The Sopranos to "going straight" (to Tony's dismay), but also has an intense violent streak. Those in Tony's closest circle within the DiMeo crime family include Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt). Silvio is Tony's consigliere and best friend. He runs the family's strip club headquarters, and other businesses. Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), a tough, short-tempered, aging soldier who is fiercely loyal to Tony and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), a veteran gangster who runs an automotive body shop. Paulie "Walnuts" and "Big Pussy" (often called just, "Pussy") have worked with Tony and his father. Also in Tony's criminal organization are:
The Big Bang (1989 film) would become famous for portraying Paulie Gualtieri in the HBO series "The Sopranos". The most poignant moments of the film are with the Survivor, a Jewish Hungarian woman who survived the death camps of World War II. She describes how as a young girl she and her mother were sent via train in a cattle car, packed with others, to Auschwitz where her sense of identity was erased. While at the camp, she and her mother were brought into a room with three other women. Dr. Josef Mengele entered the room. The Survivor describes him as evil incarnate, the Angel