The Rat Pack

The Rat Pack is a 1998 HBO television film about the group of entertainers who dominated American show business in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At its center is Frank Sinatra, whose career is at its height as he draws together Dean Martin, riding high after the end of his comedy partnership with Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., rebuilding his life following a near-fatal car crash, and the comedian Joey Bishop. The circle is completed when Sinatra makes peace with the actor Peter Lawford, who had been pushed aside after being seen in public with Sinatra's former wife, Ava Gardner. Their professional triumphs and private lives become entangled with politics, including Sinatra's involvement in John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, with law enforcement, and with organized crime figures such as Sam Giancana, exposing the group to scandal.

Rob Cohen directed the film, which sits between Daylight and The Skulls in a career that also includes Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and DragonHeart. Kario Salem wrote the screenplay, and Fred C. Caruso produced. Ray Liotta plays Sinatra, with Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr., Angus Macfadyen as Peter Lawford, William Petersen as John F. Kennedy and Zeljko Ivanek as Bobby Kennedy, among a credited cast of 42. On IMDb the film holds a 6.7 rating from around 3,400 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.9 from a much smaller number of votes, a similar figure to the critics' rating of 5.9.