Gomorra

The Wire² in Naples. Roberto Saviano stirs up stagnant waters with Gomorra. What the book was lacking in literary quality was made up for by the urgency of trying to change something, supported by the informational value of this insight behind the scenes of the Camorra. And he was rewarded for this by a public death threat. I don’t even want to imagine what threats the Camorra makes to the crew making this series (in terms of story the series and the book have nothing at all in common, but in spirit this is still the most faithful of adaptations). This trip to the dark side of Naples where we see everybody from the pawns up to the top dogs on the social ladder is, in its unembellished, bleak reality, much more powerful than the very best documentary. In fact, this series frequently has aspects of a documentary. But heavily enhanced by a distinctly (but truly distinctly) movie-type look. Gomorra cuts to the quick and, despite the fact that it gets by without any frills, it is unprecedentedly rough, dirty, uncompromising, with a remarkable sense of detail, often hypnotic but still in many aspects true to the rules of the genre. Nobody glorifies nothing, but nor does it pass judgement; it carefully avoids any evaluation, opinion or moralizing. It just shows things as they are. And maybe that’s why this is the purest (if not the best) mafia saga (although... in the others, the important thing is family, rules and honor; here the central theme is “business") of all. Season two becomes less documentary-like and concentrates much more on fate storylines and intrigues inside the mafia. Unfortunately it starts repeating what has already been said, but the final episodes more than make up for this shortcoming. Season three continues in the footsteps of season two. But although this series contains by far the most powerful moments and even episodes of the whole series, overall it shows that this didn’t necessarily have to be twelve episodes long. In places, again mainly at the beginning, there was too much talk for talk’s sake. | S1: 5/5 | S2: 4/5 | S3: 4/5 | (01.08.2014)

After watching four seasons, I have to say that Gomorrah is undoubtedly the best mafia series I've ever seen. All the seasons hold the quality bar so high that I can't say which one I liked the most. It's fascinating that there's actually no one outright virtuous here, yet I always found someone I sympathized with... until they became even more of a lunatic in killing than the others. The characters of Ciro Di Marzio and Genna Savastano were the most interesting for me. I was usually rooting for one or the other, so when Ciro went to his eternal hunting grounds at the end of season three, I thought season four was going to be kind of a dud. Fortunately, my assumption was not confirmed and after a few episodes, I didn't even remember Ciro anymore. Genna's new business interest and the events surrounding Patrizia Santoro made up for his absence. Overall, I would like to highlight the amazing authenticity of most of the scenes, the well-developed characters of the main actors, and the generally great acting performances. I'm also a big fan of the theme song, which adds an incredible amount of atmosphere to the show. (12.07.2020)

Gomorrah gives a completely new dimension to the famous saying "See Naples and Die." Endless trash and poverty-ridden panel housing estates, communities that adhere to outdated and morally unacceptable norms, failing institutions, fear, corruption, and hopelessness - all of this is part of the world dominated by Gomorrah. American series tend to romanticize organized crime, relativize its crimes, and give them an entertainment label, smoothing them over and trivializing them. The authors of Gomorrah take a different approach by demystifying organized crime. At the head of the clan is a wealthy family without education or good taste (a single shot of a kitschy family portrait hanging on the wall speaks for itself) with a very peculiar conception of universal and personal morality. The gang boss considers his subordinates as consumable material and without hesitation sacrifices many of them to strengthen his personal prestige. Although the screenwriter follows the fates of the gang members, his aim is not so much to capture personal dramas as it is to describe the functioning of the mafia as a whole, as a pathological organization that parasitizes on and breaks down society. The viewer will probably not identify with the members of Gomorrah but rather observe them like fish in an aquarium. Overall impression: 90%. (03.02.2016)