Romanzo Criminale - Der Pate von Rom

I had heard nothing about this, I just saw it advertised on TV as "Italian Sopranos" so myself and my wife started watching it. We both agree that this is one of the best TV series we have seen.

The casting is spot on with the characters being totally believable and very very well acted. The attention to detail is fantastic seeing that it is set in Rome in the 70's (for the first series anyway) so the cars. clothes and hairstyles and even the home furnishings are all authentic.

The story is gripping as the gang go from plot line to plot line and the interactions between the characters keep you guessing as to what is going to happen next. The fact that its set against a backdrop of when Italy was going through a period of its history which involved the turmoil of corruption, terrorism and criminality and that's just the government, leaves you with a hard choice of who to root for.

All in all thoroughly entertaining and believable.

Mark S.

Gomorra La Series blew my mind and romanzo criminale blew up the rest of it. gomorra looked like they were about to kill a whole bunch of people but romanzo looked like they already have. that is how i compare these two amazing Italian crime series. i mean from the storyline to the characters and the rest of it, top tier entertainment. its realistic yet fantastic at the same time. how does a series stay soo interesting one might say. i guess there has to be killings, betrayal, surprises, victories and defeat. these two series has all of it and it never gets old. very well thought out and thoroughly executed. i know gomorra has a third season comin but its been a minute for this one. i hope there will be more and if not something similar. ill be watching these series again cause of the high replay value. its not for the faint hearted or the immature tho. i never really do reviews but this one well deserved one, its the least i could do. much props to the gomorra production and romanzo criminale productions. the actors and actresses did a great job even tho i had to read subtitles throughout. I've just started to look into more Italian shows and movies cause i didn't know they were soo good. hopefully IMDb will turn me out to some more. i look forward to more Italian TV in the near future cause it really doesn't get much better.

I really don't understand what took me so long to watch, let alone, discover this amazing show.

Romanzo Criminale is an immensely realistic and edgy show. Based on events of street thugs turned criminal organization in 1970-1980s Rome, the series seemed to portray the decade's atmosphere with perfection and had me captivated for its entirety.

There was some sort of novelty, if not charm, of seeing a group of amateur thugs band together to form lifelong friendships, pursuits of love or strive for a better life in general - all in the backdrop of social/political unrest of Italy at the time.

Despite humble beginnings, these somewhat naive core characters begin to see the stark realities that surround them. Betrayals, murders, greed and revenge are only just a small taste of what ultimately corrupts the main and side characters, turning one against the other or forming alliances.

The characters and how they are conditioned/molded is really what shines here. To see Libanese rise from such impoverished, depressive conditions or the undying struggle for justice by Commissioner Scialoja. The characters and narrative are further strengthened by a well written, intense script, excellent cinematography, truly monumental climaxes and actors that really pull of some outstanding performances (particularly Freddo's character).

Ultimately, this is a show that will drag you in, keep you extremely invested in multiple characters and then crush you at least a few times, but it's okay! Criminale Romanzo's charm and realism never really wears off and manages to tell a great story with conviction. Disregard the fact that you'll have to watch this with subtitles, it is Easily one of the best TV shows I have ever watched.

Now that Gomorrah has reached 4 seasons (soon the fifth and I hope last season) I can say that Romanzo Criminale is perhaps the most beautiful and perfect show ever filmed, Gomorrah is another masterpiece but unfortunately it is lasting too long, even if it is still on levels very high you begin to notice the repetitiveness of the situations, in fact I hope that they keep their word and that with the fifth they close everything. Romazon, on the other hand, is perfect, a smart, short series that does not linger and tells the criminal epic of this gang in a sublime, perfect and blunt way. Stefano Sollima confirms himself as the best Italian director ever

One terrific and most powerful Italian crime series, one of the most brutal I have ever seen, far far more bloody than any other American one. I find here the same violence we had in the Italian films from the seventies. Really exciting scheme, with so many outstanding characters to whom you get glued to, no matter the degree in criminality they are involved in. Stefano Sollima is definitely the new master of the Italian crime industry, as Michele Placido was one or two decades ago, and in a more terrific way. I remind you that Stefano Sollima already gave us SUBURRA and GOMORRA series and of course next year the next movie to SICARIO and named SOLDATO, about Mexican drug cartels. So, after Italian mafias, Sollima will be plunged deep into the Spanish spoken underworld, far more brutal than the Sicilian one. Back to this series, I am still shaking, reminding how impressive the late seventies, eighties and early nineties atmosphere were, with the music score of those fantastic years. This is a pure masterpiece. And this actress Giovanna Di Rauso, the female killer amazon with snake eyes, the kind of lady who, if I crossed her path in the street and saw her asking me for the time, I would quickly give her my watch and run away from this shark female. What a dame....What eyes she has...

A pure must see....