I mafiosi (1959) User Reviews

An authentic and underrated mafia movie

[searchanddestroy-1 · 30 November 2014]

I presume that this movie is totally unknown from the modern audiences. I found it through my US supplier among big batches of other gems. I love this kind of mafia features, in the line of those Francesco Rosi, Damiano Damiani, Pasquale Squieteri made, miles away from the other Italian action packed films, full of gratuitous violence. Don't misunderstand me, I don't reject those Dirty Harry or Death Wish spaghetti rip offs, but I far prefer those done features made in a simplest way, like this one I comment just now. The true mafia, in the lost countries, spreading terror among poor people. In this movie, you find, because of the late fifties, some atmosphere of the neorealism Italian kind. The story itself is also a social film, without being fully a crime movie. I highly recommend it, and not only because it's rare.

Dull gangster antics told via Neorealism approach

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 1 February 2017]

Despite the title, THE MAFIOSI isn't really a crime film but more of a human drama. It packs a bit of everything into the mix: gangster politics, police response, and the lives of everyday folk affected by the local situation. There's plenty of social drama here along with the kind of Neorealistic style you'd expect from Italian cinema during the era.

The visual style of the movie is quite arresting, with this a well-shot tale utilising stark black and white photography throughout. Unfortunately, because it's not a crime film as such, the story doesn't really grip you. There's some courtroom drama here and there, some character interaction, and occasionally a few songs. The familiar faces of Walter Brandi and Wandisa Guida (an Italian film starlet best known for her turns in sword and sandal movies) show up to enliven an otherwise dullish tale.