RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Gomorrah
Gomorrah

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Gomorrah (2009)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
91 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:118

Fresh:107

Rotten:11

Average Rating:7.6/10

Consensus: Portraying organised crime with an unflinching realism, this gritty and searing Italian crime masterpiece pulls no punches.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:10-10-2008

Synopsis: Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah is a dense, sprawling exposé of the corruption plaguing the communities of Naples and Caserta in modern-day Italy. The all-powerful Camorra syndicate influences the lives... Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah is a dense, sprawling exposé of the corruption plaguing the communities of Naples and Caserta in modern-day Italy. The all-powerful Camorra syndicate influences the lives of even the most innocent citizens. In a manner similar to The Wire, Garrone tells his story from many different angles, resulting in a complicated narrative that often feels novelistic. In many cases, the revolving stories never overlap or intersect. While that may be jarring to those viewers who are used to having their strings tied neatly for them by a film's conclusion, Garrone's decision results in an experience that feels much more honest and true. We witness the syndicate's impact from the top down and from the inside out, following a cavalcade of characters who are all trying in their own ways to escape the deadly world in which they live.

Based on the book by Roberto Saviano, Garrone's crime epic is a powerful indictment of the corruption that is running rampant in Italy. His decision to present such a wide spectrum of characters enables him to show just how deeply everyone is impacted by this terrifying, unchecked display of criminal power. Cinematically, he employs a dizzying array of styles in order to further establish the frighteningly ungoverned atmosphere that pervades this community. Gomorrah succeeds as both visceral entertainment and thoughtful social commentary.--© IFC Films [More]

Starring: Salvatore Abruzzese, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Toni Servillo

Starring: Salvatore Abruzzese, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Toni Servillo, Carmine Paternoster, Salvatore Cantalupo, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone, Italo Celoro

Director: Matteo Garrone

Director: Matteo Garrone
Screenwriter: Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni Di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Roberto Saviano
Producer: Domenico Procacci
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Cronies
    >
    Trailer
    >
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Gomorrah

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Consequently, there is not enough time to get close enough to any of the characters. But if your interest in crime clans extends beyond big guns, this is a must-see.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
10/10/08
Sun Online

Easily the finest of the week's films, though it's unlikely to be showing anywhere near you, is Gomorrah, a warts-and-all Italian drama about the threat posed to civilisation by organised crime in Naples and beyond.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
10/10/08
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

A sombre, slow, but well-paced study of organised crime in urban Naples that leaves a very grim taste in the mouth.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
10/10/08
Damon Wise
Damon Wise
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A focused, multi-stranded drama about how ordinary lives and ambitions are impinged upon in a society where the parameters of business, justice and everyday life are heavily defined and warped by the influence of organised crime.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/10/08
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This may not be a perfect movie but it is memorable, angry at what it finds but determined not to produce either lily-white heroes or colourful villains.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
10/10/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Great films change the way we think about cinema. A masterpiece can alter our perception of life. Matteo Garrone’s startling film, Gomorrah, about the criminal underworld in Naples, is one of these rare movies.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
10/10/08
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If you want to see a gangster film that isn't all about stylized violence, then Gomorrah is for you. More thoughtful than most gangland films, its attempt to show how organized crime has infiltrated every level of society is impressive.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/10/08
James Mottram
James Mottram
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gomorrah is a thoroughly engaging, well directed crime drama with a strong script and terrific performances. Highly recommended.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/10/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The remorseless, glamourless scenes – their businesslike realism, their shrugging fatalism, their workaday brutality – come closer than most films to identifying and depicting the “banality of evil”.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
10/10/08
Nigel Andrews
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times

Gomorrah is a powerful example of that thrilling current of energy which right now is lighting up Italian cinema.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/10/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Blame TV’s magisterial The Wire if Gomorrah seems superficial. But whereas TV has multiple episodes to penetrate the heart of its story, Matteo and co are to be commended for this all-encompassing overview of organised crime.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
10/10/08
Rob Daniel
Rob Daniel
Sky Movies

A searing, epic vision of a city in the grip of gangland terror. The multi-stranded plot takes some unpacking, but the characters, camerawork and unflinching realism compel like a gun to the head. The best gangster saga since City Of God.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
10/10/08
Sam Ashurst
Sam Ashurst
Total Film

But his prowling observational technique makes it pungent and frightening in scene after scene, an entry-pass to some obscure circle of hell. All in all, not an easy night out, but not an easy one to forget, either.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/10/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Drained of energy and vigor, Gomorrah confuses gangster fantasy for art.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment 5 Comments
02/11/09
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

Next to HBO’s The Wire, which depicted an enormous financial ladder and also brought to life the characters on every rung, the movie is small potatoes: excellent journalism, so-so art.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment 2 Comments
02/09/09
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

As a result of the hardhitting, unflinching and accurate story, the author went into hiding after threats and is now under police protection.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
01/28/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Another film that critics will champion and average filmgoers will scratch their heads over, while wondering how they got snookered out of the price of a movie ticket.

Full Review Source: Hollywood & Fine | comment 1 Comment
02/13/09
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Hollywood & Fine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
10/15/09
Miami Herald

There’s nothing extraneous about it, nothing excessive in its violence or its art. It’s as desolate as it needs to be and no more.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
03/13/09
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

As even-toned as a documentary, it plays like the Short Cuts of Sicily; we're not sure who we're watching or why, but by the bloody end we're caught in a web of violent fools

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
02/12/09
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for Gomorrah

May 24, 2009: Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Critics Pick Their Awards Favourites
With the Cannes Film Festival winding down this weekend, talk is now turning to who will win the Palme d'Or this evening. We tracked down several journalists covering the fest... More...

February 12, 2009: Critics Consensus: Friday the 13th Feels Too Familiar
This week at the movies, we've got creepy campers (Friday the 13th, starring Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker), conspicuous consumption (Confessions of a Shopaholic,... More...

January 26, 2009: Exclusive: Gomorrah red-band clip and poster!
The Mafia stages a routine presence in cinema, but few of their movies are drawing the strong praise like Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah is. Italy's official entry for the 2008... More...

January 08, 2009: Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
51
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
92
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
76
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
73
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
69
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
45
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
17
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
2
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Gomorrah at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Gomorrah at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.