Gravesend: So Bad It’s Actually Good (In a Gloriously Bad Way)

 

Some movies are so terrible they circle all the way back around to being entertaining. Gravesend (the 2020 William DeMeo crime series turned mob fever dream) is exactly that kind of glorious dumpster fire.

This thing tries so hard to be a gritty, authentic 1980s Brooklyn mob story — the kind of street-level Sopranos prequel energy — but it crashes and burns in the most hilarious ways possible. And somehow, that’s exactly why it’s worth watching.The plot follows Benny Zerletta (played by William DeMeo himself), a low-level guy trying to climb the ranks in a Brooklyn crime family. One bad decision snowballs into chaos, bodies start dropping, and the whole thing spirals into a parade of bad choices, worse dialogue, and even worse acting. It’s like someone watched Goodfellas and The Sopranos on mute while mainlining espresso and decided they could do it better on a shoestring budget.The dialogue is stiff as a board. The direction feels like a first-year film school project that somehow got greenlit. And the performances? Let’s just say most of the cast is trying their absolute best… and still missing by a mile. There are moments where you’re not sure if the actors are delivering lines or reading cue cards for the first time.But here’s the magic: it’s so bad it becomes good.You’ll find yourself laughing at scenes that were clearly meant to be deadly serious. The over-the-top tough guy stares, the awkward mobster walks, the random outbursts — it all adds up to unintentional comedy gold. It’s the kind of movie you throw on with the boys, crack open a few beers, and end up quoting the worst lines for weeks afterward.William DeMeo deserves some credit too. The guy wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this thing. That level of passion (or delusion) is rare. He poured his heart into capturing that raw Gravesend/Brooklyn Italian-American vibe, and even if it didn’t land the way he wanted, the sheer effort makes it oddly charming.It’s not “good” in any traditional sense. It’s not going to win awards. It probably won’t convert casual viewers. But for fans of trashy mob flicks, direct-to-video gems, and “so bad it’s good” cinema, Gravesend delivers exactly what it promises: unfiltered, low-budget chaos with zero pretension.If you’re tired of polished Hollywood mob stories and want something that feels like it was made by actual guys from the neighborhood who just said “fuck it, let’s shoot,” give Gravesend a shot. It’s currently streaming and perfect for a lazy night of ironic enjoyment.

So yeah — Gravesend is bad. Really bad.

But it’s bad in the best possible way.

Have you watched Gravesend? Did you suffer through it hating every minute or did you embrace the glorious mess like I did? Drop your hot takes in the comments. And if you want more reviews of terrible (but entertaining) mob movies, hit subscribe. The streets are full of hidden gems… and even more hidden disasters.