Romanzo Criminale

American movies have been chock a block with Italian mafia and gangster movie over the years, saturated with the usual clichés aping the genuine classics of the genre. This film, for me at least, is a novelty, an actual gangster movie by Italians based in Rome (Italy).

The film covers the sharp rise to the top by a small tight group of street gangsters, who become the top dogs of the Roman underground world of drugs, prostitution and hit-jobs. The group is really three friends going by their nicknames, and as ever they are surrounded by a large cast of fellow criminals and hoodlums. At the same time they are being hunted down by a dogged policeman who enters a romantic triangle with a beautiful and cunning prostitute who happens to also be the love interest of one of the gangsters. Tricky situation if ever there was one!

The film sweeps from the 70s up to the 90s and follows the characters, showing their self-serving and amoral attitude, but as time unfolds their loyalty is tested to the limit as is their commitment to not only their criminal world but to each other as well.

For me, this film was interesting and clever. The story maps out the main characters identities well, and seems to steer clear of general gangster clichés. I can only recall one mention of the Mafia by name, whilst most of the action took place at the street. The film adds the surprising element of govt/state collusion with the gangsters, but never places a heavy hand on this. The acting was superb especially by "Ice" and Patrizia, but the rest follow suit very well, and it is hard to knock anyone in that respect, whilst the Italian setting adds its beautiful character as the background setting.

On the other hand, the film does fall down on a couple of points. The story seems to move away from the gangster story to soap opera at points with vengeance the main game and plot. Business matters seems to disappear into thin air. Also, the large cast is great to have, but sometimes hard to keep up with who is who, and also what they are doing. More development of certain of the characters would have helped, although I don't want to criticise too much as the cast were excellent as it is.

Overall, a film that is a great interesting and intelligent film, but misses out on being the great modern Italian gangster film that it maybe was aiming for. As in the real world, it appears that the foreign equivalents (e.g. City of God for Brazil) have taken over from the old Italian masters, but a comeback is not out of the question, and hopefully this will be the first of a new burst of quality film making from the Italians.