Gomorra / Featuring Salvatore Abruzzese – Gianfelice Imparato – Manuela Lo Sicco – Scarlett Johansson / Written by Roberto Saviano – Maurizio Braucci – Ugo Chiti – Gianni Di GregorioMatteo Garrone – Massimo Gaudioso – Roberto Saviano / Directed by Matteo Garrone

The ‘anti-Goodfellas’, Gomorra is a bleak, depressing look at the banality of the gangster and the gangster’s way of life.

Based on real-life reportage on the Neapolitan crime network, the Camorra, this film is not easy viewing.  The criminal plots in this pic aren’t glamorous Airport Heists or Gambling Hotel takeover schemes, they’re focused on the disposal of toxic waste.

Remember the beginning of ‘Goodfellas’ when the hero Henry Hill says as far back as he remembered he wanted to be a gangster?  He looked up to those wiseguys working at the cab stand; they were modern-day Robin Hoods who stole from the rich and gave, well, to themselves.

But in Gomorra, the kids in the projects, (and what projects! The dystopian future of ‘Clockwork Orange’ has now arrived), don’t admire the gangsters.  They scorn them, mock them, still work for them though – because what else is there to do?  They idolise ‘Scarface’ and fictional character Tony Montana, because there are no actual heroes in their life, (notice how they sit in a large Montaesque tub in an abandoned apartment – it’s surprising they don’t bundle cheap cigarettes together and pretend to be smoking Cuban cigars).

Ultimately Gomorra shows us the horror of a world without art.  And without art, or the idea of art, there’s no beauty.  In this film the only entertainment is strip clubs, tanning booths, crappy plastic slot machines and generic europop.  With only two exceptions, (the one man in the film who realises he’s amoral, and another who is a coward), everyone dresses in cheap sports kit, flaky gold jewelery, and finds it difficult to shave well.

This is a world in which, as one soon to be dead character says “Money’s the first thing” and another repeatedly states “You’re either with us or against us”.

I know I’m not describing a pleasant cinema-going experience, but if you love movies, (and you probably do otherwise you wouldn’t be on the site), think seriously about seeing this pic.  So often we’re told to watch ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Scarface’, (original and remake), it’s our duty to see a picture that shows what being a gangster is really all about.

Waste.

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‘Gomorra’ is at the Belcourt Theatre, Nashville from Friday March 13th to Thursday March 19th

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One caveat: Bring your A-game when you watch this movie – without a grounding in the history of the Camorra and contemporary Neapolitan society the film might be a bit confusing; imagine watching ‘The Wire’ never having visited the U.S. and being unfamiliar with portrayals of the crack trade.

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Recommendation:  If you see Gomorra and find that it didn’t go far enough for you in either it’s filmmaking sytle or subject matter then I recommend Alan Clarke’s ‘Elephant’; ‘Gomorra’ is a couple of beers after work – ‘Elephant’ though, is the strong stuff.