Lesser-Known Mobsters, MORE Brutal than the Old Ones

      This review of the film Gomorrah was published in the NY Times this Friday. Gomorrah is a mob drama that is based on the non-ficiton novel by Roberto Saviano, a Neopolitan who wished to expose the Camorra, the mafia of Naples and the largest of Italy’s crime gangs. His work enraged the Camorra and as a result Saviano has received many death threats and has been in hiding since 2006. The film, directed by Matteo Garrone is a fiction work of the “hyperlink” style similar to films such as Traffic and Syriana. In this film, five stories are woven together in a seemingly invented world however one that is derived directly from the reality of the Camorra. Although a fiction work, Garrone does not wish to undermine the very real existence and cruelty of the Camorra by waxing poetic in the style or dialogue of the film. Unlike famous mob dramas of the past such as Scarface or Bugsy, Gomorrah shys away from “colorful characters” and Italian stereotypes present in past mafia films such as The Godfather. No Dons are going face down in their of Fettucini here. Garrone’s death scenes are anything but dramatized. Two teenagers join the Camorra, inspired by the violence they have witnessed in Scarface, and directly quote the film, however they get a rude awakening when they experience the brutality of the Camorra firsthand. These teens will at no point be soaking in a giant Jacuzzi or cozying up to Michelle Pfeiffer. Instead, Hollywood itself is exposed for the blood that flows beneath the glam. For example a scene in which a tailor whose factory is funded by the Camorra is watching Scarlet Johansson strut the red carpet in one of his own gowns. Little does Scarlet know exactly what went into the funding and production of her couture.

       This article discusses the film’s “sense of modesty” which it describes as feeling like “a moral imperative” and I found this particularly interesting to consider in juxtaposition with classic mob dramas. Rather than focus on glorifying the undoing of one individual to present issues of morality as films such as Scarface, Bugsy, The Godfather and American Gangster do, Gomorrah uses realism and a more detached approach to its filming in an attempt highlight the immorality of the criminals onscreen. Whereas we, as the audience, may come away feeling pangs of remorse and sympathy for Tony Montana and Michael Corleone, the humanity of the Camorra is certainly not unveiled in the course of Gomorrah. The cinematography is perhaps the only real poetic aspect of the film, Garrone using long takes and wide shots to heighten our detachment from the material and action, and occasionally inserting an emotionally framed shot to heighten the cruelty of the Camorra.
     So why did Garrone feel this realistic, “hyperlink” approach to the film was the best one to take? Does this signify that today’s directors, or at least this particular one, feels more of a responsibility to vilify the criminal rather than explore his journey as a human being? Or was he just trying to be true to the original work at hand, which was written as non-fiction prose that sought to expose the raw tale of these cold-blooded mobmen in defense of the Neopolitan people? Gomorrah was not nominated for any awards and it will be interesting to note how its approach to the narrative resonates with viewers. Would Garrone have generated more global awareness and concern for the issue of the Camorra if he had made a blockbuster of Saviano’s prose? Are tall tales the best vehicle to broadcast the truth?