Romanzo criminale - La serie

Romanzo criminale was hidden away on the Sky arts channel and I'm glad i found it. I have watched the three series devotedly and i must say this was one of the best TV programme I've followed. In my opinion, its an Italian version of The Sopranos, if you've ever watched the Sopranos you'll definitely enjoy this. The whole series was in sub titles and I think the sub titles added to the intensity of this show. It goes into very graphic detail of the rise of a criminal gang in Rome, starting from the seventies. All the characters were believable and I wouldn't be surprised if it was based on some criminals of their time in Italy/Rome.

What a wonderful series. Just finished watching the finale of series 2 and it has be breathing hard. And it's not just becomes its the finale, its the whole series and every episode with has been like that. Yes it's in Italian so the subtitles are key, that way I think we tend to focus more and are less distracted by other things at home, and that makes it much more enjoyable. The storyline itself is quite good which makes the core of the series of great quality. The direction keep the story moving fast , though it feels that the transition sometime isn't that smooth. But I thought the crude sense makes the series even more charming. The main leads do a great job and are quite ably supported. I have manly seen series2 and now have to see the first series for sure , the other way round would be much better but I think it'll be great fun all the same. The editing is brilliant and hence thrill of the series is kept alive through every episode because of that. A must watch for people who love good action TV ( it is a crime series so expect a lot of gun related action) ....a have to have to watch for people who love mafia related television.

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

When this series came out Italy was taken by a storm. Usually Italian TV it's a mix of boring carabinieri and saints portraits...This is the best series we ever produced. And I can assure you that not only it's based on a real story, but the associates and the families member still alive are very much part of the criminal web of Rome.And like me, whoever was born in Rome knows very well La Banda della Magliana and it's legacy.All the characters have different name but if you look up for the real story they're easy to spot. Some of them are still alive and the actual Freddo is just being taken off the special witness protection program and he's back in Rome.

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.