Il camorrista

The reform of the Camorra and its journey back to the top in one of the best mafia movies of all times. This applies to the first half which focuses on relationships and takes place inside the prison and one town and is mainly about the professor (the phenomenal Ben Gazzara who interpreted this role identically to Toni Servillo, thirty years later, in his role of Andreotti). Less so to the second half which is about the organization as such and the Camorra begins to break into global drug trafficking and dabble in high-level politics, influencing state-funded monster contracts. If you have read Saviano’s “Gomorra", you probably have a very good and precise idea of what the second part of this picture is about. The problem is that because of moving into this ground, the focus becomes so wide and ambitious that the characters are moved to the background, it starts to be very brief and simplified and so the viewer loses the unbounded enthusiasm that he had at the start. The problem is this feature-movie cut; I believe that the TV five-hour version doesn’t suffer from this, because the individual sections are perfection in themselves; they just don’t hold together very well. In any case, although this was Tornatore’s debut, this is the first of his many timeless masterpieces. (2012.09.11)

When asked about the best mafia-themed films, you probably won't think of this title or director. After all, associating Tornatore with a bloody story about the rise of an outsider to one of the leading positions in Italian organized crime can be quite surprising at first glance. He is usually connected to significantly more intimate projects. Nevertheless, it works in a strange way, despite some theatrical scenes and unfortunate casting. The inclusion of a relatively well-known American actor was certainly significant for the producer, who hoped for a favorable reception of the film overseas, and it also made sense in relation to the subject matter. Ben Gazzara never hid his origins and his positive relationship with Sicily, and his participation in the project was undoubtedly seen as an honor and a life opportunity. The problem is that such an exposed role requires a true acting chameleon, whereas Gazzara's acting repertoire was unfortunately limited. He simply couldn't handle this complex part in terms of acting. Laura del Sol, portraying the professor's sister, was type-cast, and it is easy to demonstrate through her fragile and innocent appearance how the environment changes her behavior and shift in values. However, there is a shocking age difference of 31 years between Laura del Sol and Ben Gazzara and it is hard to believe in their relationship as siblings. On the other hand, the power of the story about the rise and fall of a mafia boss works, the intense scenes, confrontations within the prison, and rivalry between gangs have undeniable strength, and Tornatore already showcased in his early period why he would be considered one of the greatest Italian directors a few years later. Overall impression: 80%. (2018.04.18)