Danny. Legend. God.

Chronicling the misadventures of a coked-up mobster, Danny. Legend. God. is a mockumentary on the bombastic life of corrupt city councilman Danny (Dimo Alexiev). Only hubris and excess proceed him as Danny leads the camera crew through the streets of his city. Threatening local bankers and mentoring his godson in the ways of crime is all-in-a-days work as the story spirals into the eccentric mind of this madman. Writer and director Yavor Petkov puts Alexiev front and center in this Borat-inspired satire on mob films and public service alike.

Susan (Katie Nicholas) just wants to make a hard-hitting mini-series on white-collar crime. However, she soon discovers she got much more than she bargained for with semi-successful mob boss Danny. Quickly hijacking the production into a monument to his ego, Danny turns this exposé on money laundering into a laundry list of his exploits as a criminal. Dragging the crew out of their comfort zone, he bellows “forget the script” before plunging everyone into a world of drug use, violence, and criminality.

“…Danny turns this exposé on money laundering into a laundry list of his exploits as a criminal.”

With a title like Danny. Legend. God., the title character has a massive amount of hype to live up to, luckily Dimo Alexiev is excellent in the role. He gives Danny’s psychotic rants a sense of charisma and humor that brings the part to life. His monologue on chocolate making is an engaging introduction, highlighting every bit of Danny’s destructive nature and constant need for validation. While he is intense and problematic, Alexiev’s magnetism and Petkov’s writing make Danny an interesting satire on the classic mobster.

Danny’s drug-fueled rants and paranoia are entertaining throughout. However, the film takes a long time to get to the big reveals and uses the insane mobster moments too sparingly. Nevertheless, the premise of a hijacked documentary is inherently intriguing, and the audience will stay interested, even when it isn’t always clear what is being said, why, or where our time with Danny is heading.

Danny. Legend. God. could use less idle chatter and more bloodshed or implied violence for the stakes to be fully understood. One of the biggest and most exciting reveals could use more build-up or, at the very least more clues to the outcome. However, the film still has some fun monologues and plenty of Danny to make fans of niche mockumentaries happy. If you are a fan of gonzo-inspired filmmaking or satirizing the superfluity of mob life, then Yavor Petkov’s curious little title will deliver all of the above. And, of course, Alexiev’s performance alone makes the film worth a watch.