Black Souls (2014)

How sad is this?

Excellent but underrated film

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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.

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.

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.

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!