Gomorra

This Matteo Garrone film adapted from the million copy selling expose on the dealing of the Camorra mafia by Roberto Saviano is all the rage right at the moment with the elite film snobs. Hmmmmm...I wonder why that is.....it's a foreign piece with subtitles, it's long and frankly it's rather boring. This is not to say it isn't good but I did catch myself asking the question "would I like this if it wasn't an Italian film" and the query is a valid one and I'm not sure I have an honest answer. What I can tell you is if you thought THE SOPRANOS was realistic and gritty you haven't seen anything yet. GOMORRA, in which most of the action takes place in a delapitated housing complex, is one raw piece of work. Out of the myriad of characters we encounter I can honestly say you will only have empathy for one and it ain't the young kid. Unlike the mentioned SOPRANOS there is no pontification on the psychological aspects of what motivates the players involved and if there is any central message to GOMORRA it would be"don't think, follow orders.......don't wonder, act". On a lighter note, besdies the horrific implications of this organization's toxic waste disposal is their choice in fashion and even more so the fact if you were ever stupid enough to call a member on it you would more than likely have your head blown off. Some eye opening facts concerning this Naples based group flashed on screen at film's end will leave your jaw hanging more than anything you actually witness in the picture most notable being their involvement in the rebuilding of the Twin Towers.