Suburra review: Stefano Sollima, the man behind the upcoming Sicario sequel, proves his worth with this shocking Italian crime epic.
Suburra review
Stefano Sollima has certainly been making waves in Italian crime tales over the last few years. He successfully assisted the transition of two big Italian franchises from the big screen over to the small screen, being Gomorrah and Romanzo Criminale. Like those two adaptations, Suburra is yet another dense, intertwining crime story that revolves around multiple characters from multiple ways of life, gradually being dragged into a dangerous and addictive world. The real question is whether Sollima can translate his ability to tell such stories over a longer period of time, having handled 22 episodes of Romano Criminale and 10 of Gomorrah, and streamline it into just over two hours. Sollima doesn’t just deliver on his proven potential, but excels as he gives us a fascinating and engaging crime epic.
The central focus of Suburra is a deal that will turn the waterfront of Rome into Italy’s Las Vegas. Headed up by almost mythical gangster Samurai (Claudio Amendola), he’s got priests, politicians, and criminals in his pocket. When one such politician, Filippio Malgradi (Pierfrancesco Favino), becomes involved with the death of an underage girl after a night of sex and drugs, a prostitute called Sabrina (Giulia Elettra Gorietti), enlists the aid of Romani gangster Spadino (Giacomo Ferrara). Spadino, recognising Malgradi at the scene, attempts to blackmail him, leading to Malgradi reaching out to Number 8 (Alessandro Borghi) to dissuade Spadino from revealing Malgradi’s involvement and putting Samurai’s business deals at risk.
Suburra review
As you can probably tell, things spiral out of control in the ways a rich crime film should. Although the film suggests that crime does pay, it also highlights that it forever leaves criminals in a state of limbo, where they never have any security in life. All this adds to the excruciating tension and places layers upon layers of deceit and conflict that grow naturally. The characters may never be particularly likable, but like the best of gangster epics, you become attached to the gradual degradation of innocence and hope.
The cast is an incredible ensemble where every character gets their due. Favino provides a family man and opportunist, presenting us with an MP who could have gone either way on the spectrum of do-gooder and corrupt official. Amendola is terrifying and powerful despite seeming so unassuming. Less unassuming is the equally terrifying Manfredi Anacletti (Adomo Dionisi), head of the Romani family whose tactics are less honourable and far more sadistic than the old school gangsters. Elio Germano is a fascinating standout as Sebastiano, a small time weasily businessman who gets involved in the events and mostly looks out for himself and teeters between light and dark.
Suburra review
Packed with characters it may be, but Suburra is beautifully paced due to its tight script from Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli, Giancarlo De Cataldo, and Carlo Bonini. This could have been a case of too many cooks, but excels at every turn. Resonant and powerful themes are woven throughout, with rich comparisons drawn between crime, politics, and religion. Suburra joins the ranks of recent modern Italian crime classics. It effortlessly navigates itself around a complex story with multiple characters but never feels overcrowded. Excellent performances, moments of unbearable tension, and fearless direction makes this a wonderfully constructed hit. If you’re wondering why Sollima is directing the Sicario sequel, this will answer that question.
Suburra review by Luke Ryan Baldock, June 2016
Suburra is released in cinemas and On Demand from 24th June.
