Robert De Niro is the undisputed king of the organized crime thriller genre, and YouTube is offering a chance to check out one of the lesser-known films in his catalog for free.
The Family, the 2013 film directed by acclaimed filmmaker Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional), was based on the French novel Malavita by Tonino Benacquista — which, funnily enough, was translated into English as Badfellas, a play on Goodfellas, one of De Niro’s most beloved films, directed by frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese.
The Family follows Mafia boss Giovanni Manzoni (De Niro), who, following a recent assassination attempt, flees from America to Normandy, France, into FBI witness protection, along with his wife Maggie, son Warren, and daughter Belle. While the quaint countryside life is pleasurable for the Manzonis (now the Blakes) with the FBI supervising nearby, the quiet life is disrupted when it soon becomes apparent that old habits die hard, and the mob life runs deeply within the blood of the whole family.
Alongside De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons) plays Giovanni’s wife Maggie, while Dianna Agron (Glee, Shiva Baby) and John D’Leo (Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black) portray his daughter Belle and son Warren, respectively. Additionally, Tommy Lee Jones is a supporting actor in the film, taking on the role of FBI agent Robert Stansfield.
The mob family drama, which grossed $78.4 million against a $30 million budget, received some rather dismal reviews at the time of release in fall 2013, with a 28% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the star-studded cast’s performances were praised, its storytelling and tone were subject to some major criticism. However, The Family fared better with audiences than it did with professional reviewers, thanks to De Niro and the mob genre’s cult fanbase and movie magic charm.
If you want to decide for yourself whether you align with the Mafia family values, The Family can be watched for free with ads on YouTube here.
This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Jul 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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