Review of Gomorrah (2008) by Joel M — 14 Dec 2009

Gomorrah (2008) 'Gomorra' is an unglamorous depiction of the Camorra, the oldest crime organization in Italy, centered in Naples. It's realism was highlighted by the arrest of one of the main actors (Giovanni Venosa) when inmates in a Naples prison recognized him as a real mobster.

I guess that art does imitate life. The film moves between characters from subject to subject in an unsentimental manner, which makes the multi-threaded plot seem meandering at times. However, the camera doesn't maintain its distance throughout.

Director Matteo Garrone does bring you into the lives of a few key characters, who are all faced with life-changing dilemmas. The style is reminiscent of 'Traffic' or 'Babel' without a contrived "a-ha" epiphany at the end.

Just don't see it expecting 'Godfather Part II' or 'Goodfellas'. Excellent though gritty movie. Much violence killing and kids involved with drug cultures. If life in Naples is like this what are the mobsters (drug culture) doing to the rest of Europe.

This movie is so real I thought it was a documentary (it is not). It is based on the book by Roberto Saviano. The film, following the book it is based on, portrays events identifiably similar to actual historical ones; In the film's credits, the filmmakers thank the regions of Scampia and Torre del Greco, as well as the region and police force (carabinieri) of nearby Boscoreale â?? these three suburban areas around the Bay of Naples provided the urban landscape for the filming of this story.

four stars.