Pay or Die **** (1960, Ernest Borgnine, Alan Austin, Zohra Lampert, Robert F Simon, Renata Vanni, John Marley) – Classic Movie Review 13,360

The 1960 crime film Pay or Die tells the real-life story of Mafia-led extortion racketeers in lower Manhattan’s Little Italy. Ernest Borgnine stars as the NYPD Lieutenant whose Italian Squad takes on the Black Hand. 

Producer/ director Richard Wilson’s 1960 American biographical crime film Pay or Die tells the real-life story of the violent machinations of Mafia families as they set up shop in New York just before World War One.

It is a downbeat and realistic telling of a powerful tale about NYPD Lieutenant Joe Petrosino (Ernest Borgnine), the policeman who led the special team who took the Mafia on, made all the more so for being true. The film centres on the operation of Petrosino and his ‘Italian Squad’ against the extortion rackets of the Black Hand (La Mano Nera) in lower Manhattan’s Little Italy between 1906 and 1909.

The formidable Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino, the son of Italian immigrants) is on fire, going from friendly and smiling to hard-nosed and gun-firing in a flash. He is perfectly cast, and he makes the absolute most of it, and it is his film.

Elsewhere, the intense acting by an interesting cast, Lucien Ballard’s eye-catching noir-style black and white cinematography, Fernando Carrere’s imaginative art direction, and an impressive, diligent production all combine to help to capture the feel of New York life and crime in the early part of the last century. The film motors on threat and menace, is tough toned and quite violent for its era, unafraid to kill off innocent children, exactly as it needs to be for its gangster subject, undoubtedly paving the way for The Godfather  (1972) a decade later. One memorable scene has Black Hand members threatening the local baker who refuses to pay protection money by tying him up in a chair, chucking all his ingredients (eggs, flour) over the floor and him, stirring the mess around into a dirty dough, then chucking him in the pizza oven.

Meanwhile, the success of the famous Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City draws the attention of Black Hand extortionists. The Black Hand attempts to extort a large sum of money from Caruso, who decides not to pay up and calls in the help of Petrosino and his men. Howard Caine plays a slightly comic, rather vain and sad Caruso, saved by Petrosino from a car-bomb killing outside the theatre, in a tense, well-staged extended central episode in the film.

This is based on a notorious true incident, though the film’s car bombing incident is invented. In real life, the gang demanded $15,000 from Caruso, who called the police. Petrosino arranged for him to drop off the money at a prearranged spot, then arrested the extortionists, Italian businessmen Antonio Misiano and Antonio Cincotto.

The fatal bomb explosion from a vegetable cart targeting a jeweller’s shop is another particularly well handled set piece. This is the scene where a number of convent girls, who happen to be passing by, are killed. And so is the film’s sinister and explosive climax in Sicily where Petrosino finally learns at first hand the truth of the Mafia’s connections with New York. He has gone to Italy to check all the police records in Rome, then has ended up in Palermo to have a meal with the old man who can finally reveal to him if the Black Hand is actually a Mafia organisation or not. Petrosino was certainly living dangerously.

Zohra Lampert has the soft love interest stuff to handle as Petrosino’s beloved Adelina Saulino, coping as well as possible. John Duke [John Russo] has a much better time as the sinister leading extortionist Lupo Miano, and also notable are Robert Ellenstein as Black Hand member Luigi Di Sarno. Alan Austin as rookie cop Johnny Viscardi, and Robert F Simon as the friendly Police Commissioner.

John Marley plays the gang-connected ragman D Caputo in another fine set piece, in which Petrosino and Johnny Viscardi get into suspect Caputo’s workshop, where he is sheltering the bad guy, and a shootout occurs after Petrosino breaks out of the bale of rags he is concealed in. Marley is an intensely creepy and dangerous presence. John Marley of course later became known as movie mogul Jack Woltz who wakens to find the severed head of his prized thoroughbred horse in his bed in The Godfather. Vito Scotti, who plays NYPD officer Simonetti, an original member of the Italian Squad, is also in The Godfather.

It is important to stress how well the screenplay is written by Richard Collins and Bertram Millhauser. It is an intelligent, informative and exciting piece of work.

Release date: July 27, 1960.

The title may have an exclamation mark on the poster but there isn’t one on the film.

David Poleri provides the voice of Caruso.

The real Adelina Saulino was a 39-year-old widow when Petrosino married her on January 6, 1908, not a glamorous single young woman as in the movie. Zohra Lampert was born in New York City on May 13, 1931, the only daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrant hardware store owners.

The cast

The cast are Ernest Borgnine as Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, Zohra Lampert as Adelina Saulino, Alan Austin as Johnny Viscardi, Renata Vanni as Mama Saulino, Bruno Della Santina as Papa Saulino, Robert F Simon as Police Commissioner, Robert Ellenstein as Luigi Di Sarno, Howard Caine as Enrico Caruso, John Duke [John Russo] as Lupo Miano, Vito Scotti as Officer Simonetti, John Marley as the ragman D Caputo, Nick Pawl as Palumbo, Mario Siletti as Enzo Loria, Vincent Barbi as Fabraka the driver, Mimi Doyle as the nun, Sherry Alberoni as Giulia De Sarno, Mary Carver as Mrs. Rossi, Paul Birch as the mayor, Sal Armetta as Botti, and Delia Nora Salvi as Di Sarno’s secretary Miss Salvi.

Pay or Die is directed by Richard Wilson, runs 111 minutes, is made and released by Allied Artists, is written by Richard Collins and Bertram Millhauser, is shot in black and white by Lucien Ballard, is produced by Richard Wilson, and is scored by David Raksin, with Production Design by Fernando Carrere.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,360

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