Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci follows the headlines of the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. The Blu-ray/DVD comb-pack is now available.

I enjoyed watching the acting, amazing talent, though the pace of the film is slow. Like Scott’s The Last Duel, too much posturing by the actors. But, this is the director and editor’s job of starting the scene later and ending it sooner. I don’t think Scott has lost his touch. Perhaps the lack of pre-screening with audiences is the cause. That we can blame on the pandemic with the closing of the movie theaters.

Costume, makeup and the production design impressed me as well. Overall, the movie sparked my interest in how a family could self-destruct. That is an interesting story to tell. I don’t think Reggiani is totally to blame.

If you want to see some talented actors, see the movie. It’s worth it.

Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control.

The scandal-ridden real-life family drama House of Gucci, the latest film from Scott, the protean director of such classics as Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Thelma & Louise.

Recognized and admired around the globe, Gucci is the fashion label of founder Guccio Gucci, who opened his first quality leather goods store in Florence, Italy, precisely one hundred years ago.

In the late 1970s, the story begins at a critical juncture in the famed Italian fashion empire’s history. As the Gucci family’s global reach has broadened, there are have hints of financial improprieties, stifled innovation and a cheapening of the brand. Guccio Gucci’s two sons, the colorful and wily Aldo, played by Al Pacino, and his more conservative and detached sibling Rodolfo, played by Jeremy Irons, oversee the Gucci business.

The tenacious Aldo has no intention of ceding control of the family concern, certainly not to his fanciful son Paolo, played by Jared Leto. He is more interested in becoming a clothing designer. His brother Rodolfo’s timid and overprotected scion, Maurizio, played by Adam Driver, would prefer to study law than assume the mantle of a global fashion empire.

Then Maurizio meets and falls in love with the beautiful and ambitious Patrizia Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga, and marries her against his father’s wishes. Uncle Aldo finds a kinship in the cunning Patrizia. Together, they persuade Maurizio to set aside his legalistic ambitions and join the company, thus becoming the presumptive heir — much to the displeasure of the hapless Paolo, whose design dreams outweigh his talent.

For a short time, the bad blood simmers, and the various members of the Gucci dynasty begin to co-exist. But as Gucci rivals threaten to erode their preeminent place in the quality fashion hierarchy, Patrizia goads Maurizio into staging a coup. After inheriting his father’s position in the company, the couple slowly and stealthily seizes control of the business. They connive Paolo into selling his shares by dangling false promises. And with the help of the family’s financial advisor, Domenico De Sole, played by Jack Huston, shortly after Aldo is released from prison for tax evasion, they buy him out as well.

As sole head of the company, and with a fresh infusion of financing from outside investors, Maurizio is no longer hesitant to revel in his power and the privilege it accrues. Having betrayed his family, he now turns on Patrizia and starts an affair with a childhood friend, Paolo Franchi, played by Camille Cottin.

Her ambitions are thwarted, and her marriage in tatters, Patrizia becomes panic-stricken and desperate. Maurizio files for divorce. She forges a dangerous alliance with a crafty psychic, Pina Auriemma, played by Salma Hayek.

Maurizio launches an ambitious plan to revive the Gucci name and reputation by hiring an up-and-coming American designer, Tom Ford, played by Reeve Carney. A deadly power struggle ensues, and Maurizio is besieged on two sides. The tenacious Patrizia and the company’s investors who abetted by his once trusted advisor, De Sole, attempt to wrest control of the fashion empire from the Gucci family’s hands.