From its earliest days, the Mafia has sought to make a fast buck from the American film industry. Stories of intimidation, threats and violence mingle with those of glamour and excess. In this stunning story of infamy and ballsy enterprise, Tim Adler tells the secret history of Al Capone, Sam Giancana and John Gotti's attempts to infiltrate the studio lots. However, although they have controlled the moguls and the money, the Mob learned how to be cool from classic films like The Godfather and characters like Tony Soprano, leaving them forever intertwined in both fact and fiction.

Tim Adler is the author of The Producers: Money, Movies and Who Really Calls the Shots and editor of film trade magazine Screen Finance, described as 'highly influential' by the London Evening Standard. He has also written about the movie industry for, among others, the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Business.