Overview: In 2011, Ostia is the subject of a giant real estate project intended to make the harbor of Ancient Rome the Las Vegas of today. But the place soon becomes a battlefield where criminals and politicians either join forces cynically or fight each other ruthlessly. The infernal showdown will last seven days, claiming many lives.

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, Gomorrah is one of my all time favorite movies (and book) and I was really excited when I came to know that the same team was behind Suburra. And they didn’t disappoint. In fact, the movie almost inspired me to learn Italian to appreciate the nuances of the dialog, but even with subtitles, I was spellbound.

I watched this movie late last night and then just had to watch it again this lunchtime! It is a compelling work of visual art and to see it a second time revealed a few more subtle plot points that I had actually missed the first time.

As you might well have expected me to now say, I have seen Gomorrah many, many times and will often find myself watching only a specific scene from it (due to my love of this kind of celluloid experience). I can see the same happening here, particularly the scenes that feature Manfredi. Manfredi is a true bad ass and his viciousness is very effectively played by Dionisi. What a performance!

What’s also rather interesting is that the REAL power brokers are never shown even once. Samurai represents them, but you never see them. So it’s a movie that features the mafia without ever seeing the face of the mafia, which I’m sure they are also very happy about (as a mythical organization, of course).

In closing, Suburra is a very tight story about many characters, all be they connected one way or another. If you judge this morally you may have some issues. It’ll be hard to find a likable character in this, if you are looking for a so-called hero of the script, but that is not what this movie is about.

Special Features:
The Making of Suburra - A 2-Hour Feature-Length Documentary
Production Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Official Netflix Trailer

www.unearthedfilms.com