Hoffa(1992)

Submitted by Julio M

Oscar Nominee – Best Cinematography; Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

Short pooper:
As per the version presented by this film, both Hoffa (Jack Nicholson) and Ciaro (Danny DeVito) are shot dead inside Hoffa’s car by a hitman (Frank Whaley) posing as a truck driver; then, someone else takes off driving the car and Hoffa is never seen, or heard from, again.

Longer version:
To get in good graces with the Government’s ongoing investigation against Hoffa, fellow Teamster member Pete Connelly (John C. Reilly) double-crosses Hoffa by revealing the embezzlement scheme he had traced along with D’Allessandro (Armand Assante); moreover, when the case goes to trial, Connelly testifies against Hoffa for labour racketeering and delivers the final blow by providing the license as the crucial piece of evidence. With this, Hoffa is sentenced to a decade-plus prison term, while his enforcer and confidant Ciaro receives a much more lenient sentence. Meanwhile, Fitzsimmons (J.T. Walsh) assumes the leadership of the Teamsters, which he had been vying for.

Later on, D’Allessandro strongly advises Fitzsimmons to consider endorsing Presidential hopeful Richard Nixon in the upcoming Election, in exchange for the possibility of a pardon for Hoffa. He concedes; Hoffa is granted an early release and Nixon keeps the pardon promise, but, as part of the conditions, he is to have no involvement with the Teamsters for a decade. Enraged by what he perceives as a coup against him, Hoffa requests D’Allessandro to allow for Fitzsimmons to be eliminated, which results in a failed attempt on the latter’s life by means of a car bomb.

Realizing Hoffa has gone too far and brought unwanted negative attention to the Union, D’Allessandro severs ties with him. In turn, Hoffa sends D’Allesandro a message, via Ciaro, warning that Fitzsimmons is to be dealt with or else he will go public about everything he knows. This proves to be the final straw and D’Allessandro “agrees to meet, the next day, to discuss a course of action that will fix everything”.

The movie had been told through an extensive flashback and returns to the opening scene, with Hoffa and Ciaro waiting at a diner where the meeting with D’Allessandro would take place. Several hours go by and D’Allessandro does not show up. Meanwhile, some young trucker strikes a conversation with Ciaro, ostensibly to discuss how to solve the dilemma of a part he needed for his truck. When Ciaro mentions Hoffa is waiting in his car, the young man enthusiastically offers to buy them both coffee if he can see and meet him in person, to which Ciaro agrees.

As they approach the vehicle, however, the driver -who turns out to be a hitman- produces a gun with a silencer and shoots Hoffa and Ciaro dead, after which he gets away in another car that was standing by to drive him off. From the guy’s truck, which had been standing there the whole time, some other men come out, place the bodies of Hoffa and Ciaro in it and one drives the truck while the other drives away in Hoffa’s car, to an unknown fate.

The film ends with title cards informing that Hoffa’s body was never found and the case of his disappearance, to date, is still a mystery.