DVD Reviews

Gomorrah

• Rating:
• Director: Matteo Garrone
• Starring: Carmine Paternoster
• Details: Italy / 137mins (16).

Based on the novel that forced author Roberto Saviano underground, Gomorrah is a multi-plotted story encompassing two Neapolitan 'families' hell bent on wiping each other out. Dodging the bullets and police are Don Cico (Imparato), an elderly, soft-spoken man whose job it is to pay the families whose relatives are in jail; Scarface fan Marco (Marco Micur) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two teenagers looking to break into a life of crime; 13-year-old Toto (Albruzzese) hopes that being a drug carrier will provide for his family; Pasquale (Salvatore Cantalupo) works for a Gomorrah-run haute couture business but defies the rules and breaks out on his own; and Roberto (Paternoster) does his best to steer clear of the troubles but his clean job is dirtier than first realised. A winner of the Grand Prix at this year's Cannes festival, Gomorrah is a violent but realistic look at the 'other mafia,' but if you're thinking The Godfather think again, as this group aren't as elegant and their businesses not as structured as The Corleones. It's a vicious and cruel jungle these characters inhabit and director Garrone doesn't allow the viewer escape from the horror of the world; we never get a glimpse of the real world outside the rundown flats the families own. The performances are flawless and the characters well drawn, but cutting back and forth between the various stories, of which there are too many, Gomorrah can lose any momentum it attempts to build up. Saying that, crime fans will love this fresh take on their favourite genre.

Review by Gavin Burke