Unlike Hollywood’s depiction of mob and mafia families, Gomorrah, based on the book by Roberto Saviano, offers a less glamorous view. With references to the Biblical city of Gomorrah, a city destroyed by God for the depravity of its people, director Matteo Garrone depicts the chaos and violence caused by the Camorra crime family. Grand Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Saviano’s story and Garrone’s direction tell the story of a reality where the quiet of everyday life is shattered by the sound of gunfire and the stench of blood and violence. Here, in the regions of Naples and Caserta, Don Ciro, Totò, Roberto, Pasquale, Marco and Ciro, strangers only connected by their tie to the mob, need to make a decision. What is the price of power? Is it worth losing all that one holds dear?

Grade: B

Gomorrah releases in select theaters Dec. 19.