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Amazon.com
Though no one ever utters the name in Matteo Garrone's powerful and disturbing Gomorrah, the Roman director drags the dark deeds of the Camorra into the cold light of day (the mob is based primarily in Naples and Caserta). Inspired by co-writer Roberto Saviano's explosive exposé, Garrone (The Embalmer) takes an observant, documentary-like approach to the Neapolitan Mafia and their not-so-covert infiltration into Italian society, from waste disposal to high fashion--with the US in their steely-eyed sights. Though the timeline is brief, a large cast creates the impression of an organized-crime epic on par with The Godfather or The Sopranos, but without a similar sense of style or glamour (since the film's release, several of the non-professional actors have even gotten into trouble due to their real-life Camorra connections). Unlike those Italian-American predecessors, it also takes awhile to sort everyone out; once their identities become clear, the narrative picks up speed, with no direction for any of these characters to go but down into no-questions-asked conformity or ignominious death. Three of the five narrative strands revolve around a 13-year-old gangster wannabe (Salvatore Abruzzese), a decent dressmaker (Salvatore Cantalupo), and two delusional thugs (Ciro Petrone and Marco Macor), who look to Al Pacino's Scarface for inspiration. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Gomorrah arrives in the States with the highest accolade an Italian movie can hope to receive: the imprimatur of Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, who knows a thing or two about thugs and wannabes. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Rough and tumble of gangland Naples
Think of this movie as an Neapolitan version of "Slumdog Millionaire," but without the charm, happiness or stubborn sense of hope. The movie's 5 interweaving stories are sometimes hard to follow, but they involve down-and-out city dwellers trying to live an a world infested by Camorra gangs, drugs, murder, sectarian infighting and unrelieved violence. The inhabitants live in a bombed-out cement building - -a parking-garage-like edifice built to withstand explosions, but bereft of any charm. The film has wonderful original characters and some stunning imaginary. While thugs chase a fugitive on one level of concrete walkways, a wedding procession takes place on a walkway below them. The title is a play on the name of the Camorra gang, hinting broadly at the relationship with Gomorrah, biblical Sodom's evil-twin sister city, a place so full of vice and lawlessness that only complete destruction was sufficient to deal with it.

Masterfully shot, splendidly written and well acted, "Gomorra" is not a film to watch when you're trying to pull out of a tough week at work.

Stark reality of Naples
A stark ultra realistic film about the organised crime operations of the Naopolitan "Mafia", called The Camorra. Do not expect "The Sopranos" or "Goodfellas" in style, no slick lines or flashy clothes. This film is almost documentary style, showing the slow dail grind and grim reality of the struggle to get paid. A must see for fans of mob films, with superb cinematography.

A Powerful Masterpiece of Contemporary Cinema
Gomorrah is an unforgettable film. Its theme is certainly the Camorra, the powerful criminal organization, but what makes this film so memorable, such an unforgettable experience is its artistic value, the power of every single scene. For Matteo Garrone, a former director of photography, every scene is a painting in motion. Unforgettable close-ups, upsetting and disturbing, this is a unique film.