“Bolshevism is knocking at our gates, we can’t afford to let it in . . . We must keep America whole and safe and unspoiled. We must keep the worker away from red literature and red ruses; we must see that his mind remains healthy.”

 — Al Capone

Portrayed as flawed and greedy but witty and inventive fighters against the establishment, the mafiosi have always made for ideal anti-heroes in American pop culture. In TV series like The Sopranos and movies like The Godfather, we see them operating, however viciously, under an ancient honor code that seems to set them apart from the cold amorality of the modern capitalist ruling class. Of course, that the life of the mafia boss gives plenty of opportunity for filmmakers to incorporate high-doses of violence and sex in their films is also an important part of the deal.

In principle, there seems nothing wrong with this. After all, the mobsters in question are rarely portrayed as particularly good or nice, and anti-heroes are a common and appreciated trope of scriptwriting. Moreover, for good reasons, few people identify strongly with the FBI or other police organizations dedicated to maintaining the law and order against which the mafia supposedly rebel in vain, so that the latter can appear both as anti-hero and as underdog, certainly an irresistible combination.