Review of Gomorrah (2008) by Rob L — 07 Dec 2009

Despite this film's already famous scene where teengers Marco and Ciro tout AK47s in their underpants at a deserted marshland whilst beclaiming in the style of Scarface's Tony Montana, the overall mood is unglamorous.

The fact that nearly all the action takes place at or in the vicinity of a grim Neapolitan housing estate, well away from the city's historic core is telling. Also noteworthy are the depictions of the Camorra's fingers stretching deep into different aspects of society - waste disposal and the underside of haute couture are additional subplots.

At times, the action is hard to follow and in this, the movie differs markedly from another late noughties' Eurogangster flick, Mesrine.