Director: Matteo Garrone
Novel: Roberto Saviano
Screenplay: Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni Di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Roberto Saviano
Producer: Domenico Procacci
Starring: Salvatore Abruzzese, Simone Sacchettino, Salvatore Ruocco, Vincenzo Fabricino, Vincenzo Altamura, Italo Renda, Gianfelice Imparato
MPAA Rating:
Running time: 137 min.
Website: mymovies.it/gomorra/

The perfect example of a film that should wax better over time and further screenings. Taking cues from the likes of Babel, City of God, Crash and Traffic, this is another film that takes several story lines and runs them parallel with one another to show the massive scale and complexity of something as big as the Italian mafia… the other Italian mafia that is.

Two teenage boys cause trouble within the territory of the mafia by “going it on their own” while trying to make a name for themselves. They are warned many times by the Dons to cool it, but they continue their tough-guy shenanigans until someone gets hurt. Meanwhile a dress maker has sold his services to another organization behind the mafia’s back. It may be only a matter of time before he’s discovered. Another angle of the business is collecting protection money and racketeering that is the burden of one aging gentleman who just wants out. On top pf all this, a young man is brought by his father from a farm in Northern Italy into Naples to learn the ropes of “corporate” waste disposal from an uncle. What he finds along the way scares him more than he thought it ever could.

The multi-faceted plot line never really converge; rather, they run parallel to give us an idea of the grand scope of the underground, illegal business practices being run by the Camorra (the oldest organized crime ring in Italy). We see how each of the stories and parts of the business directly effect the common folk. It destroys families and leads to betrayal, lies, greed and murder. There seems to be almost no honor anywhere on these streets.

The stories are compelling enough, but that actually seems to be the problem here. A couple of these threads are involved enough and compelling enough that an entire film could be made just focusing on these characters. The movie is already 2 1/2 hours in length, but I feel like it could’ve just gone on forever. It’s the type of film that really warrants a well thought out mini-series.

Knowing more about the Camorra and the writer of the novel it is based off of and the screenwriter before hand might have helped with the impact a little bit. The Camorra’s history is a fascinating one and the ordeals of the author since his highly praised book was published is equally as fascinating and terrifying.

Wonderful locale for a movie shoot, high-caliber acting and compelling story lines of past, present and future all make for a good sit through. The realities of mob life shadow over the theater screen with violence that is as brutal and showy as any mob movie before it. But in my opinion the film should’ve either been cut and focused on less, or expanded to allow the breadth of the entire scenario to breathe with more details and depth.