Cento giorni a Palermo

Don't look for too many people to review this movie. It is simply difficult to watch from beginning to end.

Cold, distant, impersonal and repetitive. The most interesting thing about this movie is seeing the assorted guns used. Sadly, they all sound the same when fired. John Woo, this is NOT.

The names of leading Italian directors namely Matteo Garrone, Marco Tullio Giordana, Francesco Rosi, Gianni Amelio, Elio Petri etc come to mind whenever one thinks of political cinema. By successfully depicting the milieu in which Palermo's mafia has held its sway in Italy, Giuseppe Ferrara has joined this coveted list with his political film '100 days in Palermo'. His film is highly gripping to the core as it makes good use of real life situations to talk about political corruption in Italy which had completely shattered people's trust in democracy. This is one reason why viewer don't lose interest as what is being depicted concerns them both from a political as well as a sociological perspective. Apart from its tough political stances, Cento Giorni A Palermo focuses enormously on its hero's rather tricky personal life which has also become a victim of undue political pressures. It is this proximity to authenticity which lends itself an air of universal appeal as most honest officials anywhere in the world would be compelled to face the same consequences as depicted in this film. Hundred days in Palermo is a highly researched work of art which captures in great detail all the conflicts which made it easy for mafia to rule in Palermo. Lastly, Giuseppe Ferrara has brilliantly questioned two major philosophical notions in his true to 'documentary style' film which depicts one man's relentless fight against corruption. Lastly, it would be in the interests of any good student of political philosophy to discuss whether the state and the government are the same ? and is law merely a form of tool to fight injustice ?

This film is interesting for several reasons.

Firstly, it's a decent political thriller. It has none of the flash nor special effects of today's summer blockbusters that are churned out by Hollywood's factories (such as the silly Will Smith "Bad Boys" flicks). No slow motion shots of the hero calmly walking towards the camera while stuff explodes real good behind him. What "Cent jours a Palerme" (French title) has is heart - a gritty, almost documentary feel that makes the violence in the film seem more "real" in a way than anything we've seen in the past several years.

It also features Lino Ventura, one of the greatest actors from the 70's and 80's. Ventura was known for the hardboiled characters he used to play - usually police detectives. (He was a real life tough guy - started out as a wrestler.) The man always has a hard cold look in his eyes that hints at times of a fury hidden within; and other times great sadness. ("Garde a vue" is certainly one of his masterpieces.) In 100 Days in Palermo he plays a retired head of the Italian Federal Police who is sent to Sicily as a Prefect (a political appointed job with power to direct police investigations), for the purpose of taking on the Mafia - following a series of assassinations of judges and prosecutors. He's a man of great integrity and drive, which makes him likable. But he also suffers from some serious flaws, some of which I found maddening. But that also makes him a real person, which added to my appreciation of the character.

Finally, this is one of the last great "anti-Hollywood" flicks with a "realistic" ending. No idiotic happy completion where the good guys win and the bad guys are blown away. In this sense, the film is very much a work from the 70's (even though it was made in the early 80's). Can you imagine a big studio production made nowadays with an ending like the ones in "The Deer Hunter" or "Apocalypse Now"? Not a chance. And this is not to say that this film in any way reaches the heights of the two aforementioned masterpieces - it certainly does not - but I'm simply making a point.

It's not the absolute best of its genre, but nevertheless is well worth viewing, especially if you enjoy the European style political paranoia and pessimism of the 70's.