Sean Morris
Staff Writer
“The politics of House of Cards with the mob building of Boardwalk Empire” is the description by our own Mr. Herman that solidified my interest in the Italian film Suburra.
The film takes place in the city of Rome and its surrounding cities, and is about an interlocking tale of crime in which several mobsters want to turn the waterfront of Rome into the las vegas of Europe. However, peace does not last long after a favor from a corrupt politician goes awry. Explaining too much more would spoil the film, but it is an interesting plot that manages to get you sucked into the web of intrigue.
Reviewing the film wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the pitch- perfect cinematography and visuals. From the lighting, the very pink neon outside of one restaurant particularly strikes me, to the useage of rain and storms; which that combines with their impending theme of an apocalypse. In addition with their costuming and character designs- the film became a visual treat that, with an interesting plot make it very difficult to take your eyes off the screen, much less have a want to take them off. Theres one mustached character, Sebastiano,who has a nicely dapper sense of style, which this reviewer personally always appreciates, as well as the several handsome men in the film, and other characters like the criminal “Number 8” and his girlfriend, a Gypsy mobster and politician Filippo Malgradi all have interesting styles and tastes that reflect their character.
The actors all do a good job across the board, I might have liked to see a bit more power exerted from the well known and feared gangster known as “Samurai”, but this is a small complaint. I liked the soundtrack, which was mostly done with songs from the band m83, by itself although I question some of the placement within the movie. For some, it might be viewed as too “artsy,” especially in combination with some of its more stylized cinematography. However, I didn’t mind this and appreciated a different take on a crime story. Sometimes the stereotype holds that the more “gritty and edgy” crime dramas can wear on you down or the more “artsy aesthetic” films can be boring- this film manages to be both gritty and artsy but with none of the curses that come with it.
The movie is currently streaming on Netflix in the United States, and will be made into Netflix’s first Italian language tv series. Whether the series will become a is meant to be a retelling, an entirely different set of characters, or a (most likely) continuation of the film’s ending (which, from what is gathered is most likely) is not entirely clear, but either scenario leaves me interested in how it continue. And I can add on that it has the cinematography of “Drive” to it as well.
Overall, I would highly recommend this film to anyone who would be interested in this story. Since the story will continue, it will be a fascinating world and pleasant viewing experience to return to.
The movie was a joke. In fact, it was even downright misogynistic most of the time — but just not in the overt way most people think.
How so? *Every single female character* did not act without being first told what to do or how to think by a male character. There is only *one* instance where a female acts independently, and her defiance is so short-lived as to be laugh out loud ridiculous. One scene she is murdering in cold blood, the next she is cowering like a puppy that soiled the rug. The tongue-lashing she receives for her dissension is so moronic in that it is both self-evidently false (Dagger?!) and totally obvious to such people in their position that whatever shred of suspension of disbelief I had up to that point was obliterated (do sociopathic mobsters really need to remind their closest advisors that they can go to jail and not collect $200 when they pass Go?).
That’s not to say that the guys didn’t have their flaws as characters too. It’s just that it becomes so clear which characters have agendas and which ones just take orders or take revenge on behalf of them. And, barring one exception , you can divide the two groups based on their gender.
The movie looks really good. The production values are great. The characters look great and their acting is serviceable (tough to tell though because the writers don’t seem to understand their motives).
But absolutely everything else, from the stupid elementary-school-tough-sounding nicknames (Tarantino-wannabe alert!) to the totally tone-destroying song selections (they couldn’t have been more cringingly emo and over-the-top earnest for scenes with such minimal emotional impact) and why-so-serious? acting with a mediocre swiss-cheese plot adds up to a huge waste of time.
SPOILERS AHEAD: So many scenes were clearly engineered to manipulate such as when Samurai’s mom being told to eat cake she doesn’t want to eat and then adores him for it (it’s a great little scene on it’s own, but it happens in the wrong movie at exactly the wrong point in the plot). Other scenes ended with lines which explicity tell the audience how to perceive characters: notice how Viola is *not* a junkie until after we are told by Samurai that she is and Numero 8 is suddenly ashamed of her (uh, where was this shame before? y’know, a la Scarface…) — and the very next shot her skin is peeling like an extra on Walking Dead where nothing noticeable existed before. That’s as clear an example of hack writing as you’ll ever get.
MEGA-SPOILER: Seriously though, as systemically misogynistic as I think the film is, what really got me the most were the totally implausible deaths of Numero 8 and the gypsy crime boss. Especially the latter. Really. C’mon. How disorganized and naïve can these crime geniuses get?
How does a character so cowardly and stupid that he doesn’t use his political connections or bother to report an almost desperate extortion attempt to police (y’know, debts do not get passed on from one generation to the next, right?) manage to take out or at least get by a whole family compound filled with tough guys *a day after being pummeled to the point of (near) unconsciousness* — and take out the crime boss *whose son was killed just days prior*?! Seriously? Where’s the security? Y’know a gang war just happened and a huge shift in power just took place, right?
The “ironic” death by pitbull was not ironic. He abused and taunted that dog on camera while saying he “respect[ed] warriors”. No, he clearly did not at all. Ever. Especially in the scene that he professed his great respect for warriors. He’s an idiot spouting bs. Or a victim of a bad writing team trying to make an ultra-scary villain. He deserved to die by pitbull. Anyone who paid attention that has any understanding of how Adam Sandler movies work knew that the dog was going to kill his oppressor.
Man, I could go on and on about how pathetic the writing was in so many scenes… I only wish someone intelligent I know will watch this movie so I have someone I can bitch to about how poorly scripted it was. I had high hopes during the beginning, but that was quickly swept away by the deluge of poor writing on display here.