Sometimes the past comes back to bite you. Two rival mob families are transferred from the Witness Protection Agency by mistake to the same city, Temecula, CA.
Using ingredients passed down from Romero, Tarantino, Scorsese, and the Coen Brothers, screenwriters Carlos Alazraqui and Jill-Michele Melean conjure up quite a screenplay. In “Witness Infection,” a batch of bad sausage meat causes some wise guys and gals to become flatulent zombies. I’m surprised there haven’t been more outings subverting the gangster genre but I was reminded of Christopher Moltisanti’s fictional mob-horror “Cleaver” featured in the final season of “The Sopranos.”
“Witness Infection” begins with Carlo (Robert Belushi) and Gina (Jill-Michelle Melean), grooming miniature dogs and quizzing each other on infectious diseases in preparation for her Veterinarian exams. Their friend Vince (Vince Donvito), an aspiring director, shows up to hang out and films everything with his camcorder. Vince’s POV is sometimes featured for a couple of jump-scares and comedic bits and his inappropriate film quotes made me laugh quite often.
Carlo’s mobster Father and brother arrive, telling him there’s a war brewing between the families. To keep the peace Carlo must marry Patricia (Erinn Hayes), the daughter of their rival clan. Patricia is blonde and styled like Sharon Stone in “Casino” and is just as problematic as the latter’s infamous character. In a humorous scene set during the forced engagement party, Patricia asks the family’s priest to hear a confession through the bathroom door.
After the awkward engagement announcement and ensuing zombie outbreak, plenty of humorous characters appear showing a thoughtful script and fleshed-out world. I enjoyed the silly premise, full of references to popular films, and while the constant homages don’t always work, there’s a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera.
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