We don't get to see this area of Italy much in films. In Gomorrah, we find ourselves in the ghetto--the projects--towering blocks of concrete crammed with small apartments festooned with the laundry out on the balcony. Surrounded by blatant drug traffic out in the open but protected by lookouts who'll yell "Mario" is they see a cop car. First impressions? Wow! The dealers take care of business without much police interference. You don't see any cops doing stop and frisk or harassing the poor or committing fearing for their lives executions. These criminal gangs have more reason to be scared of rival gang members who aren't beyond burning them out of their homes or cutting their throats. The rewards may be great but you'll have a short life.
Season 1 was full of unexpected plot twists and tense moments as two rival gangs, Salvastone vs Conte, duke it out over dominance. The most tragic character is Gennaro, son of Don Salvastone, a pudgy innocent not man enough to fight like his father. We connect most with Ciro, the lead thug in the Salvastone gang whose talents are valued but ambitions are frustrated by the family.
I'm not your number one crime genre fan, but this was as good as The Wire if not better, focusing largely on the gangs and their rivalries. Police are there to mainly cart off the dead bodies.
One last thing: the music is primo! Italian rap is much more melodic than its American counterpart. The haunting score to each episode's closing sequence is memorable. This takes place in an Italy you won't recognize, and I don't suspect many will want to seek it out the next time they visit Italy.
Season 1 was full of unexpected plot twists and tense moments as two rival gangs, Salvastone vs Conte, duke it out over dominance. The most tragic character is Gennaro, son of Don Salvastone, a pudgy innocent not man enough to fight like his father. We connect most with Ciro, the lead thug in the Salvastone gang whose talents are valued but ambitions are frustrated by the family.
I'm not your number one crime genre fan, but this was as good as The Wire if not better, focusing largely on the gangs and their rivalries. Police are there to mainly cart off the dead bodies.
One last thing: the music is primo! Italian rap is much more melodic than its American counterpart. The haunting score to each episode's closing sequence is memorable. This takes place in an Italy you won't recognize, and I don't suspect many will want to seek it out the next time they visit Italy.