Gomorrah: The Series

Gomorrah gives a completely new dimension to the famous saying "See Naples and Die." Endless trash and poverty-ridden panel housing estates, communities that adhere to outdated and morally unacceptable norms, failing institutions, fear, corruption, and hopelessness - all of this is part of the world dominated by Gomorrah. American series tend to romanticize organized crime, relativize its crimes, and give them an entertainment label, smoothing them over and trivializing them. The authors of Gomorrah take a different approach by demystifying organized crime. At the head of the clan is a wealthy family without education or good taste (a single shot of a kitschy family portrait hanging on the wall speaks for itself) with a very peculiar conception of universal and personal morality. The gang boss considers his subordinates as consumable material and without hesitation sacrifices many of them to strengthen his personal prestige. Although the screenwriter follows the fates of the gang members, his aim is not so much to capture personal dramas as it is to describe the functioning of the mafia as a whole, as a pathological organization that parasitizes on and breaks down society. The viewer will probably not identify with the members of Gomorrah but rather observe them like fish in an aquarium. Overall impression: 90%. (02/03/2016)

Genny has come a long way during 4 seasons of development from a spoiled weakling mafia brat to a killer and leader of street criminals, to an entrepreneur who tries to play the role of a respected citizen in front of the public, forgetting the roots from which he emerged. He doesn't succeed much because the burden of the past is too great and the risks that arise from those who haven't forgotten on both sides of the barricade are considerable. Genny clears his surroundings of the obstacles standing in his way, and he doesn't even hesitate when it comes to his own family. At the end of the journey, his father could be rightfully proud of him because his son has achieved much more than his father could have dreamed of. Despite its seemingly episodic form, the series has a cohesive storyline and character development leading to a dark catharsis. Overall impression: 85%. (07/15/2020)

When the screenwriter miraculously revives a dead character from the past and when you start to feel a certain repetitiveness and fatigue in the endless bloody shootouts between rival gangs in Naples, combined with the feeling that the number of dead is approaching Syrian civil war battles, it occurs to you that it may be time to end the series. Though it still works to some extent. The harsh and tough soundtrack, guys who just need to give you a fierce look to make you drop your wallet and run away in despair, charismatic villains with whom you experienced their victories and defeats in previous seasons. But in the fifth season, the approach of the screenwriter changed, maybe due to fatigue from the subject matter. He started playing strangely with his characters and it no longer adheres to elementary logic. Strange conflicts that make no sense, go against the interests of the actors, deny their psychological profile, and ultimately even the development in previous seasons. It was fine, but it's good to end on the highest note, and the fifth season falls a bit short. Overall impression: 65%. (02/11/2022)