Vincenzo Coccotti

Infobox character
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name = Vincenzo Coccotti
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first = True Romance
last = True Romance
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creator = Quentin Tarantino
portrayer = Christopher Walken
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nickname = Anti-Christ
Vincent
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occupation = Gangster
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children = 1 son
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nationality = Italian
imdb_id = 0006550

Vincenzo Coccotti is a fictional character, portrayed by Christopher Walken in Tony Scott's 1993 film "True Romance".

Information

Vincenzo "Vincent" Coccotti is a Sadistic Mobster Kingpin who enjoys intense psychological torture sessions with those who do not co-operate with him. Vincenzo is part of the mob that is over Drexl who is played Gary Oldman. Vincenzo is called up to find Christian Slater’s character, Clarence Worley, when he goes missing. He is from Sicily, Italy. He is also known as "Anti-Christ".

The Sicilian scene

Clarence's father, Clifford Worley (Dennis Hopper), is paid an unwelcome visit by Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken), consigliere to a Mafia boss named "Blue" Lou Boyle. Coccotti questions Worley as to the whereabouts of Clarence and the missing narcotics. Clifford realizes during the interrogation that he will be tortured until he gives the information. Apparently to deliberately provoke and enrage Coccotti, ensure a quick death, and protect his son, Worley brings up Sicilians' background. Worley is quoting history on the claim of Sicilian people having Black people's ancestry through the Moors or, as Hopper puts it in the movie: "Sicilians were spawned by niggers." This speech is the precursor to Worley's death.

This scene has been nominated by Tarantino himself (on the "True Romance Unrated Director's Cut" DVD commentary) as one of his proudest moments. "I had heard that whole speech about the Sicilians a long time ago, from a black guy living in my house. One day I was talking with a friend who was Sicilian and I just started telling that speech. And I thought: “Wow, that is a great scene, I gotta remember that.”"

In an interview with MOJO magazine in September 2006 Walken commented on his genuine friendship with Hopper implying that this helped create the warmth that exists between the otherwise antipathetic characters: "we really like each other, but I kill him anyway." He also expressed admiration for the Tarantino dialogue which was too good to improvise around, instead being delivered meticulously as scripted.

On an episode of "Inside the Actors Studio", Hopper was questioned by one of the film students if "the Sicilian scene" was scripted or improvised. After laughing for a moment, Hopper replied that the scene was mostly done as scripted, and the only part that was improvised was the "eggplant" and "cantaloupe" remarks.

Christopher Walken stated about to be face off with Dennis Hopper "First of all, he made me laugh, and that was very important in the scene. The fact that I was really enjoying this guy, and then I shoot him anyway. And the same is true of him - he really enjoyed telling me that story. And you could see it was delightful, don't you think? It happens to end with me shooting him in the head. But up until then, wasn't it delightful?" [Christopher Walken interview to Neon Magazine in 1997]

This scene has been colloquially named "the Sicilian scene" and become a cult favorite - and is included in Tarantino's original script. [ [http://www.whysanity.net/monos/trueromance.html True Romance ] ] The dialogue from the scene can be found in .

Trivia

*Tarantino wanted the role of Coccotti to be played by Robert Forster.
*Following the "eggplant scene", Dennis Hopper was concerned about being "shot" by Christopher Walken with the prop gun so close against his head for fear of being burned by the barrel. Director Tony Scott assured him the gun was 100% safe, and even tested it by having the prop man fire it against his (Scott's) own forehead. But upon firing the prop gun the barrel extended about a third of an inch and Scott ended up on the floor with blood pouring from the wound.
*The character of Blue Lou Boyle was originally a speaking part (with Robert De Niro as the definite favorite), but many cuts were made to Quentin Tarantino's script, including a scene featuring him. Instead, he's briefly mentioned as Vincent Coccotti's superior.
*The opera piece heard during the scene with Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper is from Lakmé by Léo Delibes. It is also used in "The Hunger" (1983), another film directed by Tony Scott.
*Christopher Walken also starred in "Pulp Fiction", which also written by Quentin Tarantino. Walken also considered for films "Reservoir Dogs" and "From Dusk Till Dawn", which also written by Tarantino. Walken didn't star in From Dusk Till Dawn due to scheduling conflicts [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116367/trivia From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - Trivia ] ] and he turned down the role of Mr. Blonde, which portrayed by Michael Madsen in "Reservoir Dogs" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105236/trivia Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Trivia ] ]

Popular culture references

There is a reference to the film "The Deer Hunter", which Christopher Walken, who played Coccotti, got the Academy Award for this film. It's mentioned in Clarence's "That's a Movie" speech. "True Romance" mentioned in another film of Christopher Walken, "Catch Me If You Can".

Vincenco Coccotti was spoofed in 2001 direct-to-video film "The Mangler 2", in the Mangler 2, a character at the school does an impression of Christopher Walken's lines about getting hit in the nose causing the eyes to water.

UK Based Metal band AGHAST! Uses a sample from this scene to open their E.P. A Wolf in the Kingdom of Heaven.

References

External links

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