Angelo Punchinello

Template:MP3Comics

"Angelo Punchinello's the one who murdered your friend and framed you with it."

―Mona Sax to Max Payne.

Template:CharacterInfobox

Angelo Punchinello is an Italian-American mobster, the head of New York City's Punchinello crime family, and the godfather of New York's crime underworld atleast from the early 1990s until 2001. His top three most dangerous henchmen are known as the Trio: Vince Mugnaio, Pilate "Big Brother" Providence, and Joe "Deadpan" Salem.

Punchinello's early life are mostly unknown, whenever he founded or inherit the crime family is unknown. At some point prior to 2001, he married a woman called Lisa, whom he often beated.

Around 1999, the CEO of Aesir Corporation, Nicole Horne, began to use Angelo's criminal organization for her valkyr business, which also addicted his right-hand man, Jack Lupino. Angelo never found out who Horne was, but thought that she was someone from the government.

He plays a central role before and during Max Payne's revenge quest in 2001, with Max finding many of his letters to his soldiers, as well connecting with him when the former attacks the ship of one of Angelo's associates, Boris Dime.

He tries to lure Payne into a trap by setting a meeting with his enemy, which contains his own restaurant, Casa di Angelo burning down to capture Payne, but the trap goes in veins, as Payne escapes the place.

Payne then decides to attack the Punchinello manor, Angelo's house, only to find it protected by a small army of goons, including the Trio. Payne is able take out the goons and to finish off the Trio, finding Punchinello's office.

At Angelo's office, he is confronted by Payne, and begs for his life, telling to Payne that he was only doing what he was told by someone high from the government, though the detective ignored his words.

A few moments later, a group of suited armed men strom the room. Punchinello begs for his life, saying that he did not tell nothing to Payne, but is gunned down by the hitmen.

Biography

Background

Not much is known about Angelo's backstory. It is unknown when he founded the Punchinello crime family or if he got leadership due to famliy connection.

At some point he married to a woman Lisa, the twin sister of the hired gun Mona Sax. He was strongly disliked by Mona, due to him using violence against Lisa, decribed as a "sadistic wife beater" by Mona.

At some point prior 1999, Angelo was connected to Nicole Horne, who used his crime family for her valkyr business and tests, which also addicted Angelo's right-hand man, Jack Lupino. Angelo never realizes who Horne really is, but thinks she is someone from the government.

Early role in Max Payne's vendetta

In 2001, after bailing out hitman Rico Muerte from the "Chicago incident", Angelo, as a repay, sends his hitman to assassinate the mayor of New York City. Rico, however, never did the job, as he was killed by a fugitive detective.

The same year, Angelo becomes involved in a gangs war with Russian mobster and arms dealer Vladimir Lem, and his Russian Mob. One of Vlad's men, Boris Dime, decides to side with Punchinello's crime family, and supplies him weapons with his ship, Charon. Vladimir himself, as a revenge, blows up one of Punchinello's fronts, Lupino's Hotel, after Vincent "Vinnie" Gognitti, one of Angelo's men, as well a Capo for the family, wrote in a letter that Vald has no guts to an action against them. Vinnie also wanted to send a letter to Punchinello, telling about Lupino's latest actions of killing one of the family's soldiers, Dino, but was never able to finish the letter.

Punchinello, angry at Lupino for killing one of their soldiers, Dino, just to see how his remains will look like on a wall, sends a letter to his underboss, telling him that he should maintain his composure, and if not, he would send The Trio to pacify him. Max Payne later finds the letter, torn apart at Ragna Rock.

Targeted

"You're dead, punk!"

―Angry Angelo to Max Payne.

In 2001, due to personal reasons for the abuse of her sister and also hired by Horne, Sax is sent after Punchinello to kill him. Max Payne, who killed Lupino, decides to hunt Punchinello too, after being told by Mona that Angelo is the one who killed Alex Balder, Payne's partner, and framed him with murder.

Under the orders of Punchinello himself, Frankie Niagara, a feared hitman trusted by Punchinello, captures Payne and takes him to the basement of Lupino's hotel, torturing him. Payne is able to escape and kill Niagara, after the latter went to get a drink. Punchinello also manages to have the radio news to say that Payne is deceased, as a "reliable source."

Payne later makes a deal with Lem; if Payne will kill Boris Dime, Lem will give Max strong firearms against Punchinello. Max indeed attacks Charon, Dime's ship, in order to find the traitor. During the chaos, Punchinello tries to connect with Dime, only to hear Payne teasing him.

The trap

"You know my restaurant? [...] one hour!"

―Punchinello to Payne.

Punchinello later tried to lure Payne into a trap. Payne tried to set a meeting with Punchinello, who gives him one hour to arrive to his restaurant, Casa di Angelo.

The meeting is revealed to be a trap, with Punchinellos goons burn down the restaurant in order to lock Payne inside in hope he will die. The trap does not succeed, as Payne is able to escape the burning restaurant. Payne then flees the scene with Lem, who gives him the firearms he needs.

Battle at his manor and death

"No! I told him nothing..."

―Punchinello's last words, before being gunned down.

Payne decides to attack the Punchinello manor in order to kill Angelo once and for all. He finds up that the manor is heavily protected, including the Trio themselves acting as guards. Payne later finds Lisa's corpse, possibly killed by Angelo himself.

Despite being outnumbered, Payne is able to kill Punchinello's guards, including the Trio. After killing every guard who protected Angelo's office, Payne enters the room, where Angelo having a phone call with someone, asking for help.

Punchinello is then confronted by Payne at his own office. He begins to beg for his life, and states that he only does what he was told to do by his goverment contact, though Payne keep aimnig his gun at Punchinello's face.

Just then, a few suited well-armed goons stormed into the office. Punchinello tells them he said nothing to Payne, but is gunned down by them.

Legacy

"Now, with Lupino and Punchinello himself long gone, they were a bunch of schmucks without the delusions of grandeur that too much money...too much power...and not enough brains God will give any idiot."

―Max Payne, regarding the Punchinellos' status.

Angelo Punchinello's death was the most horrible lost to the Punchinello crime family. His death heavily weakened the crime family in 2001, along with the deaths of Lupino and the Trio earlier. A man known only as the Godfather took control over the family, with Gognitti becoming an underboss.

After 2003, with no one to guide and lead them, the Punchinellos were almost fully destroyed and over, with most of the surviving members are arrest during 2003-2012. This left an open door for the DeMarco crime family.

Personality and traits

Punchinello, circa 2001.

"Punchinello was a pushover."

―Max Payne.

Angelo Punchinello is a cold, easily-angered, violent, and sadistic person, who rules his crime family with an iron fist. Behind his all men, Angelo is well confident, calm-yet-angered-easily man, who does not despise certain actions to get what he wants. He is hot-tempered man, getting angry rather easily during the few talks he had with Max Payne, who often teases him.

Angelo's real persona is actually a coward, helpless man, without his men. When he sees that he has no way out, he begins to pathetically beg for his life, only to get a few more minutes. He even tries to run away if this does not succeed.

Appearance

Angelo Punchinello is a medium-sized man with greying-brown combed hair and dark-coloured eyes. He wears a dark blue suit, with a white shirt under his blue jacket, as well having a grey-black-white tie. He wears black shoes.

Notice:In the Graphic novel, Punchinello's suit and hair colors are darker, with his suit looks more like a black suit.

Behind the scenes

• Angelo Punchinello is the only main antagonist in the original Max Payne that is not killed by Max Payne himself. Both Jack Lupino and Nicole Horne are killed before and after Punchinello's death, by Max Payne.

Portrayal

Joe Ragno voiced Don Punchinello in Max Payne 1.

In the 2001 Max Payne, Don Angelo Punchinello was voiced and, possibly, motion captured by actor Joseph Ragno. Ragno played in a few minor roles in films and TV serieses, such as Joey Sanderson in the TV series The Commish. Similar in many in his works, Ragno is credited as Joe Ragno, rather than Joseph.

Other than Angelo Punchinello himself, Ragno also voiced a few other members of the Punchinello crime family. It is unknown if Ragno returned in the 2012 Max Payne 3 to voice once again his character in the multiplayer mod of the game.

Max Payne 3 multiplayer

Angelo Punchinello features as a playable character in the multiplayer character model of Max Payne 3, available to use during deathmatch rounds; single-deathmatch where every player is for himself, and Team-Deathmatch, Payne Killer, and Gangs Wars if the player plays as the Punchinellos.

Punchinello is unlocked once the player reached level 48, making him the highest-levleed multiplayer model to unlock, not including Max Payne. It is also worth noting that Angelo, besides Max himself, is the only multiplayer character to appear from previous games that is not part of the Classic Character Pack.

Gallery

Punchinello as a multiplayer character in Max Payne 3.

Appearances

• Max Payne
  • Playing It Bogart Template:Ho _(Note)
  • Let the Gun Do the Talking (Mentioned only)
  • Fear That Gives Men Wings (Mentioned only)
  • An Empire of Evil Template:Ho _(Note)
  • Prologue (A Cold Day in Hell) Template:Ho _(Note)
  • An Offer you can't Refuse (Mentioned only)
  • With Rats and Oily Water Template:Ho
  • Put Out My Flames With Gasoline Template:Ho
  • Angel of Death
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Mentioned only)
• Max Payne 3 comics
  • "Hoboken Blues" (Mentioned only)
  • "Fight and Flight" (Appears in flashback(s))

References

---

Max Payne characters