Suburra

Gomorrah by way of Michael Mann, this Italian crime drama is a slick, stylish and violent affair from Stefano Sollima. Going by this, the upcoming Sicario sequel is in good hands.

The Samurai (Amendola) is an ageing gangster who attempts to turn a Rome seafront into a mini Las Vegas. To do this he needs shady politician Malgradi (Favino) to push through a rezoning bill before government changes hands and so calls on wildcard gangster Numero 8 (Borghi) for a cessation in hostilities with rival gangs until the bill is passed. This proves difficult with the volatile Anacleti (Dionisi), head of a 'gypsy' loan shark family, hunting down those responsible for the death of his brother. In the background and uninvolved in the goings on but obviously overcome by the malaise that comes from the perpetual violence and corruption that drives the city, the sitting Pope makes the unprecedented move of stepping down…

That's only a hint of the inter-connected stories going on in Suburra, named after a quarter in Ancient Rome where criminals and politicians would meet. Writer-director Stefano Sollima, who cut his teeth directing the TV versions of both Gomorrah and Romanzo Criminale (two obvious touchstones here), takes Game of Thrones' tendency to explode with unexpected moments of violence (the hit-and-run, the shootout in the supermarket) that off major characters. Some of whom are killed with an odd sense of detachment with one major character seen shot in the distance and through the eyes of a junkie who can barely grasp what is happening.

In juggling so many characters and stories – there's also Malgradi's trouble with a dead prostitute and his hiring of Numero 8 to deal with the lowlife blackmailing him, while party promotor Seba (Elio Germano) is pulled into the world thanks to his friendship with the dead prostitute’s friend (Giulia Gorietti) – Sollima's film could have been scattershot in attempting to cast the net so wide. But it hangs together and there's always a sense every character and what they’re thinking when Sollima lets the camera rest on their faces. There isn't a moment that isn't essential to the story or deepens the audience's appreciation or understanding of the characters: at one point Malgradi stalls outside the government buildings, pretending to look for something in his briefcase so the press can see him and rush over. The writing is simply masterful.

If there's a quibble it's that the director can overreach with the stylishness. To coincide with the 'countdown to the apocalypse' that divides the narrative into chapters, the soundtrack is dominated by M83's end-of-all-things epic electronica, which gives the sense that the film is peaking when it’s really only getting started.

There is a Netflix-produced ten part series based on Suburra in development. If this is anything to go by that's unmissable.