How the mob took over the movies

For all of us who have a guilty (or maybe nolo contendere) fascination with Rocco, Scarface, Luca Brasi (fish-sleeper) and other assorted wiseguys, “Bullets Over Hollywood,” set to air tonight at 8 on Encore, is an offer that can’t be refused.

“Gangster films are the cowboy films of our times,” says narrator Paul Sorvino (“Goodfellas”).

Done as a breezy once-over, “Bullets” traces the gangster film from the silent era through the Depression icons -- Cagney, Bogart, Edward G. Robinson -- and, bada bing, on to “The Sopranos.” It’s pure Americana packing heat.

“Bullets” whets the appetite for the early classics, D.W. Griffith’s “The Musketeers of Pig Alley,” as well as “Little Caesar,” “High Sierra” and others. Would that some channel would follow up with a weekend festival.

“Bullets” offers several explanations for the lure of gangster movies and how they play on the contemporary zeitgeist: anger at the government over Prohibition during the 1920s or the current anger at the powers that be. No Corleone saw his pension disappear because of corporate greed.

“Bullets” doesn’t ride any specific thesis too heavily and that’s probably for the best. Too much analyzing of popular culture carries its own parody, intended or not. Case in point: the film professor (Paul Benedict) in “The Freshman” (Matthew Broderick, Marlon Brando) foppishly overanalyzing “The Godfather.”

Even for a breezy look, there are some obvious gaps in “Bullets.” Director-producer Roger Corman (“The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”) is interviewed but not Scorsese, Coppola or De Palma. There are no scenes from any “Godfather” movie, just stills. A quick reference is made to “broads and molls” but no exploration -- a surprising oversight as Hugh Hefner is executive producer.

Some of the best moments of “Bullets” are the interviews with real-life bad guy Henry Hill and a discussion about the weird imitation cycle between Hollywood and the mob.

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, a real killer, was enthralled by George Raft, who played a killer on the screen. The G-men caught up with John Dillinger at a showing of “Manhattan Melodrama.” Even when he was on the lam, he couldn’t resist seeing Clark Gable play a tough guy who fell for the wrong dame.