The Sugar Wars: The Life Story of Angelo Lonardo

THE SUGAR WARS: THE LIFE STORY OF ANGELO LONARDO chronicles the life of the legendary mobster. His father, “Big Joe” Lonardo, was Cleveland, Ohio's first mafia godfather. During prohibition, he operated refineries that turned sugar into alcohol. In 1929, Joe was murdered by one of his own, Salvatore Todaro, who was secretly working for his rival, Joe Porello. Outraged, young Angelo and his cousin set out for revenge, murdering Todaro and reclaiming control of the city. In 1983, he was arrested for running a drug ring. Instead of facing life in prison, Angelo became an informant, supplying information that eventually helped the F.B.I. dismantle the mafia's infrastructure. THE SUGAR WARS masterfully tells Lonardo's story through riveting interviews with experts, archival footage, and tasteful re-enactments. But, its key asset is an interview with Angelo himself, captured before his death in 2006, when he returned to Cleveland after years in the witness protection program. The film gets all the juicy details straight from the source, putting you as close to the Cleveland mob as you're ever going to get. – E.F.