Omertà, la loi du silence

The Omerta trilogy is the best series I have ever seen on television. It centers around the RCMP's attempts to take down the head of the Montreal mafia. It is hard-hitting, violent, realistic, and incredibly intense. It is one of the rare shows where I had to keep watching each episode in the DVD set one after the other, hoping I could keep fitting one more in before I had to go to bed.

There are 3 stories in the Omerta series; Omerta 1, 2, and 3. Omerta 1 and 2 are sequential in terms of the story, and should be watched in order. Omerta 3 introduces a new character, and follows his rise in the mafia. What is interesting is that the time-line in Omerta 3 covers both before and after the action in the first two, characters which had been killed off earlier can make appearances without causing plot holes. It was an effective way of creating a full series using many of the same actors.

I would have to say that of the 3 series, each became more polished until you arrive at Omerta 3, which is truly fantastic. There are 11 episodes in series 1, 14 in series 2, and 13 in series 3. I would highly recommend you watch them in order, although you can watch series 3 independently of the first 2 and still follow the storyline. All 3 are in French, and a very heavily accented Montreal French at that. Also, in the DVD sets that I watched, there was no English audio track nor any subtitles. If you can understand the language, I strongly urge you to check out this unique series which preceded the Sopranos by a number of years. You will not be disappointed.

R.

It is a hard look at a community true the eyes of a man. He tell his story with the voice of Romano Orzari that act the leading part. The sexiest voice I have ever heard. Let just say the organized crime put the personna Nicky true the rigner. That explain that at the end he

give some back and betray them. What is remarkable is the power play Romano Orzari support throughout the film. He pretty much blast every scene he is in. Amazing leadership. The frontal nude scene will be remember for ever in Canada. I am sure, by the way he performed sex on screen, that every women watching went back on their seat a bit and went: oh dear! I know I did. Wow! talk about full equip! border line scary. His female costar unfortunately totally disappeared, couldn't keep up.

The dynamic between Romano and Michel Coté was magic. I am very surprised that those two have not worked together since. They create a very interesting combination. Ultimately, Omerta 3 is in the bit of the actual trend we see on film and TV: reality art. I have seen other work of Romano since and he is staying loyal to that trend or new tendency. I like it. like Burned Eden, it strong and real and most of all in his art: It is very natural. I love that.

Ask me to name the TV series I appreciated the most and I'll tell you Omerta is THE one. It is the story of mafiosi's in the Montreal underground world. The story is highly credible, realistic. The suspense keeps you breathless from the beginning to the end. "Never a dull moment", is the motto of this series. Dino Tavarone, the "Godfather" in this series, is fantastic. This was his first TV appearance and he made it through the casting because he is a "natural". Michel Côté, the police inspector who tracks the Godfather, has nothing of the stereotype of the policeman. But the dialogues and the screenplay serve him well, making him highly credible. We see so many replays on TV these days, I don't even understand why this one has not been re-broadcasted yet.

With a complicated plot, this serie takes you through the life of the young Nikki Balsamo, a rising member of the Montreal Mafia. The story is so intense that you can't wait to see the next episode. The fact that the main character doesn't express his future intentions adds to the greatness of the serie. The cast is filled with some of the best French-Canadian actors ; Michel Côté, Claude Blanchard and the young Romano Orzari. Absolutely a must see.

Omerta is a 13 part mini-series that was a huge hit in Quebec. Shot in French and available in English dubbed, this is a very entertaining, full of suspense and well acted series about the mob and the people who try to stop it.