DVD Review: Killing Jimmy Hoffa

Killing Jimmy Hoffa is a documentary that takes a look at the life and times and disappearance of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa. The first half of the film focuses on his life, while the second half focuses on his disappearance, and the various theories of what happened to him.

The first half of the film relies on interviews with authors and enthusiasts, including writer/director Al Profit himself, who is identified as “historian.” Putting himself in the film is a major mistake for Profit. He’s just not someone you believe or trust. He’s certainly enthusiastic about his subject, but doesn’t come across with any kind of authority whatsoever. So you feel the whole thing is put together by amateurs. He should have at least hired a professional narrator to deliver the lines he wrote for himself. And really a lot of this section of the film is just speculation. Those interviewed say things like, “Hoffa was most likely involved in car bombings” and “Supposedly Hoffa asked his new friend Santo Perrone to hold his goons back.” Profit himself says, “I think Jimmy Hoffa used the mafia and other organized crime the same way he used everybody else.” Okay, but why should we care what he thinks? Later he says, “I think the Kennedys were definitely playing both sides of the fence when it came to organized crime.” You can’t say you think something definitely happened; it just doesn’t make sense. Plus, again, this is just speculation, and speculation by the filmmaker at that (a person who clearly is not a fan of the Kennedys).

Of course, the story itself is fascinating, involving the mafia and unions and the United States government. It has all the intrigue you could hope for. But the film has no authority; or at least it feels as if it doesn’t. It uses stock footage, as well as archival footage. But the archival footage, for the most part, is not properly identified, so often we’re not sure just what we’re seeing. A lot of the footage in the first half is without sound, while those interviewed offer opinions. But there is some footage that plays with sound, like Bobby Kennedy questioning Hoffa about something he said, and some footage of Hoffa speaking about the strength of his organization. But when and where was that footage of Hoffa shot? And for what purpose? The film mentions the pardon that Richard Nixon gave Hoffa in 1971, and I wish it investigated that a little more, because that is certainly interesting.

The second half of this documentary, the half dealing with Hoffa’s disappearance, is so much better than the first half. That is because it relies more on people who were closer to the story, such as retired FBI members and a federal prosecutor whose unit was charged with investigating Hoffa’s disappearance, rather than on people who are simply interested in the subject. And Profit himself appears less frequently in the second half. Though he does provide the movie’s final lines: “They don’t make men like Jimmy Hoffa anymore. At least not in America.” Just what does he mean by that anyway? What’s interesting about the second half is that it goes through each of the possible suspects in the case, and also delves into several theories about what happened. We’re even treated to a bit of audio from an interview Dan Moldea did with Sal Briguglio and his lawyer Bill Buffalino. Though of course at the end, we haven’t really learned anything new.

By the way, the cover of the DVD, just under the film’s title, says, “40th Anniversary Edition.” Just to be clear, this is the not the fortieth anniversary edition of this film, as that would suggest. Rather, it’s been forty years since Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance.

Killing Jimmy Hoffa was written and directed by Al Profit, and was released on DVD on July 21, 2015 through MVD Visual.