gomorrah

gomorrah is a italian mafia movie set in naples and the surrounding area where the huge crime organization the comorra operates. this is not your glamorized hollywood mafia movie with tons of action. it is shot in a documentary style and is one of the most realistic movies i have watched in quite some time. i felt like i was learning about italian culture and the crime that emcompasses the area, as i watched it.

the trade off with an extremely realistic movie was the lack of action, which i absolutely have no problem with. however, i could see an average movie goer losing some interest in the middle. despite this, i felt the story was fantastic. from the exciting first scene, the movie then built to it's shocking conclusion. likewise, everything in between was fantastic.

the direction was superb as was the acting. the two mischievious kid characters were a bit old for the parts they were playing and it was noticable in the underwear weapon firing scenes. this may have slightly affected any sympathy that viewers may have for them, though i found the fact that they were extremely annoying as my justification for not feeling bad for the trouble they frequently get in.

on the other hand, the story of the other two very young boys who join up with opposing factions of the criminal underworld was very eye opening. those scenes had me reminsce of 'city of god.' this film is like 'city of god,' only more refined, more realistic, and more realized. it's not that this film is any better than 'city of god,' it just goes in a different direction.

watching this film you get the idea that the director truly knows of all the dark dealings that occur in naples, and walking out of the theater was almost like getting a history channel lesson and a good story all at the same time. likewise, the story included enough twists and turns and shocking moments to keep me entertained. not enough can be said about this movie; it is truly a masterpiece that will be definitely hold up to the test of time and be watched for years to come.