The series "Gomorrah": reviews, release date, plot, actors and roles

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

One of the first associations with Italy is, of course, its famous mafia. They talk about it, write about it, make films about it. Her image varies: from "classic" mafiosi in expensive cars, in classic suits and hats, with weapons in their hands, to owners of an unattractive, frankly "criminal" appearance, and the problems facing the "family" are becoming more and more modern, however, while maintaining some "typicality" for any organized crime. Interest in the Italian mafia and modern Italians themselves is not alien. Among the modern creations of writers and directors, the audience prefers and leaves the most numerous reviews of the series "Gomorrah" (the release date of the first season is 2014), which has been on the air for the fourth year. What is it about it that attracts viewers so much, and how highly do professional reviewers rank it?

Series summary

Gomorrah is a new creation by Crime Novel director Stefano Sollima, based on the novel of the same name by Roberto Saviano and the feature film by Matteo Garrone. The filming location was Naples itself, where the story takes place, as well as its surroundings, some of the scenes were filmed in Barcelona, Milan and Ferrara. However, there is no need to wait for popular tourist views - only the outskirts, dark and dirty nooks, smelling of fish and damp ports. Each of the four seasons of the series has about ten episodes, each 50 minutes long. The name refers to the name of the Italian mafia, "camorra", and also plays on the biblical "city of sinners", Gomorrah. Both professional reviews of the Gomorrah series and audience ratings are quite high. The quality of shooting and the realism of what is happening are noted even by critics of popular English-language publications.

Main story

The series "Gomorrah" is about a "family", a mafia group that settled in Naples and is mainly engaged in the sale of drugs. The area in which the mafiosi settled is bypassed by the law enforcement agencies, diligently pretending that everything is in order, and the local inhabitants can only put up with such a neighborhood, extremely inconvenient, and sometimes frankly dangerous, not promising anything good. At the moment, the series "Gomorrah" season 4 is on the air. Television division of territory and spheres of influence between Neapolitan criminalgrouping began in 2014 and has been going on for five years now.

Actors and roles

The series "Gomorrah" is replete with colorful characters played by professional Italian actors. Among the numerous heroes, a number of main characters can be distinguished. The cast of the series "Gomorrah" receives mostly positive reviews. At the same time, the selection of performers meets with a positive reaction from the viewer, who is tired of the "charming scoundrels" on the screen.

Pietro Savastano, played by Fortunato Cerlino, head of the "family", godfather, head of one of the most influential Camorra clans. A person who prefers to solve problems by force, is not alien to rigidity and even cruelty, if such a need arises. At the same time, he attaches great importance to the family, although he builds relations with his own heir with great difficulty, considering him too weak and unable to take his place at the head of the clan

Ciro di Marzio (Marco d'Amore), nicknamed "Highlander" or "Immortal", the right hand of Savastano Sr., an executive and self-confident person who is trusted with the most responsible and sometimes very bloody cases. Like his boss, he loves his family. At the same time, despite all the respect for Pietro, he is well aware of his shortcomings and at some point starts a covert war against Savastano, hoping to take his place at the head of the clan, competing for a place in the hierarchy with the son of his immediate superior

• Jenny Savastano, heir to the godfather, is completely unprepared to lead the "family", but he has no choice. However, after the assignment in Honduras, the guy's worldview and character undergo significant changes, and he enters into a struggle for power in the clan and in the city.
• Imma Savastano, Pietro's wife and Jenny's mother. The woman supported the Camorra for twenty years, getting acquainted with the official and real life of the family. Tired of the role of a "beautiful wife", she wants to take her place in the clan hierarchy and is able to keep the entire "family" under control.

First season: family matters

The action takes place in Naples. Don Pietro is trying to raise a worthy successor of his work from his son Jenny, but so far he has not been very successful in this. As a result of a series of events, Savastno Sr. ends up in prison, and his son is in the hospital, and a traitor has wound up in the clan. In addition, in the prison where the head of the clan is sitting, the boss is changing, with whom the mafiosi cannot negotiate, and his long absence means a loss of influence in the "family". At this time, unexpectedly for everyone, Imma Savastano, the wife of the "godfather", takes control of the situation, turning out to be a surprisingly tough and capable leader. Meanwhile, the confrontation between Savastano's heir, Jenny, and his right hand, Ciro, only flares up. Viewers and critics have left extremely positive feedback about the series "Gomorrah", or rather, about its first season.

Second season:confrontation

The second season of the series "Gomorrah" (the creators define the genre as a "criminal television series") is dedicated to the confrontation between mafia clans led by Pietro Savastano, who now lives outside the country, and Salvatore Conte. Meanwhile, one of the former clan fighters and Savastano's former right-hand man, Ciro di Marzio, together with Conte, hopes to survive the former boss from Italy and destroy his empire, acting through his son.

Third season: the clan grows

The clan is growing and gaining strength - the situation in the city is such that young people simply have nowhere else to go. The constant influx of newcomers, on the one hand, helps to strengthen the "family", and on the other hand, it causes a certain discontent of the older generation. However, internal squabbles are not all of Savastano's problems. The number of external enemies of the Neapolitan mafiosi is only growing, forcing the young Jenny Savastano to gain experience in managing a criminal group in the literal sense of "practice".

Season Four: The Adventure Never Ends

Contrary to fears, the series "Gomorrah" was favorably received by viewers and critics. The adventures and misadventures of the heroes do not end, and that is why the new series of the series, which tells about the struggle for power in the Italian Naples, began to air in the second half of spring 2019 (the season has not yet ended on 2019-10-05). At the same time, the extension of the season was officially announced, and the current one may become the longest.

Critic Opinion

The critics of the authoritative English-language publication The Guardian note the "ominous plausibility" of the creation of the Italians, ironically comparing the filming location, the abandoned Vele di Scampia residential complex, with giant dirty sneakers abandoned in the middle of an abandoned construction site. The Variety notes the strong direction and superb cinematography, which makes it possible to show the dark side of Neapolitan life in all its glory, without excessive sentimentality. "The series, with almost clinical precision, in a billion repulsive details, dissects the tumor that Comorra is for Italy," notes Giovanni Vimercati. In general, many reviewers pay attention to the "naturalism" of the filmed material, the lack of romanticism of what is happening, which is what films about the Italian mafia usually sin.

The realism of the main character, Ciro, is also noted, highly appreciating his disinclination to reflection, as opposed to those negative movie characters who always find time to think about the high. Therefore, the reviewers hope that in the 4th season of the series "Gomorrah" there will be no "cute monsters" that create an unrealistic perception of what is happening on the screen in the audience. Critics note a pleasant mixture of modernity and old-fashionedness, creating something that always delights viewers. One critic also calls "Gomorrah" an antidote for those who tend to idealize Italy, as the series shows the ugliest corners of this beautiful country.

Reactionpublic

The series also makes an indelible impression on the audience. Briefly, the general opinion of those who watched can be expressed as: "The best series about the mafia, but now it's scary to go to Naples." They note that what is happening on the screen is very dynamic and more like a report, "as if you are watching crime chronicles around the clock." Viewers are somewhat put off by the reality of the harshness, but still they do not tear themselves away from the screen.

It seems strange to some that the characters on the screen calmly kill people, regardless of their age and gender, and then pray in church for the he alth and well-being of their family. The inconsistency of the serial Naples, where you are either a member of the "family", or pay the mafia, or you are a victim of the mafia, is a novelty for many. As well as the impression that Neapolitan children are born with a gun in their hands.

However, among the laudatory reviews there are also negative ones. According to a number of viewers, the creators of "Gomorrah" outwitted themselves and got entangled in a tangle of plot twists. Some of those who watched this television series also note that the second season could have ended the story, because the third, in their opinion, looks frankly weak against the background of the first two.

Besides, there is another point that ordinary viewers pay attention to, but at the same time critics miss it for some reason. This is the musical component of Gomorrah. The soundtrack for the series was written by a composer known online as Mokadelic.

Will there be a sequel?

OnAt the moment, work continues on the fourth season of "Gomorrah", so it's too early to talk about the continuation of the series. The life of the mafia clan goes on, but, as always, when it comes to successful series, many viewers are worried that the creators of the TV project will not be able to stop in time and will continue to suck out new storylines, which will negatively affect the quality of the series they love.

However, time will tell how justified the fears of the fans, and whether the Italians will repeat the mistakes of their foreign colleagues. But, to the happiness of the audience, so far they manage to keep the bar high enough, even despite some "subsidence" of the plot, which is inevitable for any series that appeared in recent seasons.