Mafiosa

I first tried to watch it several years ago but, I don't know why, I could not make it. After all, I think because of the female leader in a Corsican gang. Corsicans who, as the Sicilians, are machos among machos...I tried again just a couple of weeks ago, four eps per day, and I just finished it. This is a pure jewel, AWESOME piece of work. Of course there are clichés, every movie talking about mafia contains clichés, because that looks like the real underworld...What would you like to see, mobsters taking care of babies or racketting nurseries or pet toiletting shops? That's also a tragedy tale, family tragedy, as SONS OF ANARCHY was, in another register, but also speaking about mobsters, not priests....Every sentence, characters, scene is engraved like a diamond. This is a flood of violence, brutality and emotion. DON'T MISS IT.

My favourite mafia drama of recent years was the Italian series 'Gomorrah', which, channelling 'The Wire', wonderfully showed how organised crime was integrated into the everyday lives of a community. With its setting in the complicated society of Corsica, 'Mafiosa' potentially has a rich tale of its own to tell. But with a sexy lawyer who just happens to be head of the syndicate as its leading character, and side-plots involving deep agents and cocky policemen, there's a fundamental silliness here, and the connection to the themes of Corsican nationality and identity feels more bolted on than integral. The female characters of 'Gomorrah' were among that programme's strengths; Sandra Paoli just doesn't have the same depth.

This French drama follows Sandra Paoli, a Corsican lawyer who finds herself appointed head of the Paoli crime family following the murder of her uncle. At first is isn't a position she really wants but quickly grows into it as she learns the ropes while the family is split between those who support her and those who believe her brother Jean-Michel should lead the family. It certainly isn't a safe job as she has run-ins with rival families, Corsican Nationalists, the police and even people she considers friends. As her position strengthens the body count rises, both among those close to her and her enemies.

I really enjoyed this crime drama; it had plenty of exciting moments and a real sense of danger in just about every episode. As the final episode approached I was unsure which, if any, of the main characters would survive. While some events were expected there were quite a few surprises and even a couple of tear-jerker moments when certain characters die. The Corsican setting is great; it is somewhere I haven't seen portrayed on TV before and it provided great scenery and a feeling of somewhere rather different to mainland France. The cast does a fine job; most notably Hélène Fillières, who plays Sandra; Thierry Neuvic, who plays Jean-Michel; Eric Fraticelli, who plays Sandra's associate Tony; Phareelle Onoyan, who plays her niece Carmen and Frédéric Graziani and Philippe Corti, who play Tony's friend Manu; the latter taking the role in the final season. Overall I'd certainly recommend this series to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

The series is great. I totally recommend it. From this type you don't stop until the last episode is done. I am really shocked by the fact that there are no reviews here till now?! You will enjoy a great atmosphere of the authentic presented Corse for the rich mafiosi families, a little bit the modern version of Godfather but really away from it's plot. I've never watched no one from the cast before and I watch a lot of European cinema, that comes to prove you don't always need known actors to make the movie but just to choose the right type and just to let them play, one can feel that those people are really a good representation of the Corse underworld. The last season moreover is the best one. Enjoy this show, I envy you!

This is a Corsican cousin to "Godfather II", only with a woman taking over the family. It begins with her - a lawyer - apparently inclined to live closer to a normal life than that she's been called to, but through the two seasons I've watched shows her embracing the role she's been given all the way. Which soon includes a lot of violence. The real key here is her relationship with her brother, who has been passed over for the top role, but fully supports her for a long time. The anchor of the series is Hélène Fillières, who has a fascinating face with the angry sexuality of a teen, a smoldering way of looking at those she's confronting - for business or otherwise. Many of the scenes come down to her staring intently at someone else - whether with menace, seduction or decison. The big weakness is in the writing, which isn't always consistent, notably in her sexual behavior, which may well spice up the series but seems out of character at times. Also, for those used to this genre of the fundamentally decent person somehow involved in unsavory activity, there are certain rules, which are blithely violated here: the family keeps its word (not always here); the protection of the family is guaranteed (not so much), Sometimes when people are killed the reason is obvious; sometimes it seems very arbitrary. And the show gets increasingly violent as it goes on. It retains a unique quality and a variety of engaging relationships, so I'm sure many will be drawn in to keep watching. But to a large degree, I think it's more for Fillières's compelling presence than well-crafted stories.