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Gomorrah is an Italian film based on a book by the same name about the Italian
criminal entity known as Camorra. The film follows five stories (the stories are all true
by the way). There’s Toto: an up and coming 13 year old who wants to be a gangster
and causes perhaps the most disturbing event in the movie. There’s Marco and Ciro, a
couple of gangly teens who are obsessed with Scarface and run around doing coke,
robbing people and firing machine guns and rocket launchers at the beach in their
underwear; Pasquale a tailor who moonlights for a competing company; Don Ciro who
pays families of jailed gang members, and finally Roberto a uni graduate who ends up
in the waste management sector but has difficulty accepting the dubious nature of the
game.
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The film is presented in letterbox format and there were no visual interferences that
I picked up on, I did notice during the 60 minute extra that there was a pause which I
have been told by a friend that this sometime occurs because of the dual layers on
dvd. I did check it out again and it happened both times and the disc viewed was
brand new.
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No qualms here, presented in dolby 5.1 which I am assuming is good (I know nothing
about sound quality). This is a subtitled dvd with no English soundtrack, subs only. So
all you lazy movie goers who can’t be bothered reading subs, be forewarned!
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This release is two disc and has a decent amount of extras. There’s some interviews
with the director and other cast and crew members, as well as an interview with the
author of the book and there’s some deleted scenes too. The interviews are nothing
substantial and although the making of documentary goes for 60 minutes, a lot of it
includes scenes from the film and deleted scenes. There’s a little about the real
shooting of a woman whose son was in jail but this was only very brief, about 40
seconds. It would have been great to see a featurette on the criminal entity, or at
least a more in-depth interview with the author as he has been threatened by
Neapolitan “godfathers” and was granted a permanent escort for his protection. I am
not sure what infamy the film has garnered, but I am sure a lot more people will see
the film than the book.
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If you loved City of God then you’ll really enjoy this film. It takes cues from De Palma’s
Scarface and many other Gangster movies, but bases the real life stories in a very neo-
realist sense. Although we see a lot of gun play and fantasy being acted out by the
film’s almost comedic relief in the form of the characters Marco and Ciro (who act out
scenes from Scarface and are always doing coke and robbing people), it is heavily
realistic and does not glamorize the “gangster” lifestyle at all. I highly recommend
Gomorrah for those interested in shows such as The Wire or The Corner, oh and
Homicide Life on the Streets. Gomorrah doesn’t let character get in the way of story,
it brings a fresh approach to the “gangster genre” by showcasing the truth, that it’s a
shit world that ruins lives and causes damage to so many innocent people. At the end
of the film it states that due to the illegal dumping of chemicals, the risk of getting
cancer is increased by 20%, and all for a bit of money. At times, Gomorrah may be a
little too raw, but nonetheless it is ruthless and unrelenting, engaging and deserves a
spot as a quintessential modern day Italian film. Who gives a shit if Scorsese loves it,
this film can stand on its own merit.
As for me, I am off to track down the book and will no doubt get completely immersed
in mafia history and read tonnes of books. Thanks!
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