Italy seems to be one step ahead in the production of quality crime films. After the majestic ''Suburra'', this film travels the viewer to the Italian south where we are introduced to three brothers Luciano, Rocco and Luigi who spend their lives inside the omnipotent organized crime complex which is known as ndrangheta (the word is derived for the greek synonym of bravery). Luciano is retired from this lifestyle and is now devoted to his family, a young son (Leo) who seems eager to follow the steps of his criminal uncles. There is nothing flashy or glamorizing about the film's depiction of the mafia lifestyle, ''Anime Nere'' is a rather reserved character-based movie placing the emphasis on the problematic family dynamics and the emotional ordeals of the main characters. This is supported by the stellar performances of all the main actors, in my opinion, Marco Leonardi stands out as the mercurial and tough Luigi, and the direction is exquisite using the beautiful landscape as a marker of the protagonists' feelings. If you are looking for another ''Goodfellas'' rip-off, better stay away from this Italian gem. This is a movie about the genuine lovers of the medium.
16 Reviews
'Black Souls' sticks with the excellent characters and their development over the course of the movie to really capture the suspense of this volatile environment.
bryank-0484412 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I must admit, I'm a sucker for Italian mafia movies. Maybe it's because part of my family actually hails from Sicily and I've heard tons of stories, which I still can't tell are true or not. The truth is though, we all know that Italy has more than a handful of crime families still operating and doing "business". Needless to say, there is probably enough material and trues stories to keep making Italian mafia films well into the next century. But I must warn you, if you're looking for something as violent and fun as 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas', this little film called 'Black Souls' might disappoint, however it shouldn't.
In fact, 'Black Souls' is a breath of fresh air in this particular genre. The realism captured here is incredible as this story tends to not focus on a few different outfits going to war, but centers on a small family of three brothers. Based on a novel by Gioacchino Criaco, directed by Francesco Munzi, and starring several veteran theatre actors, 'Black Souls' has enough atmosphere and tension to keep you interested and wanting to spend more time with these characters well after the movie ends.
The first brother we meet is Luigi (Marco Leonardi), who is charismatic, energetic, and always fun. Luigi is doing "business" with a Spanish guy to further he wealth and family, but then heads back to Milan where his other brother Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) is awaiting his arrival. Luigi is more of the enforcer and leader of the crime family where as Rocco handles all the financial and business side of things. Rocco even wears glasses, dresses in a business suit and has a wife and kids. He looks non-threatening, physically speaking.
The third and oldest brother is Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), who chose to raise and farm goats rather than go into the business. Oddly enough, Luciano has the shortest temper of them all. When Luciano's teenage son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) would rather work and live with his fun uncle Luigi, and go into the crime business, his father is not too happy. Leo gets into some trouble, which has Luigi and Rocco coming to town to clean up the mess, which causes some big trouble nobody wants to deal with.
It's a slow burn for sure as these brothers spend most of the movie calmly talking about the next step and what to do to solve their nephew's problem as other crime families are starting to enter the picture. The women in the film mostly play a backseat here, but when there is something for them to say on screen, it packs a punch, and possibly a few laughs such as Rocco's wife asking, "Oh, are the crooks coming over for dinner tonight?" It's a humorous line, but all to real.
'Black Souls' sticks with the excellent characters and their development over the course of the movie to really capture the suspense of this volatile environment. There might not be the need for here, but that's okay, because the climax will leave you with your jaw on the ground. Highly Recommended!
In fact, 'Black Souls' is a breath of fresh air in this particular genre. The realism captured here is incredible as this story tends to not focus on a few different outfits going to war, but centers on a small family of three brothers. Based on a novel by Gioacchino Criaco, directed by Francesco Munzi, and starring several veteran theatre actors, 'Black Souls' has enough atmosphere and tension to keep you interested and wanting to spend more time with these characters well after the movie ends.
The first brother we meet is Luigi (Marco Leonardi), who is charismatic, energetic, and always fun. Luigi is doing "business" with a Spanish guy to further he wealth and family, but then heads back to Milan where his other brother Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) is awaiting his arrival. Luigi is more of the enforcer and leader of the crime family where as Rocco handles all the financial and business side of things. Rocco even wears glasses, dresses in a business suit and has a wife and kids. He looks non-threatening, physically speaking.
The third and oldest brother is Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), who chose to raise and farm goats rather than go into the business. Oddly enough, Luciano has the shortest temper of them all. When Luciano's teenage son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) would rather work and live with his fun uncle Luigi, and go into the crime business, his father is not too happy. Leo gets into some trouble, which has Luigi and Rocco coming to town to clean up the mess, which causes some big trouble nobody wants to deal with.
It's a slow burn for sure as these brothers spend most of the movie calmly talking about the next step and what to do to solve their nephew's problem as other crime families are starting to enter the picture. The women in the film mostly play a backseat here, but when there is something for them to say on screen, it packs a punch, and possibly a few laughs such as Rocco's wife asking, "Oh, are the crooks coming over for dinner tonight?" It's a humorous line, but all to real.
'Black Souls' sticks with the excellent characters and their development over the course of the movie to really capture the suspense of this volatile environment. There might not be the need for here, but that's okay, because the climax will leave you with your jaw on the ground. Highly Recommended!
Good movie
subxerogravity3 May 2015
But not the mafia movie I expected.
Seems to take the concept of the Sopranos one step further (or rather a step down)
It's a very nonviolent (for a gangster movie), and far more blue collar than Goodfellas is
Makes the whole organization feel more grounded.
I wonder if that's just the difference between the Italians and the Italian-Americans.
Well-acted. I really like the performance from the guy playing Luciano, the dad trying to keep his son away from the path his brother is on. A hard sell cause Luciano's brother's got all the cool stuff and treats his nephew like a man.
Must admit the story seems hard to follow. It's in Italian and the subtitles did not help. Plus the movie moves slower than expected.
Overall, it's one of those films that pays off with a small emotional climb up as you get to know that characters and how they live capped off with a roller coaster ride that's very fulfilling.
Recommend
Seems to take the concept of the Sopranos one step further (or rather a step down)
It's a very nonviolent (for a gangster movie), and far more blue collar than Goodfellas is
Makes the whole organization feel more grounded.
I wonder if that's just the difference between the Italians and the Italian-Americans.
Well-acted. I really like the performance from the guy playing Luciano, the dad trying to keep his son away from the path his brother is on. A hard sell cause Luciano's brother's got all the cool stuff and treats his nephew like a man.
Must admit the story seems hard to follow. It's in Italian and the subtitles did not help. Plus the movie moves slower than expected.
Overall, it's one of those films that pays off with a small emotional climb up as you get to know that characters and how they live capped off with a roller coaster ride that's very fulfilling.
Recommend
Huddled masses
ferguson-623 May 2015
Greetings again from the darkness. Avoiding the flashiness of GOODFELLAS or the complexity of another Italian crime family drama, 2008's GOMORRAH, this reserved-on-the-surface film from director/co-writer Francesco Munzi takes us to a small rural village located outside of Milan. In fact, this slow-burner has much in common stylistically with the 2010 Aussie gem ANIMAL KINGDOM.
Luigi (Marco Leonardi), Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) are three brothers who have settled into life after the murder of their father by a rival crime family. Luigi is the hands-on leader of the family's drug business, and even though he thrives on the power and intimidation, he maintains a relatively low profile. Rocco is the behind-the-scenes businessman of the family enterprise. He and his fashion-forward wife live in a swanky Milan apartment and mostly avoid the front lines. Oldest brother Luciano has forsaken the family biz, and instead spends his days farming and working his goats.
Luciano's commitment to hard work and a straight life have not rubbed off on his son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) who is drawn to the danger, money and power of his uncles' business. It's young Leo's fool-hearted actions that kickoff a chain of events putting the family smack in the midst of a possible war of mafia families.
This is no guns-blazing thrill ride of violence. Instead it's the type of movie that features countless scenes of men huddled in small groups mumbling details of the next important deal. Also, crucial are the non-verbal nods and raised eye-brows – signs that are interpreted as calls to action. We also learn that expressing hope someone lives to 100, is not just a personal insult, but such crass behavior that it brings a group dinner to an awkward halt.
Leather jacket abound, and the threat of violence looms over most scenes. However, it's the subtlety of the conversations and the quiet nature of the leaders that cause the well-meaning, but immature thirst for revenge from Leo to stand out. Until the twist of the final act, the only two moments of violence are almost surgical in their precision, leaving us with the impression that one's negotiating skills and loyal friends are every bit as crucial to success as one's expertise with a gun.
Mr. Munzi's film is very well directed and photographed, and features some terrific acting that generates the tension necessary to drive the story. It's a nice addition to the crime family genre, even if it's not at the level of the three mentioned in the opening paragraph above.
Luigi (Marco Leonardi), Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) are three brothers who have settled into life after the murder of their father by a rival crime family. Luigi is the hands-on leader of the family's drug business, and even though he thrives on the power and intimidation, he maintains a relatively low profile. Rocco is the behind-the-scenes businessman of the family enterprise. He and his fashion-forward wife live in a swanky Milan apartment and mostly avoid the front lines. Oldest brother Luciano has forsaken the family biz, and instead spends his days farming and working his goats.
Luciano's commitment to hard work and a straight life have not rubbed off on his son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) who is drawn to the danger, money and power of his uncles' business. It's young Leo's fool-hearted actions that kickoff a chain of events putting the family smack in the midst of a possible war of mafia families.
This is no guns-blazing thrill ride of violence. Instead it's the type of movie that features countless scenes of men huddled in small groups mumbling details of the next important deal. Also, crucial are the non-verbal nods and raised eye-brows – signs that are interpreted as calls to action. We also learn that expressing hope someone lives to 100, is not just a personal insult, but such crass behavior that it brings a group dinner to an awkward halt.
Leather jacket abound, and the threat of violence looms over most scenes. However, it's the subtlety of the conversations and the quiet nature of the leaders that cause the well-meaning, but immature thirst for revenge from Leo to stand out. Until the twist of the final act, the only two moments of violence are almost surgical in their precision, leaving us with the impression that one's negotiating skills and loyal friends are every bit as crucial to success as one's expertise with a gun.
Mr. Munzi's film is very well directed and photographed, and features some terrific acting that generates the tension necessary to drive the story. It's a nice addition to the crime family genre, even if it's not at the level of the three mentioned in the opening paragraph above.
Stick Around For The Good Stuff
shaososa12 August 2018
This is another gangster film where there isn't all the action of the traditional entry in the genre. If Goodfellas is Saving Private Ryan, then Black Souls is more in the vein of The Thin Red Line, not the same caliber as that film but you get my drift.
This is much more of a character study of the players involved. The eldest of a trio of brothers has spent decades tending to his farm and staying out of the family business, which is for the most part unnamed shady stuff. But when his son goes to visit his goon of a brother with intentions of joining the dark side, a sequence of events fall in place resulting in a finish that I don't think anyone can see coming.
Not a lot happens in the first 2/3s of Black Souls in an action sense, and if I was in the wrong mood I might not have liked this as much as I did. But I thought the conflict between the four chief characters (the dad, his two gangster brothers, and his son) was established very convincingly. Come with patience to this one and you will be well rewarded. One of the scenes near the finish is simply magnificent.
This is much more of a character study of the players involved. The eldest of a trio of brothers has spent decades tending to his farm and staying out of the family business, which is for the most part unnamed shady stuff. But when his son goes to visit his goon of a brother with intentions of joining the dark side, a sequence of events fall in place resulting in a finish that I don't think anyone can see coming.
Not a lot happens in the first 2/3s of Black Souls in an action sense, and if I was in the wrong mood I might not have liked this as much as I did. But I thought the conflict between the four chief characters (the dad, his two gangster brothers, and his son) was established very convincingly. Come with patience to this one and you will be well rewarded. One of the scenes near the finish is simply magnificent.
A real life Godfather
monasterace13 October 2014
Last Saturday I went to see "Anime nere" at the London Film Festival with great expectation. In fact in August I had read a very positive review on La Repubblica newspaper. I must say it met completely my expectations, the movie is very well done, convincing and the light, the light is absolutely sublime. I like all the actors performances. The director told us, after the projection, that they were a mix of professional and not professional ones (very difficult to distinguish for the high quality of their performances). The plot is very intense, but not in a bad way. The most disturbing scenes are not shown on screen, but left to the audience imagination. The movie is set in a rural village in Calabria, south of Italy, where the three brothers were born and where Luciano, the elder, is still living with his family. The two younger brothers, instead, had moved to Milan in the north of Italy few years back.
Highly recommended, a potential candidate to next year foreign Grammy awards!!
Highly recommended, a potential candidate to next year foreign Grammy awards!!
Recommended.
peacecreep6 April 2015
Every few years an authentic Italian mafia film comes along, the last one being 2008's Gomorrah. Now we have Anime Nere; A slick, well made, taut and perfectly paced film about an unsung rise to power. It takes place deep within the crime underworld in a village outside of Milan. Grounded in realism and contains no superfluous love stories or unneeded fluff. Classic Mafia film moments and themes are handled deftly and with fresh eyes. The enormity of the film emerges only its its last few frames. People that idolize Scarface or The Godfather will have a new classic on their hands. Thoroughly entertaining and thought provoking cinema.
Acting, direction of the highest order
adrian-437673 December 2018
ANIME NERE boasts some of the best acting that I have seen in any film from anywhere in the world over the last 10 years. Perhaps only SICARIO (US 2015) can bear comparison with this extremely high standard of acting.
Francesco Munzi's direction is also first rate, aided by excellent stark photography.
Dialogue is extremely credible, and the script builds up to an unbearable tension point without much physical action.
So why do I rate this film only 7/10? Because I expected more reaction from the target family, and I find the open ending frustrating.
PS - I decided to rewatch ANIME NERE and I have to admit that the ending makes more sense than I initially surmised. The point, trite but valid all the same, is that death is supposed to be a deterrent among crime-pursuing families, but once a crime is committed, even a minor one like stealing goats, revenge will follow, and death is no longer a deterrent but an objective.
Interesting aspect: as in THE GODFATHER, there are three brothers here, and you know instinctively that the brother who wants to stay out of crime is the one most likely to be the action man. The other two are Hamlet-like figures, who hate Barreca for killing their father but talk rather than do something about it. And any distraction carries the ultimate price, as Luigi and Leo find out.
In crime, as in life, there is always someone stronger and more lethal than you. What I initially saw as an open ending is in fact the only ending to criminal life. I change my rating to 9/10 and recommend this film.
Francesco Munzi's direction is also first rate, aided by excellent stark photography.
Dialogue is extremely credible, and the script builds up to an unbearable tension point without much physical action.
So why do I rate this film only 7/10? Because I expected more reaction from the target family, and I find the open ending frustrating.
PS - I decided to rewatch ANIME NERE and I have to admit that the ending makes more sense than I initially surmised. The point, trite but valid all the same, is that death is supposed to be a deterrent among crime-pursuing families, but once a crime is committed, even a minor one like stealing goats, revenge will follow, and death is no longer a deterrent but an objective.
Interesting aspect: as in THE GODFATHER, there are three brothers here, and you know instinctively that the brother who wants to stay out of crime is the one most likely to be the action man. The other two are Hamlet-like figures, who hate Barreca for killing their father but talk rather than do something about it. And any distraction carries the ultimate price, as Luigi and Leo find out.
In crime, as in life, there is always someone stronger and more lethal than you. What I initially saw as an open ending is in fact the only ending to criminal life. I change my rating to 9/10 and recommend this film.
Low-key Italian gangster thrills
Leofwine_draca21 August 2016
BLACK SOULS is an unusual Italian gangster film that portrays the subject matter in an art-house style. Thus, it's a slow and sedate movie with exemplary realism throughout that goes for a very low key approach. It feels like very little happens in this film, yet at the same time the production has the same kind of realism as a documentary.
It's certainly a well-shot piece with some fine cinematography. The acting is of a solid standard with the actors giving mannered and restrained performances rather than going over the top as in an American gangster movie. The plot, about innocent lives being drawn into the criminal underworld, is a familiar one, but the slow-burning approach works well and builds up some powerhouse moments.
It's certainly a well-shot piece with some fine cinematography. The acting is of a solid standard with the actors giving mannered and restrained performances rather than going over the top as in an American gangster movie. The plot, about innocent lives being drawn into the criminal underworld, is a familiar one, but the slow-burning approach works well and builds up some powerhouse moments.
A Story of Tragedy & Betrayal
mlynch51872 August 2021
LOVED IT
ilariaarciola22 December 2018
Vicious circles
nqure20 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is a Mafia film with a difference, one with spiritual/metaphysical dimensions (an unusual take on the subject matter as said by others). 'The Godfather' also shows how Michael Corleone is corrupted. I preferred 'Black Souls' to another 'art-house' exploration of the Mafia, 'Gomorrah': which was also about the Mafia as a business, the business of death & its noxious influence on society. 'Black Souls' is more intimate, as it revolves around one family, three very different brothers in personality, & how it self-destructs.
I did find the settings initially confusing, it moves from metropolitan Milan (modern Italy) to the countryside, to an older peasant Italy with codes rooted in the hills & countryside, actually the South (I thought it was the north still at first). A place almost medieval in tone & customs, like clans brokering marriages to cement alliances or heal feuds.
The film is about families & business, how sentiment & business should operate separately but are fatally bound; about Christian (Catholic) faith & despair (One of the brothers is called Luciano -light, the one not involved with the Mafia). The opening scene, a drugs deal involving the two brothers still involved in criminality (The charming, masculine Luigi, the bespectacled taciturn Rocco) sets the tone for the film. In flashy Milan, they negotiate a drugs deal with a new business partner, who has clearly eliminated their previous supplier. The brothers are unsentimental & accept the new arrangement as businessmen. Ironically, as the film progresses, the brothers become marginalised themselves by fellow village families who act out of the very same self-interest after they fail to apologise to the local Godfather.
'Black Souls' is about a family on the brink of self-destruction due to a family grudge being resumed. Emotions take precedence over reason. Luciano has borne the murder of his father by continuing to live & work in the community ruled by the Godfather who had him murdered. An act of vandalism & disrespect re-opens old wounds which escalate into forces beyond the family's & Luciano's control.
The title of the film, for me, refers to a Mass which happens towards the end of this gripping film. It appears to suggest that 'you are born a sinner', but one is damned if you are born into a Mafia family because you will belong to its inescapable vendettas & blood feuds.
Luciano, perhaps the most sympathetic character in the film, is drawn against his will & by his son's recklessness into his own personal hell. 'Black Souls', meaning men who are damned, condemned from birth by a diabolic bargain. There are some great scenes in this film which probably illuminate the themes of the book. Such as when the charismatic brother lies with his lap-dancer girlfriend in bed. She is naked, her lithe body covered in ink (tattooed characters). It is as if Luigi has made a literal contract with the Devil/bargain with criminality in exchange for his soul/life.
It's a rich film, memorable. It's also about the clash of the modern with the traditional, the city & the countryside, as portrayed by Rocco & his wife, Valeria, an outsider, who struggles to understand the men's local dialect &, by suggestion, the situation in which she finds herself. It is about men & women: as with any film about violence & its shocking aftermath, it is the women - mothers, sisters, wives, who must mourn.
The ending shocks & resonates, of a man driven by grief & rage, to commit the only act he thinks can stop the never ending cycle of violence. His is a soul in torment.
I did find the settings initially confusing, it moves from metropolitan Milan (modern Italy) to the countryside, to an older peasant Italy with codes rooted in the hills & countryside, actually the South (I thought it was the north still at first). A place almost medieval in tone & customs, like clans brokering marriages to cement alliances or heal feuds.
The film is about families & business, how sentiment & business should operate separately but are fatally bound; about Christian (Catholic) faith & despair (One of the brothers is called Luciano -light, the one not involved with the Mafia). The opening scene, a drugs deal involving the two brothers still involved in criminality (The charming, masculine Luigi, the bespectacled taciturn Rocco) sets the tone for the film. In flashy Milan, they negotiate a drugs deal with a new business partner, who has clearly eliminated their previous supplier. The brothers are unsentimental & accept the new arrangement as businessmen. Ironically, as the film progresses, the brothers become marginalised themselves by fellow village families who act out of the very same self-interest after they fail to apologise to the local Godfather.
'Black Souls' is about a family on the brink of self-destruction due to a family grudge being resumed. Emotions take precedence over reason. Luciano has borne the murder of his father by continuing to live & work in the community ruled by the Godfather who had him murdered. An act of vandalism & disrespect re-opens old wounds which escalate into forces beyond the family's & Luciano's control.
The title of the film, for me, refers to a Mass which happens towards the end of this gripping film. It appears to suggest that 'you are born a sinner', but one is damned if you are born into a Mafia family because you will belong to its inescapable vendettas & blood feuds.
Luciano, perhaps the most sympathetic character in the film, is drawn against his will & by his son's recklessness into his own personal hell. 'Black Souls', meaning men who are damned, condemned from birth by a diabolic bargain. There are some great scenes in this film which probably illuminate the themes of the book. Such as when the charismatic brother lies with his lap-dancer girlfriend in bed. She is naked, her lithe body covered in ink (tattooed characters). It is as if Luigi has made a literal contract with the Devil/bargain with criminality in exchange for his soul/life.
It's a rich film, memorable. It's also about the clash of the modern with the traditional, the city & the countryside, as portrayed by Rocco & his wife, Valeria, an outsider, who struggles to understand the men's local dialect &, by suggestion, the situation in which she finds herself. It is about men & women: as with any film about violence & its shocking aftermath, it is the women - mothers, sisters, wives, who must mourn.
The ending shocks & resonates, of a man driven by grief & rage, to commit the only act he thinks can stop the never ending cycle of violence. His is a soul in torment.
Pretty Bad
philipc-5261319 April 2020
Bad screen writer
unamigofiel19 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
TRaitor father, brother and husband, movie is a failure...should be burned along with actor. this is the worse of the worse...a father do not go killing his own. coward....due to IMDb.... my opinion bad movie.
Funny is I use wrong words is bad, if I use short version..is not enough.. reality. movie is bull, the goat brother should had shot him self. stupid son of a B. what the H. rough please and stupid people?
How cant they not see, the enemy, the fake friends? the plot that has a brother that need o be put in place. ....in reality... they needed to kill that guy immediately.....but the friend: Im going to pie outside? please...how dummy is that? shot him in the head...was the same that say he shot the bar....
Funny is I use wrong words is bad, if I use short version..is not enough.. reality. movie is bull, the goat brother should had shot him self. stupid son of a B. what the H. rough please and stupid people?
How cant they not see, the enemy, the fake friends? the plot that has a brother that need o be put in place. ....in reality... they needed to kill that guy immediately.....but the friend: Im going to pie outside? please...how dummy is that? shot him in the head...was the same that say he shot the bar....
So bad I wish I could give negative stars
alex-rosenkrantz15 March 2018
I absolutely hate and despise this movie. So incredibly unsatisfying and boring. I actually put it on my list of things to do to write a bad review of this movie and opened a rotten tomatoes account so I could singularly post my negative review of this movie. I'm still signing and shaking my head in annoyance of how bad this movie was while I'm writing this and its been over a month since I've seen it. Omg, I hate this movie so much. So bad. Sooooo baaaddd.
Obscure
tonydun18 May 2022
An opaque film. A whole lot of relationships are simply not explained. No context for why people do what they do, apart from a couple of significant actions towards the end. Some interesting glimpses into cultural themes but if you don't get something, the film isn't going to explain it. At times it plodded and I found it frustrating.
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