# 400 lb. Samoan gangster? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439 "2004-06-09T13:04:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/1 "2004-06-09T13:04:44Z")
As I woke up this morning, I thought of a film I saw that had a 400 lb. Samoan gangster in it. He might have been called “Tiny”. It was a recent film, and I’ve seen it once. A guy goes to a driving range on a balcony and attempts to meet with the Samoan. Okay. I just had a flash… Was this the re-make of _The Italian Job_? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/2 "2004-06-09T13:09:44Z")
That sounds right to me, although I can’t find the guy in the cast list. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/3 "2004-06-09T13:36:28Z")
It sounds very much like Elmore Leonard’s follow-up to “Get Shorty.” “Play it Cool?” is that the name - it escapes me at the moment but I read it very recently. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/4 "2004-06-09T13:40:31Z")
That one’s in production, but the movie isn’t out yet… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/5 "2004-06-09T13:44:00Z")
Ah, here we go. The character’s name was Skinny Pete (he actually was in there). The actor was a rapper named Gawtti. [Here’s some info](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.sfbayview.com/082703/images/booyaa4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sfbayview.com/082703/realtalk082703.shtml&h=128&w=200&sz=32&tbnid=zPRF17iL6I8J:&tbnh=63&tbnw=98&start=15&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGawtti%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8). You can barely see him in the picture, but the writer says he’s 600 pounds and that doesn’t look far off. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/6 "2004-06-09T14:04:50Z")
Aha! So it is _The Italian Job_. Thanks. > [@](#): > > but the writer says he’s 600 pounds I guess I’d never make it as a carnival weight guesser. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/7 "2004-06-09T14:07:54Z")
When a guy weighs 600 pounds, 200 either way doesn’t make much difference. If you’re the Carny dealing with that guy, your options are 1) run to a safe distance before guessing (guessing optional), or 2) don’t let him on the scale to test your prediction. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/8 "2004-06-09T16:23:02Z")
Ahem. Band name. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/9 "2004-06-09T16:54:22Z")
You sure his name wasn’t “Tony Rocky Horror”? ---
**Author:** ![hapaXL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@hapaXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hapaXL)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/10 "2004-06-09T16:57:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > the writer says he’s 600 pounds and that doesn’t look far off. Legend has it that members of the Boo-Yaa Tribe were world-class in the amount of weight they could bench press. I wouldn’t be surprised if 600 pounds is the weight that this guy pushed up one time. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/11 "2004-06-09T19:37:56Z")
Huh. I was immediately reminded of a scene in _Black Rain_ where Michael Douglas went to meet up with the Yakuza… ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/12 "2004-06-09T21:29:24Z")
Oh man, the Boo-Ya tribe. That brings back memories… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/13 "2004-06-09T23:05:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Ah, here we go. The character’s name was Skinny Pete (he actually was in there). The actor was a rapper named Gawtti. [Here’s some info](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.sfbayview.com/082703/images/booyaa4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sfbayview.com/082703/realtalk082703.shtml&h=128&w=200&sz=32&tbnid=zPRF17iL6I8J:&tbnh=63&tbnw=98&start=15&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGawtti%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8). You can barely see him in the picture, but the writer says he’s 600 pounds and that doesn’t look far off. My fave quote from the interview > [@](#): > > JR: What’s the last thing that you have to say to these youngstas out here in the Bay? > > Godfather: Out the Bay, man, keep it real. Know your heritage and know where the fuck you are from, and represent where you are from, and don’t be fake. Don’t copy muthaphuckaz from New York. If you’re from the Bay, be from the Bay, homey. Represent where the fuck you come from, and that’s real talk. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/400-lb-samoan-gangster/249439/14 "2004-06-09T23:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Godfather: Out the Bay, man, keep it real. Know your heritage and know where the fuck you are from, and represent where you are from, and don’t be fake. Don’t copy muthaphuckaz from New York. If you’re from the Bay, be from the Bay, homey. Represent where the fuck you come from, and that’s real talk. It takes a village…