Capone 2020

As the autumn of 1931 gave way to winter’s chill, the notorious Alphonse “Al” Capone (Tom Hardy) found himself confined behind bars, his once formidable grip on power slowly eroding due to the insidious ravages of neurosyphilis and dementia. Ten years would pass before the world would finally deem him no longer a threat, and it was in this state that Capone - affectionately known to loved ones as “Fonse” - was released from prison and sent into exile in Florida, where he would live out his days with his family.

As Fonse navigated the darkened hallway of his new home, a fire poker at the ready, he stumbled upon a hidden closet, its occupant a tiny girl who unleashed a shrill cry as she confronted the notorious gangster. But the young one was quickly swept up in a whirlwind of playfulness with Fonse’s grandkids, nieces, and nephews, all tumbling about on the lawn outside. The children’s exuberance eventually gave way to instruction from their elders, leaving Fonse alone once more - his mind still reeling from the encounter.

Later that day, Fonse gathered with his family for Thanksgiving dinner, his words strained by the creeping effects of his illness as he attempted to explain the holiday’s significance to one of his granddaughters. His dancing with wife Mae (Linda Cardellini) was a poignant reminder of happier times, but it wasn’t long before sister Rosie (Kathrine Narducci) interrupted the tender moment with news of an incoming phone call - one that would prove dishearteningly brief.

On the other end of the line stood Fonse’s estranged son Tony (Mason Guccione), his father’s interest in reconnection seemingly as fleeting as his memory. As Fonse struggled to come to terms with the conversation, he retreated outside to confer with sons Ralphie (Al Sapienza) and Junior (Noel Fisher), all under the watchful eyes of unseen agents. The once-mighty Capone was now reduced to hacking up phlegm and soiling himself in shame.

As night began to fall, Fonse’s prized possessions were carted away, sold off to settle his debts despite his protests - a bleak reminder of his diminished stature. From the shadows of the woods, he sensed another presence watching him, their gaze as unnerving as it was familiar.

That same evening, a strange vision beset Fonse - that of a young boy in his chamber - only to be followed by an unsettling reality: Mae’s horror-stricken awakening to find her husband had soiled himself once more. In the face of such decline, Dr. Karlock (Kyle MacLachlan) was summoned to assess the situation, his recommendation that Fonse’s family remain by his side a stark acknowledgment of the gangster’s fragility.

As Fonse’s long-lost buddy Johnny (Matt Dillon) suddenly materializes, the atmosphere is filled with a mix of nostalgia and curiosity. Johnny’s arrival sparks a series of conversations that veer from casual small talk about Fonse’s health and appearance to more profound discussions about his life. The two old friends take to the water, indulging in a leisurely fishing excursion that provides the perfect backdrop for Fonse to open up about his peculiar predicament: he’s convinced he stashed away a whopping $10 million somewhere, but his memory is as murky as the lake they’re floating on.

As the afternoon wears on, Fonse’s frustration with his own forgetfulness boils over when an alligator swoops in and snatches their catch. With a burst of anger, Fonse takes aim and sends the reptile to an early grave. The tranquility of the surroundings is short-lived, however, as Fonse later becomes engrossed in a Wizard of Oz marathon with Mae, spinning tales and dancing the night away. But when he excuses himself to answer nature’s call, his reverie is disrupted by the presence of an uninvited observer lurking mere feet away from him.

Unfazed by this bizarre encounter, Fonse drifts off into another world, only to be yanked back into reality when Johnny appears at his doorstep. The old friend inquires about Fonse’s connection with Tony, prompting a sudden outburst of panic and aggression as Fonse demands more bourbon for his “friend” - much to Mae’s bewilderment. As the situation spirals out of control, Mae slaps Fonse into submission before helping him back to bed. The doorbell rings, signaling an unexpected visit from Fonse’s loyal head bodyguard Gino (Gino Cafarelli), who arrives to check in on the couple and reminds Mae to refrain from addressing Fonse by his nickname “Al.”

As Fonse’s confusion deepens, he mistakenly reaches for the authorities, convinced that he has been abducted. The listening agents outside are privy to his frantic call. After hanging up, Fonse’s wandering through the halls becomes a desperate quest, driven by an inexplicable longing. He stumbles into the basement, where a surreal vision awaits: his former self basking in adoration from admirers, while the distant whisper of Mae’s gentle voice beckons him forward. The illusory scenario dissolves, replaced by the gruesome tableau of Gino standing over a bound and helpless victim, the air thick with violence.

Fonse’s foray into the darkness yields another enigmatic encounter: a showgirl, eerily familiar as Tony’s mother, reveals hints of hidden treasure before her own tragic demise. The basement’s macabre atmosphere is shattered by the gruesome discovery of everyone from his earlier odyssey lifeless on the floor. Fonse’s flight takes him outside, where he’s met with an unsettling apparition: a young Tony, his eyes reflecting the same eerie calm that pervades the scene.

As Fonse pursues this ghostly figure, he stumbles over additional corpses, the carnage unfolding like a ghastly obstacle course. Just as all hope seems lost, a vehicle bears down upon him - only to vanish into thin air. Reality, it seems, has been cruelly ripped away: Fonse lies motionless, the victim of a stroke that has left his family scrambling to revive him.

Meanwhile, Mae’s voice pierces the silence once more, summoning Karlock (Jack Lowden) as FBI Agent Crawford. As they confer about Fonse’s precarious state, it becomes clear that their true interest lies in extracting any information he might possess regarding his ill-gotten gains. Karlock deploys an unorthodox tactic: instructing Fonse to grasp a carrot, substituting for a cigar, and attempts to elicit cryptic remarks about his fortune.

Ralphie’s suspicions ignite a maelstrom of paranoia within Fonse, who begins to view those around him as treacherous. This creeping unease culminates in a dinner table meltdown when he fixates on Gino’s steak, its simulated bloodiness sending him into a frantic spiral. As the evening wears on, Johnny reappears by Fonse’s bedside, the air thick with malevolent portent.

The nightmarish sequence unfolds anew: a radio broadcast resurrects the crimes of his dark past, this time detailing his supposed betrayal and murder of Johnny (the same individual Gino had brutally stabbed earlier). As the accusatory voice pierces the darkness, Fonse is forced to confront the gouged-out eyes of his former acquaintance, their lifeless orbs an unblinking indictment. Mae and the nurse rush in, shattering the macabre tableau as Fonse’s screams of terror echo through the chamber.

As Crawford’s relentless pursuit of incriminating evidence against Capone continues to yield nothing but frustration for his superiors, he remains steadfast in his conviction that Fonse is on the verge of cracking under pressure. Unfazed by the lack of tangible progress, Crawford teams up with his trusted partner Harris (Josh Trank), and together they sit down with Fonse and his attorney Harold Mattingley to try and extract a confession from the troubled individual. Despite Crawford’s best efforts to goad Fonse into making a statement, their conversation is abruptly cut short when Fonse experiences another uncontrollable episode of incontinence.

The following day, Fonse vanishes without a trace, only to reappear later, armed with his trusty Tommy gun and hell-bent on mayhem. In a fit of rage, he opens fire indiscriminately in front of the house, mercilessly targeting his bodyguards before finally killing Gino. His rampage in the woods eventually subsides, and Fonse is left standing, momentarily forgetting his troubles as he recalls a cryptic hint that could lead him to his long-lost fortune (“Dig where it’s wet”). However, this fleeting clarity is short-lived, as Fonse takes an impromptu plunge into the lake, only to be washed up on the shores of an old farmhouse in Italy. There, he is greeted by a young boy and eventually roused from his slumber by Mae, Junior, Ralphie, Rosie, and a very much alive Gino.

As the seasons pass, the family gathers once more for Thanksgiving, this time with Tony in attendance after weeks of repeated phone calls but no actual conversations. Although Fonse and Tony sit together in silence, their unspoken understanding speaks volumes as they take in the breathtaking view.

In the aftermath of Capone’s passing, his family made a hasty retreat, rebranding themselves under new aliases and relocating to distant shores. The enigmatic fortune, however, remains forever lost, its whereabouts remaining a mystery to this very day.