- "Punchinello's trio were nothing but bad news."
- ―Max Payne, 2001.
Vince Mugnaio, Pilate Providence (AKA "Big Brother"), and Joe "Deadpan" Salem, collectively known as the Trio, are the three most feared hitmen of Don Angelo Punchinello's crime family, the Punchinellos.
Punchinello often used the trio as a threat to those who disobeyed or ignored him.
History
Origins
It is unknown how the three ended up together, but after all the three joined to the Punchinello crime family, Don Angelo gathered and named them 'the Trio', and over the time they became well known in the crimeworld as the most dangerous members of Punchinello. They also acted as guards and protectors of the Punchinello Manor.
Max Payne's vendetta
In 2001, Max Payne heard a few mentions on the Trio:
On the first occasion, Payne found a letter made by Don Punchinello in which Angelo threatened his underboss Jack Lupino, stating that he will send the Trio to wreck him, but Lupino wasn't intimidated.
In second occasion, after being escaped from the basement of Lupino's Hotel, being tortured by hitman Frankie Niagara, Max overheard a talk between one soldato with another one over the phone, who comments that a "crazy witch" screamed as she was taken away by Punchinello men, and hearing that she is taken to the Trio, saying that what they will do is worse than what Frankie Niagara can do to Max.
Demise
- "Punchinello's trio was done for!"
- ―Max upon killing Vince Mugnaio.
As Max enters to Punchinello Manor in order to kill Punchinello, he understands that he has to fight the Trio, who each one of them was in a different room in the manor, protecting it.
Max kills them one by one at their rooms. First Max kills Providence, then he kills Salem, and finally manages to kill Mugnaio, those, ending the legend on the three, and moves to confront the Don.
Personality and traits
Much on the Trio's personalities is unknown. They are the most loyal henchmen of Puchinello, obeying every command he issued and even show that they will die to protect him, which did happen.
Pilate Providence (AKA Big Brother) appears to be African-American while the other two members of the Trio seem to be Italian. Pilate is the only one who never speaks when encountering Max Payne. It is unknown how he was a made man, but it's possible that one of his parents was Italian.
Among the Mafia family, they were well known as dangerous and cruel individuals, intimidating almost every person who heard about them. They were skilled with firearms, and could used various weapons such as sawed-off shotguns and Ingrams.
Behind the scenes
Fight strategy
Pilate Providence (AKA "Big Brother")
Providence wields an Ingram and he is the first of the trio Max faces. Providence is very easy to kill. A few shots from the Colt Commando should be enough to incapacitate him. You can also throw a grenade into the room to take out his buddies and severly weaken him.
Joe "Deadpan" Salem
As the middle of the three Max kills, Salem is the hardest of the three. He wields dual Ingrams and is very tricky to approach, thus making him the hardest of the three. Salem is very easy to kill, however. A few Colt Commando shots finish him quickly. Just like with Providence, it is advised to throw a grenade into his room to kill some goons and weaken him.
Vince Mugnaio
Mugnaio is the last of the three Max kills. He wields a sawed-off shotgun and similar to Lupino he will have to constantly reload, giving the player the perfect advantage to kill him. It is best to kill him before he gets into the room before Punchinello's office. Max can also use the door that Mugnaio opens to his advantage by launching an M79 grenade into the room before the door closes.
Appearances
- Max Payne
- An Empire of Evil (Mentioned only)
- The Baseball Bat (Mentioned only)
- Angel of Death
Gallery
| Max Payne • Alex Balder • B.B. • Jim Bravura • Vincent Gognitti • Nicole Horne • Mona Sax • Vladimir Lem • Jack Lupino • Michelle Payne • Angelo Punchinello • Alfred Woden
Candy Dawn • Boris Dime • Finito Brothers • Rico Muerte • Frankie Niagara • Rose Payne • Lisa Punchinello • Kyra Silver • The Trio |