TV Dungeon: Romanzo Criminale

Posted on 21 januari 2012 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(2008 – 2010, Italy)

2 Seasons (22 Episodes)

Directed by:
Stefano Sollima

Cast:
Francesco Montanari, Vinicio Marchioni, Alessandro Roja, Daniela Virgilio

The story of the Magliana gang, who controlled organised crime in Rome between 1977 and 1992. We witness the establishment of the group by three ruthless criminals; Il Libanese, Il Dandi and Il Freddo (the cold one). Each one of the friends has a very different personality, but they share the same ambition; to take over Rome. No crime is too big for Banda Della Magliana: drugs, kidnapping, murder, prostitution, they are literally involved in all criminal activity in the city.

The series is based on true events and people. The Magliana’s were the first organised gang in Rome. After a successful kidnapping, the leader type; Il Libanese, initiates that he and his associates form a gang. The others agree, but Il Freddo insists that they are all equals and have no leader. This will turn out to be a tough ideal to hang on to later on.

Off course they have opponents to deal with; a competitive gangster called Terrible is their first major obstacle. Then there is a communist cop who is keen on tracking them down. Finally, the Mafia – who traditionally had no foot in Rome – stick their beak in. Once the gang reaches the top, the only direction they can go is down. This is what eventually happens. Like all criminal empires, it ends.

Perhaps the best thing about this series is the cast. Each one of the actors is extremely believable in his/her role. For a show about gangsters, there are also quite a few strong female characters. Another strong point is the production design; the recreation of the seventies and eighties is convincingly done, enhanced by a groovy soundtrack and stylish camera work and editing.

The biggest downside is the length of the series. It is told in two parts of about 10 hours each. This is too long. Especially in the first part, there is too little going to keep the tension on an adequate level. Surely it is realistic, but sometimes just boring. Also humor is missing; it could have taken a few pages out of The Sopranos’ book. Still, after La Piovra, this is the best series about organised crime to come out of Italy.

TV Dungeon: Shameless

Posted on 30 juni 2009 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(2004 – 2009, UK)

Creator: Paul Abbott
Cast: David Threlfall, Gerard Kearns, Elliot Tittensor, Rebecca Ryan, Samantha Siddall, Jody Latham, Rebecca Ryan

6 Seasons (66 Episodes)

The comedy-drama Shameless provides a compelling look into the underbelly of British society. The central family, the Gallaghers, live in Chatworth Estate, Manchester. One of these British slumps where nobody has money, petty criminal enterprises are standard practice and the quality of life is mainly the result of partying, drugs and family bonding.

The show was created and, at least initially, mainly written by Paul Abbott, who is also the series’ Executive Producer. Much of the show is based on Abbott’s own experiences growing up in a similar situation to the Gallaghers in Burnley.

Family patriarch Frank Gallagher is a professional drinker and e-popper, who spends all of his days in local pub ‘The Jockey’. Despite his overall unconscious state, he frequently shares his philosophical outlook on life with the viewer. ‘Make poverty history, cheaper drugs now’, is one of his typical statements.

Frank’s kids (six in total) are used to living on a shoestring budget, as they grow up in this no future environment. This situation has shaped them into very effective problem solvers. This combined with their greatest virtue, their warm loyalty towards each other, helps them to cope with the everyday challenges, often involving the authorities, that they have to face.

The humor in Shameless is very well done, provided you don’t mind crudeness and profanity. Also the drama touches the viewer in the heart. This is mainly due to the strong cast. Some situations may feel unbelievable, but the characters never do. Their strong bonding, opposed to the more distant relations in the higher classes of society, even makes it tempting to join the this ‘unlucky’ bunch at times.

The first three seasons are just great. After that, the series loses quite a few important characters that are replaced by the Maguires, a family of lowlifes. This harms the series in a major way. The acting capabilities of the actors portraying the Maguires are very limited, making their far fetched story-lines hard to swallow. Luckily David Threlfall’s memorable performance as Frank saves the series from sinking to mediocrity.

TV Dungeon: Cold Feet

Posted on 20 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(1997 – 2003, UK)

Creator: Mike Bullen
Cast: James Nesbitt, Helen Baxendale, Robert Bathurst, Hermione Norris, John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Jacey Sallés, Kimberley Joseph

5 Seasons (35 Episodes)

The British comedy-drama Cold Feet follows the lives and times of three young couples in Manchester. Both their ages and the times they live in, make it hard for them to commit to any one person. Adam (James Nesbitt) is the typical bachelor who just can’t stick in a relationship. Until he meets the attractive Rachel that is. They start a relationship in the pilot which will prove a challenging enterprise in the five seasons that follow.

Adam’s best friend Pete is married to the inglamorous Jenny. They are past the early ‘in love’ stage and face another challenge: their first child. Through Pete and Jenny, Adam and Rachel meet another young couple, the more upper-class David and Karen Marsden. The three couples deal with all the typical relationship problems; cheating, cold feet, honesty, commitment and sometimes separation. The themes are treated in a light and comical way, but a little drama is thrown in as well. Especially in the later seasons.

What is impressive about the series is that the writers work around the same subjects, but no episode ever feels repetitive. Every minute of Cold Feet feels fresh and inspired. They do an equally outstanding job in developing the very recognizable characters. Who doesn’t know an Adam? Always funny and charming, but in a relationship constantly on the brink of either cheating or running off. Or a Rachel: pretty and a tad demanding, but irresistible for Adam beyond any doubt. In fact all three couples are perfectly cast, forming matches that feel absolutely natural.

As the series progresses the characters go through thick and thin together and for the viewer it will become harder and harder to say goodbye to them. Only towards the end of the series, the writers slip up a bit. A dramatic event occurs which, although it’s part of life, changes the tone of the series and makes it a bit more soapy. Nevertheless, this is a magnificent feel-good series that you are likely to get hooked on after viewing the amazing pilot episode.

The acting deserves mention as well. Especially Nesbitt and Norris stand out. Nesbitt is the biggest provider of laughs through marvelous comic timing, while Norris gives the most balanced performance showing a wide spectrum of emotions throughout the course of the series. Neither actors won awards for their roles, but the series did win a number of awards for writing and best TV comedy. Cold Feet is great because it perfectly captures the spirit of the nineties and one of the major problems of that age: sticking in relationships.

TV Dungeon: Corleone

Posted on 15 juli 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(2007, mini-series, Italy)
AKA: Il capo dei capi

Directed by: Alexis Cahill & Enzo Monteleone

Cast: Claudio Gioè, Daniele Liotti, Simona Cavallari, Salvatore Lazzaro, Gioia Spaziani, Massimo Venturiello, Marco Leonardi

How does one become ‘il capo dei capi’ or boss of all bosses? That question is answered in the mini-series Corleone. In a fifty year period, Toto Riini grows up from little boy in Corleone on Sicily to the highest ranking member of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra (literally ‘Our Thing’). He does so by slowly murdering anybody who opposes him or who has any real power within the Mafia.

The Corleoneses, Toto Riina and his underboss Bernardo Provenzano, are provincial Mafiosi. They join the Mafia at a young age to escape from poverty. They rise to the top of the organisation quickly. In Sicily’s capital Palermo, the Corleoneses are perceived as hicks by the Mafia, but they are smart, ambitious and extremely ruthless as the Palermeans are about to find out. Riina was known as ‘the Beast’. It is a well chosen name considering the extreme high bodycount that can be attributed to him.

The mini-series is based on the book by Giuseppe D’Avanzo and Attilio Bolzoni. The makers wanted to not only show Riini’s rise to power and how he made it to the top, but also show the struggles of the law that wanted to put an end to him and his Mafia. Many judges and policemen died in this decade long battle. That much becomes clear in Corleone. For a long time, the law didn’t stand a real chance, but through sacrifice and perseverance they eventually got results.

To make the distinction between the good side and the evil side, the writers of this mini-series introduced a fictional character in this otherwise largely fact-based story. The true-hearted Biagio Schirò grows up with Riini in Corleone, but rather than becoming a mobster like his friends he joins the police. He follows Riini’s career closely and tries to bring him down, along with many real historical law figures, such as judge Giovanni Falcone. They stand for everything that the mob doesn’t.

In terms of production design, the makers did a good job of capturing the old times on the beautiful Sicily. Dramatically however, the series falls short. There isn’t enough suspense or character development to keep the viewer entertained for six times 100 minutes. Not even close. They could have told this story in a three hour mini-series. Now it quickly becomes repetitious. A shame, because the right basis is there.