Review of Gomorrah (2008) by Sarfaraz A — 03 Feb 2014

The Gomorrah - a Neopolitan (native of Naples) neorealist Italian crime drama - written by Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni Di Gregorio, Massimo Gaudioso, Roberto Saviano, co-written and directed by Matteo Garrone. It is based on the bestselling book Gomorrah (Roberto Saviano - has been living in hiding ever since writing the books on one of the deadliest crime-organizations). Starring Salvatore Abruzzese as Toto, Gianfelice Imparto as Don Ciro, Maria Nazionale as Maria, Toni Servillo as Franco, Carmine Paternoster as Roberto, and Salvatore Cantaulope as Pasquale. The Gomorrah won Grand Prix as Cannes Film Festival - a Palme d'Or nominations and share of prizes at European film awards. It was Italy's entry for 'Best Foreign Language Film' at Academy Award but was never shortlisted.

Focusing on Naples based crime-clan 'Casalesi - and Campania based 'Caserta'. Gomorrah consists of five stories 1. Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) is following his duty of handing out payments of the families of jailed Camorra members. 2. Marco (Marco Macor) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) steal weapons and dream about ruling their and unseating their local clan-leader 3. Franco (Toni Servillo) consummate salesman in a Cameorra waste-management business and his new recruit from Naples Roberto (Carmine Paternoster) who is getting worrisome about the world Franco puts before him 4. Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese) a teenage 13-year-old recruit 5. Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo) a tailor who works for a Camorra-financed haute couture house whose dresses are worn of Hollywood celebrities visiting Italy - to earn extra bucks he secretly teaches illegal pool of Chinese how to tailor.

For several months I had been seeing this movie in intervals. Basically the main reason for this was the metaphor scene in the opening - I did believe then that movie I was going to see was fully packed with exhilarating scenes. Acting is natural and magnificent - the rhythm of film's subplots show spontaneity. Sometime you do get the feel of enigmatic story but wait until you're entirely into the mid of the movie.

In the movie there are surprise attacks from assailants (whose faces are not shown - in some scenes) - and I guess the director played naturally here, since I do realize (having myself experienced the surprise gun-shots between police and dacoits) that it terrorizes your body from head to toe. By all means of today's modern crime movies, this film seems to have achieved its status among movies like City of God 2002 (Cidade di Deus).

As credits roll we are told that Camorra have killed more people than all other criminal organizations. 4,000 murders in the last 30 years - 1 every three days - if clan-managed waste was piled up it would reach 14,600 meters (Mount Everest is 8,850ft - it says then) - The Camorra has also invested in the reconstruction of New York based Twin Towers.

NOTE:

The writer of the book Roberto Saviano has been under protection of paramilitary team around the clock upon the orders of Italian Minister of Interior since October 2006 - his book (work of investigative journalism) has sold 10 million copies which has also become famous across Italy - translated into more than fifty languages.

He recently published his book 'Zero Zero Zero' investigating evolution of cocaine trafficking from Mexican drug cartels to money laundering, through Wall Street and the City of London. He follows trail of users, victims, traffickers, and perpetrators.