Pop Culture Reviews

Gomorrah – DVD Review

Distributor: Madman Released: 2008 Genre: Crime/Drama Credits: Director: Matteo Garrone Written by: Roberto Savioni (Book) Maurizio Braucci (screenplay) Starring: Tony Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone Rating: R16

This dvd was supplied by Madman NZ for review.

At first viewing, it’s hard to distinguish what Gomorrah is all about until bullets start flying and people start dying. The beginning of the movie is quite slow and a little sluggish in terms of dialogue but the brutal violence paints a clear picture. The plot is fragmented into several mini-stories about five different characters in a poor, crime-infested area of Campania, Italy which is dominated by the mafia. We get a first-hand view of how these lives are impacted by crime on a daily basis.

Unlike the Godfather which was purely fictional, Gomorrah attempts to paint a more honest picture of mafia life by providing us with something of a cut-away view of the area and the people unfortunate enough to live there. As the individual stories unfold, we’re either left feeling a little helpless and perhaps a little shocked by the acts of violence or even perhaps a little hopeful that maybe someone in this story might rise above all the suffering, violence and pain.

Gomorrah was generally well received by the public and picked up some well-deserved positive media publicity after being shown at Cannes. Not really a great movie to watch if you’re already feeling distracted or bummed out. It’s a little sombre, a little depressing but also cleverly written and well-acted.

Worth picking up if you want a more gritty and realistic view of the mafia and the innocent people who are drawn into its destructive embrace.

Buy this DVD from Madman