The three-part documentary Fear City: New York vs the Mafia, released on Netflix in 2020, tells the story of how New York and federal law enforcement fought against the city’s notorious Five Families during the 1970s and ’80s. What makes this period in New York’s history unique is that it marked the golden age of the Mafia — a time when organized crime operated with near-total impunity. Law enforcement agencies were powerless to bring the Mafia bosses to justice and had little understanding of how their criminal operations actually worked.

As a result, the Mob seized control of some of the city’s most vital industries. They leached off New York’s business world, and anyone who refused to pay was dealt with swiftly — and brutally. But this continued only until the authorities, tired of the terror gripping their city, came up with a strategy to reach all five bosses at once — and take them down together.

Fear City: New York vs the Mafia — as the title suggests — is first and foremost a film about the fight between New York authorities and the FBI against the Mafia. However, viewers shouldn’t expect a detailed profile of each of the five largest and most powerful Italian-American crime families in New York. What the film does offer is insight into how the Mafia’s internal hierarchy was structured, why the FBI couldn’t get close to the top, and how years of impunity allowed the Mob to build a unique system for earning tens of millions of dollars from the city’s biggest construction projects.

The story is told from both sides of the conflict — by FBI agents and prosecutors (one of whom would later become the mayor of New York), as well as by former rank-and-file members of the Mafia families. The latter bring a certain Italian-American charm to the film as they describe their lavish lifestyles in the ’70s and ’80s, and how they mockingly refused to help the FBI agents who came asking, “How do you do it?” — how they made money through what appeared to be legitimate business. At times, it feels as if these aren’t real people recounting real experiences, but rather professional actors straight out of a Martin Scorsese film.

The investigation itself is presented in an engaging and dynamic way, with plenty of infographics and atmospheric historical footage — including crime scene photos and archival TV news clips covering the events. Visually, the film is also a treat: it features striking views of New York and moody, cinematic settings for the interviews with participants. One former Mafia soldier is interviewed in an old boxing gym, surrounded by worn-out leather punching bags, while the FBI agent in charge of wiretaps appears in the driver’s seat of a classic American car parked beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

But the true highlight of the film is the FBI agents’ own stories — and those of other law enforcement officials — about how they managed to sneak into Mafia bosses’ homes, restaurants, and cars to plant listening devices. And yes, we get to hear the actual recordings: snippets of Mafia life captured on tape — from business discussions and threats of violence to moments of intimacy with housemaids.

All in all, Fear City: New York vs the Mafia may not offer a deep dive, but it does provide an entertaining and atmospheric account of the New York Mafia during its golden age.

And if you're looking to learn more about the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, Colombo, and Lucchese families — and the fates of their past and present bosses — the internet is your next stop.

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