Drained of energy and vigor, Gomorrah confuses gangster fantasy for art.
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02/11/09
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Gomorrah (2009)
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Reviews Counted:119
Fresh:108
Rotten:11
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Portraying organised crime with an unflinching realism, this gritty and searing Italian crime masterpiece pulls no punches.
Theatrical Release:Feb 13, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $1,453,147
Synopsis: Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah is a dense, sprawling exposé of the corruption plaguing the communities of Naples and Caserta in modern-day Italy. The all-powerful Camorra syndicate influences the lives... [More]
Starring: Salvatore Abruzzese, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Toni Servillo
Director: Matteo Garrone
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Reviews for Gomorrah
Next to HBO’s The Wire, which depicted an enormous financial ladder and also brought to life the characters on every rung, the movie is small potatoes: excellent journalism, so-so art.
02/09/09
Top CriticAs a result of the hardhitting, unflinching and accurate story, the author went into hiding after threats and is now under police protection.
01/28/09
Another film that critics will champion and average filmgoers will scratch their heads over, while wondering how they got snookered out of the price of a movie ticket.
02/13/09
Consequently, there is not enough time to get close enough to any of the characters. But if your interest in crime clans extends beyond big guns, this is a must-see.
10/10/08
There’s nothing extraneous about it, nothing excessive in its violence or its art. It’s as desolate as it needs to be and no more.
03/13/09
As even-toned as a documentary, it plays like the Short Cuts of Sicily; we're not sure who we're watching or why, but by the bloody end we're caught in a web of violent fools
02/12/09
The sinewy production could almost pass for documentary %u2013 if only doco makers could get such amazing access. But that's why the film has been hailed as groundbreaking. It is also heartbreaking.
05/08/09
An operatic film about organized crime, an ambitious work of social, physical and spiritual geography.
02/12/09
Top CriticA very localized canvas of the 'criminal empire' with five interwoven strands of the narrative, each one leading to the same fatalistic ending, attesting to the ultimate invincibility and inevitability of this 'empire.'
02/04/09
Top Critic[T]here's nothing here to draw us in -- nothing particularly interesting or engaging about the stories or the characters.
12/19/08
The result demands a patient viewing, and maybe more than one; only after a second dose did I get the measure of [director] Garrone’s mastery, and realize how far he has surpassed, not merely honored, the author’s courageous toil.
02/17/09
An equally riveting, brutally honest and horrifying drama.
02/14/09
This is gritty, it's raw, it's incredibly realistic and it's terrifying and stylized.
03/09/09
You can’t escape the Comorra -- and with patience, at the end of the film, that point will be depressingly and effectively clear. I think you should see it.
03/09/09
Tinsel Town can indeed be blamed for making such 'made' man movies compelling. Director Matteo Garrone shows us how truly disturbing and unrelenting such a story can be.
12/19/08
Gomorrah brings subtle artistry and character insight to the observational, plot-drive-phobic school of filmmaking that's so popular among serious auteurs at the moment.
12/19/08
It's alert, superior directorial work from Garrone, who, perhaps not even realizing it, has redefined the nature of the mob genre.
02/12/09
Such an ambitious and fascinating effort thematically that it's impossible to ignore.
02/27/09
A mob film that's as far from the genre's standard operating procedure as could be imagined
01/13/09
Latest News for Gomorrah
May 24, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Critics Pick Their Awards Favourites
With the Cannes Film Festival winding down this weekend, talk is now turning to who will win the Palme d'Or this evening. We tracked down several journalists covering the fest... More...
February 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Friday the 13th Feels Too Familiar
This week at the movies, we've got creepy campers (Friday the 13th, starring Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker), conspicuous consumption (Confessions of a Shopaholic,... More...
January 26, 2009:
Exclusive: Gomorrah red-band clip and poster!
The Mafia stages a routine presence in cinema, but few of their movies are drawing the strong praise like Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah is. Italy's official entry for the 2008... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
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