Gomorrah (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Fast Shipping, Product in Excellent Condition, Thanks!

This movie is a shocking experience for a lover of the beautiful, romantic and classically tasteful Italy - which of course is a tourists naive perception of Europe's former fascist but always charming bad boy - bella Italia. Italy is also dirty, violent and full of fear and oppression, orchestrated by incompetent politicians and intellectuals scared and running (as the author of the novel that the script is based on). The working class has given up on job prospects and deal in dope and death. Blocks of apartments function as fortresses for the underclass mob soldiers. Two young kids are our fix points and we follow an actual hand full of main characters in a web of stories - a style developed by the late master director, Robert Altman. In 'Gomorrah' we learn that from the bottom to the top, Napoli/Italy/Europe seems entangled in crime, drugs and corruption. An early, ugly death is always right around the corner - illegal guns (for hire) are everywhere. As is toxic waste, worth it's price in gold if you can get it 'disposed of' - and no problem, the mafia will do the job, complete with child labor, illegal immigrants and smooth talk, with a threat lurking right underneath the surface. Master acting takes place here, some of the best actors around do great work in this movie! Young and old. Another story shows beauty unfold in the haute couture and T-shirt section of this old, industrial city Naples in decay and simultaneous transformation, yet still ruled by almost prehistoric brutality and cynicism. One of Italy's core industries, clothes production, is being taken over by Chinese immigrant factories - here we see the consequences... from the innocent boy and the sublime but exploited tailor to the lowest, psychopathic killer - the 'Camorra' - Napoli's deep rooted mafia dynasty/network of families - control everything!Fantastic interview disc is extremely informative and adds tremendously to this package. Totally worth the time and money (the movie is not for the kids and it's loooong, yet not a minute too long, so set aside a whole evening, send the children to bed early - and then enjoy). This film's images and themes keep popping up in the mind, weeks after you watch it - it's really grabs you and won't let go... so I do not hesitate recommending it highly. A true masterpiece!Ulrik RosenstandDenmark

sure, i'm used to horror films with blood hungry aliens slouching into mayhem with terrified human victims, cruel lunar viruses turning grandma into a zombie; i've seen child spirit possession and maniacal macabre mothers. but "gomorrah" most resembles the episode of ants versus scorpions in peckinpah's "wild bunch". the slow pace, slum setting and illiterate, impulsive behavior of the principals is at first merely tedious and mildly dispiriting. but this is the little headache before the consuming fever. things only go from bad to worse in this claustrophobic concentration camp of criminal poverty, and the final episode of violence, which fades to black as a skiploader trundles into the sunset with its bucket of trash, is one of the bleakest sequences i've seen in any film. throughout, everything is cleverly editorialized by a verite style of acting, leisurely narrative pace and compressed, allusive scripting that transforms entertainment appeal into revulsion (leavened here and there with a little black humor -- children driving dump trucks, teenagers playing scarface). indeed, the subtext is how people are corrupted at an early age to find a life of clan violence normal. the script and plotting are elliptical at points (characters, such as zio, are mentioned before they are introduced on screen) and you may need a second viewing to connect all the dots. for all that, this is a truly powerful work of art and does exatly what cinema is supposed to do: put you inside an alternative world and make you experience that world right down to the stench of the walls and the rising hair on the back of your neck.

Blu-Ray ReviewMovie: 4/5 Video Quality: 4.5/5 Audio Quality: 5/5 Extras: 5/5 Overall: 4.6/5 (rounded up in total star ranking)"Gomorrah," a movie about the Camorra crime organization, has received so much praise and hype that I had to give it a blind-buy. I can't say that I found it totally exciting and coherent, but it is notable and well worth watching.The movie features five different storylines that are intertwined, almost to the point of becoming a montage. Each story features characters that are very genuine, with impeccable acting and writing. Despite the movie's pacing and structure, there are a number of fascinating and insightful scenes; it is especially notable for showing the Camorra's relationship between itself and the people around it, while maintaining a gritty realistic flavor. There is some bloody violence; it is neither overly glorified nor overly condemned, for like the movie as a whole it remains objective and unflinching. Cameramanship is documentary-style, with lots of handheld movements, but there are never any shots that are overly chaotic. Production design (sets, props, costumes, locations) is excellent, for it appears distinctive and genuine. Music is interesting.This disc has excellent quality. The video is very sharp and clean, with excellent color and contrast. Film grain is pretty heavy; some darker scenes may appear noisier than other scenes, but it is very good-looking for the most part. Sound quality is decent (DTS-HD MA 5.1). This movie is in Italian only with English subtitles. Includes a number of extras (documentaries, deleted scenes, trailers, etc). My copy came in a clear plastic case.

Gomorrah(2008 film) review of 2Disc edition: The depth & strength of this film wasn't apparent to me until my 2nd viewing ,as it doesn't have 10 mins 'set up' ,a lot of exposition or a soundtrack 'promting' the viewer how to feel etc, its individual stories evolve over time & often leave the viewer to draw their own conclusions & to sometimes 'fill in the gaps'.. Filmed in a realisticly believable yet still strikingly cinematic style .Directed by Matteo Garrone using many untrained actors + using mostly natural locations for authenticity & taken from an investigative journalists' book on the Naples criminal organisations (the Camorra).The cover line stating "The best gangster movie since City Of God" I don't think has helped the film find an appreciative audience. As that film, much like 'Goodfellas' is fast moving & makes viewers feel a sense of wanting to be in 'The criminal life' portrayed on screen on some level. The lifestyles & most of the characters in this film are not presented as aspirational (or inspirational) for most people .On disc 1 along with the film (2.35:1 ratio) in 'Dolby 2.0' & 5.1'options + English subtitles is a trailer.On disc2 there are deleted scenes (around 13mins). interviews (around 50mins) including one with Roberto Saviano: writer of the book (& reportedly under constant police protection)-very worthwhile and chats with some of the actors.The main extra :around an hour has various parts :Filming ,T V reports and some story background . An informed commentary I feel would have been a bonus & have added much more to an 'outsider' than the extras mostly concerned with the actors and the filming .This may seem a bit critical, but such a good film really does deserve better ,but minor gripes aside this is a film that I believe stands up alongside the 'recent' Suburra, Amores Perros,Romanzo Criminale, A Prophet and 'older' La Haine ,la Balance &other crime dramas + is available at Prices that can only be described as 'criminally low'.

Not nearly as good as the tv series of the same name - the first four seasons anyway. I'm not one who needs everything to be explained to death, but with a film about crime it's preferable to know who's doing what to whom, and why. That's not always obvious here, although most of it becomes clear by the end. It's gritty and unpolished, and the various plots don't hang together too well.

This film is incredibly realistic, I first saw it when it came out about 10 years ago.It follows in the same footsteps that City of God created.Gomorrah is a gritty, nasty and harrowing look at the criminal underworld in modern day Naples.It is not just about the criminals, but also how the Mafia affects their entire community.It is not a fun film, but then it is not meant to be.

I arrived at this film having watched the amazing TV series (a must see if you haven't, is superb).So I was interested to see the film that kicked all of this off.The plot suggests that the individual story lines are intertwined, but to be honest, I can't really see the relevance of them to one another, apart from all being criminal activities in Naples. As such, you do just witness the outcomes of the various scenarios, and that's about it. It's not a bad film, but I don't think that I could really recommend it to anyone.It is interesting to see some of the scenery, buildings and bleak out-of-season seaside locations popping up in the series.I really don't know how they got from this film to the gripping true crime thriller of the TV series, but glad they did!

I was debating three or four stars.This is a stylised, realistic film without too much hand held camera shake. Thank goodness for that. The characters are not that well drawn but brilliantly observed, especially in their interaction.It is not "The Godfather part 1, 2 and 3" but it's well worth your time on a rainy afternoon.More like a documentary than a movie but maybe that is not a bad thing considering the content. Perhaps it was the only safe way for the director and producers to make the film without serious repercussions from the Mafia?