{mosimage}Based on the acclaimed book by Roberto Saviano, here comes a great adaptation that portrays with fidelity the dirty business of the Italian Camorra.
Director Matteo Garrone makes an excellent work with this adaptation of Saviano´s best seller. I had read the book before watching the movie, and certainly, although I was a bit skeptic when I started it, I liked it a lot. Saviano is a great narrator and it is really a pity that the mafia has put a price for his head and must live in the darkness hiding.
Garrone does not literally copy Saviano´s book. He does not follow the story of just one character, but composes a mosaic choosing stories here and there, so the spectator catches a good glimpse of the irrational behavior and rules that lead the Camorra. There is no flashy names in the cast, but every character looks and sounds authentic, and you can really feel immersed in the little and big battles of life in South Italy.
Do not expect the plasticity and mysticism of The Godfather. What you have here is a raw account of the harsh reality that thousands of people have everyday in Italy, but magisterially portrayed.
Rating 4/5
{mosimage}The best: you really feel transported to the world Garrone wants to show us.
The worst: It can be too raw for sensitive hearts.
The detail: In the book, the dress for the Hollywood movie star was intended for Angelina Jolie. In the movie, they changed her for Scarlet Johansson.