Gomorrah (Gomorra) (2008)

Crime, Drama

Director: Matteo Garrone
Writers: Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Roberto Saviano, Maurizio Braucci, Gianni Di Gregorio
Starring: Salvatore Abbruzzese, Simone Sacchettino, Salvatore Ruocco, Vincenzo Fabricino

Described by many as one of the best Mafia films of all time, Gomorrah is a fascinating and riveting look at the influence and power of crime and gangs in modern Italy.

The film is set to the backdrop of the real-life Scampia feud between rival Camorra gangs in Naples, and it intertwines five separate stories of people whose lives are affected by this war. We see a timid middleman who carries money for one of the gangs' members, a haute-couture tailor who works for a Camorra-controlled factory as he tries to find work elsewhere, a 13-year-old grocery delivery boy who finds himself inducted into the gang and made to do things he never thought he would, a young graduate who works for a man who makes money illegally dumping toxic waste, and a couple of young wannabe-gangsters who are causing some trouble as they try to operate their own small racket.

Adapted by director Matteo Garrone (Tale of Tales) from the eponymous prize-winning non-fiction book by Roberto Saviano, this Italian Mafia film doesn’t quite follow the typical conventions of the genre. There are no mob high rollers, high-speed chases or shootings covered with astonishing visual effects. Using mostly non-professional actors and focusing more on the characters and on the degrading local scenery than on the story itslef, Gomorrah is an authentic and unglamourous depiction of how the Camorra crime network affects and corrupts the whole society around it.

Plot summary from IMDb: "Gomorra" is a contemporary Neapolitan mob drama that exposes Italy's criminal underbelly by telling five stories of individuals who think they can make their own compact with Camorra, the area's Mafia.

Awards: Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 30 wins & 32 nominations.
Runtime: 137 min
NOT R