Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  A group of small time street punks use violence and intimidation to rise to the level of the crime lords of Rome during the 70s and 80s. A gang related crime story intertwined with the actual events of the time, all set to a soundtrack of contemporary hits shows Romanzo… More
  A group of small time street punks use violence and intimidation to rise to the level of the crime lords of Rome during the 70s and 80s. A gang related crime story intertwined with the actual events of the time, all set to a soundtrack of contemporary hits shows Romanzo Criminale's aspirations to being Italy's answer to Goodfellas, but it falls rather short of Scorsese's masterpiece in terms of grittiness and sophistication. It has the prerequisite violence and hard boiled characters, but its one note pacing and episodic script makes it feel rather more like a crime based soap opera than a tough examination of the criminal mentality. The choice of music is also a little too Heart FM and the scenes that intercut news footage from the time don't quite gel together properly, making it seem more exploitative than informative. It is well played and fast paced enough to make it slickly entertaining and is certainly worth a couple of hours of your time if you're a fan of the genre. But it was a mistake comparing it to Goodfellas and The Godfather because it was never going to measure up to those indisputable classics.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Friends since childhood; Libano, il freddo and il dandi. three hoodlums who share an appetite for thrills and easy money, start a vicious attack to take control of the city. Michele Placido is primarily an actor, a very good one, he is not too sharp at the director's seat; his… More
  Friends since childhood; Libano, il freddo and il dandi. three hoodlums who share an appetite for thrills and easy money, start a vicious attack to take control of the city. Michele Placido is primarily an actor, a very good one, he is not too sharp at the director's seat; his film is overlong, a bit stylistically plain and even feels somewhat fragmented, however, it has an interesting background information, and the acting is well done. It's not only a gangster movie, but a slice of italian history, showing the rise of 'Banda della Magliana' the chiefs of the underworld in Roma, their chess-like strategies, and their links with notorious and devastating rebellious acts like bombings and the kidnapping and murder of prime minister Aldo Moro by the red brigades.

• Lady D

  
  A very different style gangster film, with a deep look into all the characters involved. Quite fast moving, which left me a little lost in parts, but extremely well acted and ultimately a great film. 4 STARS

• Ross C

  
  Crime Novel? More like Crime Epic. This Italian gangster flick spans the 70s and 80s following the lives of a childhood gang who become the most wanted of the criminal underworld. Unfortunately it takes itself too seriously, lacking the style of a South American gangster flick, the… More
  Crime Novel? More like Crime Epic. This Italian gangster flick spans the 70s and 80s following the lives of a childhood gang who become the most wanted of the criminal underworld. Unfortunately it takes itself too seriously, lacking the style of a South American gangster flick, the polish of an American gangster flick and the wit of a British one. You also need to have a good appreciation of Italian political history to see this movie as anything other than a promising idea that becomes a pointless bore.

• Gordon A

  
  Stylish 'by the numbers' gangster flick