Pay or Die!

Pay or Die!

111 mins | Crime | July 27, 1960

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.

Pay or Die!

111 mins | Crime | July 27, 1960

Pay or Die!
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.
IMDb rating 6.9
Producers Allied Artists Pictures
Original title Pay or Die!
Directors Richard Wilson
Writers Richard Collins, Bertram Millhauser

Cast

Ernest Borgnine

as Police Lt. Joseph Petrosino

Zohra Lampert

as Adelina Saulino

Renata Vanni

as Mama Saulino

Bruno Della Santina

as Papa Saulino

Franco Corsaro

as Vito Zarillo

Robert F. Simon

as Police Commissioner

Robert Ellenstein

as Luigi Di Sarno

Howard Caine

as Enrico Caruso

Barry Russo

as Lupo Miano (as John Duke)

Vito Scotti

as Officer Simonetti

John Marley

as D. Caputo, Ragman

Alan Austin

as Johnny Viscardi

Sheryl Deauville

as Girl attacked in Laundry Scene by Mafia (uncredited)

Delia Salvi

as Miss Salvi (uncredited)