Maybe George W. Bush should have studied history a little better before invading Afghanistan. In the 1920's Cesare Mori was appointed Police Prefect and charged with getting rid of the deeply entrenched Mafia in Sicily. When the people of a town under the thumb of the local Mafia refused to talk (including the local priest who was in with the mob) he set up road blocks and cut off the water and food supply to the town until they cooperated. Told that women and children were starving and going thirsty, he replied that that was the idea. They knew what they could do - as soon as they started talking they could eat. His tactics worked and eventually, he was able to arrest hundreds if not thousands of Mafioso. He almost smashed the Mafia but became too successful and began treading on the wrong toes, fingering high officials and politicians, so Mussolini appointed him Senator and relocated him to Rome.
Fans of the Italian crime thriller, La Piovra - The Octopus and the Godfather Part II, will enjoy this. The production values could have been a little higher, most of it was shot on location, but this was a TV movie. Vincent Perez handled the title role well even if he is still a trifle too young and handsome.
