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This article contains spoilers for Get Gotti.

Netflix’s Get Gotti puts the spotlight on a New York gangster icon, whose camera-ready presence signaled his downfall. The prosecutorial team sees John Gotti as an affront to decency. The capos, soldiers, and neighborhood acquaintances see only a larger-than-life street savior, with the balls and brains to make something of the communities he oversees.

The FBI and New York’s Organized Crime Task Force (Octf) couldn’t get their heads around it. Everyone on Carmine Street had no doubt the feds were itching to nail John Gott to a high-voltage crucifix so they could display him like a Christmas tree ornament. But the real sins committed are those against the organization Gotti headed. The Teflon Don broke more mafia edicts than federal crimes. That put him in the spotlight, a place where it’s easy to mistake exposure for protection.

For as thorough as Get Gotti is,...

Since the Silent Era, theatrical releases have been a prime pastime, thanks to larger-than-life stories and the sense of silent community in theaters. Because of this dominance, big-screen films tend to overshadow many made-for-tv movies, regardless of quality. Such films get commissioned by networks or streaming services and are often produced on lower budgets, but shouldn't be scoffed at.

Despite the medium's undue reputation as being worse in quality, plenty of fabulous made-for-tv films have been made. The best have great plots, thought-provoking dialogue, and performances that elevate the material beyond the smaller screen viewing.

Related: 10 Best Movies Adapted From TV Shows, Ranked

Gotti (1996)

The movie industry has churned out dozens of critically-acclaimed gangster movies. Surprisingly, no one ever covered the story of one of the most infamous Cosa Nostra figures until the second half of the ‘90s. The HBO flick — adapted from Gotti: Rise and Fall by Gene Mustain...

Sammy Gravano is reflecting on the old days. “I grab him in a bear hug, the [van] door comes flying open, guys come running out,” he says, sitting back in a leather armchair, his voice gravelly. But Gravano isn’t reminiscing about some rough-and-tumble prank from his youth; he’s recounting the kidnapping and gangland slaying of Philadelphia gangster John “Johnny Keys” Simone forty years ago. Gravano is Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, the onetime underboss of New York’s notorious Gambino crime family, and these days, he’s giving up...