MartinHafer
I really liked this Italian film about the mafia because although it lacks the flash and stereotypes of this sort of film, it really manages to produce an excellent portrait of real people caught up in an ugly lifestyle. While not filmed by such Neo-realists as DeSica or Rosselini, this film sure looks a lot like this style of film that was so popular in the 40s and 50s. That's because so many of the actors appear to be real people--real people who are neither handsome nor glamorous. Heck, even one of the women in the film has a rather significant mustache! The story begins in Milan with a well-respected engineer for an Italian car manufacturer at work just before leaving for vacation in Sicily. His boss asks Antonio to give a present to Don Vincenzo who also happens to live in the same town where he's headed. Apparently, Antonio grew up there and is going back for the first time in many years to introduce his wife and kids to his extended family. However, once in Sicily, it's rather apparent that Don Vincenzo is the local Mafia boss and the town appears to be under his control. Despite Antonio seeming to be a good father and husband, as well as a decent all-around guy, eventually the Don wants him to "do a little favor"--and it shows how seemingly good people become pawns of organized crime.The film excels with its realism. This isn't just because of all the non-professional actors, but because the film manages to tell the story in a way that makes you connect with Antonio and understand how such a good person could do evil. Well acted, directed and written--this is a highly underrated little Italian gem.
RanchoTuVu
Mafia ties run deep in this film about a middle level manager in an auto plant in Milan who takes his family to his native Sicily for a summer vacation. Admired by his old childhood friends who can't take their eyes off of his attractive wife, he's the local boy who makes good in the big city. But "Mafioso" presents the deep ties that connect him into his ancestral village, portraying a system that runs deep in this Sicilian setting of an ancient village in which his family's connections intertwine with local Cosa Nostra. The director and the lead actor both make this a film in which one can savor just about every scene. Alberto Sordi connects the comedy with the drama, the good humored happy family man obligated into the "brotherhood" by Don Vicenzo and his right hand man to do his part, keeping him literally in the dark.
sonofgodtrujesus
I've never seen black and white film look so rich, sensuous and stunningly attractive; Cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi hit the nail on the head, creating a very rich and vibrant looking film. At times my mind naturally filled in the colors due to the crisp clarity of all the images, both of natural, rural scenes, and modern, city/industrial settings.Art director Carlo Egidi masterfully blends the surrounding background of everyday life with his set designs and costumes so that it is impossible to separate the two; truly a mirrored recreation of the day in the life of a modern Sicilian during mid-60's. Each scene is so thought out, and crafted so well that at times their is an almost alien effect, due to the deep endearing political and social dynamics which has become lost in our culture and films today in the 21st century. This effect at times appears exaggerated due to its robust social nature, yet does the job in creating a warm, stunning and beautiful feel to this film.
buff-29
This film has several amusing scenes and an attractive, understated performance by the female lead, Norma Bengell, but when it starts to take itself seriously, it becomes pretty much of a mess. The celebrated Alberto Sordi is fine in the lead, but he is asked to do too many silly things for his character to be effective.Sordi plays a successful man taking his beautiful wife and lovely children back to visit the home folks--but his home folks are in Sicily and include the local mafia boss, so many complications ensue. There are some laughs when Sordi's mom and dad force-feed their guests and when Sordi meets some of his old cronies, but it is all pretty broad humor. It is when the mafia boss demands repayment of an old favor that things begin to seem ridiculous and viewers, at least this one, start looking at their watches.
AD
