
, precedes Dante and catches him in a trap.
Having acted against the family, he waits for the Don's vendetta, but, to his own surprise, his life is spared and he's only condemned to exile.
The story concludes with the revelation that the Don had planned this outcome all along for the long term survival of the family.
Mini-series
The Last Don was also a 1997 mini-series based on the book. In 1998, this was followed by The Last Don II.Cast
- Danny AielloDanny AielloDaniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
— Don Domenico Clericuzio - Joe MantegnaJoe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
— Joseph 'Pippi' De Lena - Daryl HannahDaryl HannahDaryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
— Athena Aquitane - Jason GedrickJason GedrickJason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
— Croccifixio 'Cross' De Lena - Penelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
— Nalene De Lena - Rory CochraneRory CochraneRory Cochrane is an American actor. He is known for playing Ron Slater in Dazed and Confused, Lucas in Empire Records, and Tim Speedle in CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
— Dante Clericuzio - Robert WuhlRobert Wuhl-Early life:Wuhl was born in Union, New Jersey to a Jewish family, including a father who worked as a produce distributor. After attending Union High School, Wuhl headed to the University of Houston, where he was active in the drama department and the Epsilon-Omicron Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon...
— Bobby Bantz - K D LangK.D. LangKathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
— Dita Tommey - Kirstie AlleyKirstie AlleyKirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
— Rose Marie Clericuzio - David MarcianoDavid MarcianoDavid Marciano is an American actor who appeared as Detective Raymond Vecchio in the television series Due South...
— Giorgio Clericuzio - Michelle BurkeMichelle BurkeMichelle Burke is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jodi Kramer in the 1993 Richard Linklater film Dazed and Confused and as Connie Conehead in the movie Coneheads...
— Claudia De Lena - Conrad DunnConrad DunnConrad Dunn is an American actor. He began his screen career with the role of Francis "Psycho" Soyer in Stripes . Working for some ten years under the name George Jenesky, he achieved soap-opera stardom in Days of our Lives as Nick Corelli, a misogynistic pimp who evolved from bad guy to romantic...
— Lia Vazzi - David Gianopoulos: Peter 'Petie' Clericuzio
- Deno Frangopoulos: Gauis