Lucia et les gouapes

A solid Italian gangster movie with a period setting for a change. The story has an epic background but in fact it's about two men who begin as rivals and end up as brothers in blood. Franco Nero is the big name here but actually gets the smaller role while Fabio Testi dominates as the ultra-ruthless criminal boss. Great production values lift this one throughout.

This is truly one of the best films the Euro-crime genre has to offer. It's a moving period drama about life in the Gomorrah in Naples at the end of the nineteenth century, with all three leads giving amongst their best performances. It may even be Fabio Testi's finest film.

Nicola Belizzi (Nero) is an ex-con once known as the Red Cap who has returned to Naples after a long stint in jail. He's figuring on going straight and is keeping a secret - he's trying to study law in order to start a new life, something which is looked down on by fellow Neopolitans. He also gets caught up in the life of local Gomorrah Don Gaetano (Testi), a man who lives by the code of honour of the streets. Don Gaetano's woman, ex-whore Lucia (Cardinale), seems to take a liking to Belizzi which causes friction between the two men, but the two quickly form a bond when Belizzi starts helping Don Gaetano out with some Gomorrah business.

Belizzi then joins the Gomorrah but when Testi discovers that Belizzi really intends to be a lawyer, he surprisingly give him his full supports and vows to do everything he can to help him achieve his goal. Things take a turn for the worst however when Don Gaetano is instructed to kill a businessman setting up without Gomorrah approval, and a crooked cop uses Cardinale to lure out Don Gaetano and land him in jail. Meanwhile, new lawyer Belizzi meets a new level of society and realises that the upper classes are just as corrupt and horrible as anyone else...

This film really wears its heart on its sleeve. Crime film turned court drama, we get a real insight into the everyday workings of the Gomorrah and life in Naples itself. Testi at first plays Don Gaetano as an arrogant, violent dandy, but soon shows that although he's painfully bound by Gomorrah's honour system, and seeks to break free from the unspoken rules. Once in jail, he can only be freed by Cardinale testifying against the cop, which would lead to Gaetano losing face amongst his own. This leads to one of the most truly moving scenes of the film where Gaetano has to choose between losing respect, and love.

Nero's character also goes through a huge sea change, from the subdued penitent to the loyal friend who suddenly finds himself bound by a new set of rules, to the enraged public speaker raving about the state of Naples and its society. Cardinale once again plays a women rebelling against the whole society she's been trapped in, and really stands out during the court scene.

I caught this on television while on holiday in that region years and years ago, but never managed to get the title of the film. The most vivid thing I remember is the last tracking shot that pulls away from the action into modern day Naples, out into the street while people actually wave at the camera, which seems to say 'It will always be like this'. This one will stay with you for a while.

I saw this movie back in 1976 in my country Cuba , i love the movie very much back then it was a very graphic and political oriented movie, Claudia Cardinale look sexy as ever she play the wife of el guappi Fabio Testi sexy as ever too and Franco Nero a very handsome Italian superstar and the lover of Vanesa Redgrave play the lawyer who is trying to save young people from jail and he is killed by one of then, i am a fan of Claudia Cardinale i had see many of her movies the ones that she did with Monica Vitti my favorite Italian movie star , the one with B.B. and the 3 directed by Visconti i really love her she became a good actress in time i am not crazy with her voice but her beauty overcome all of that, in this movie she is abused by her crazy husband but they look hot together my god Fabio Testi was the sexy man alive back then i love him very much

The first temptation is to define it as part of "Godfather" trend. it is not a mistake. only not fair. because it could not be reduced at the status of film about Camorra. it is a film about power, values, Naples, ambition and generosity and about the manner to define yourself against the times. Fabio Testi gives a fascinating performance, exploring in wise way, each nuance of his role. Franco Nero knows to propose the honest hero, version of Don Quijote, strong for his deep vulnerability. Claudia Cardinale is the best option for the role of donna Lucia. film about courage, in its different forms, "I guappi" is, first, a real beautiful film.

This is a good film, good solid performances and a compulsive if somewhat cliched storyline. The main problem is that it seems at times that it would like to be on a par with hollywood big budget productions, and it really is much too home grown Italian for that. Nevertheless, on its own merits this is well worth a visit, Nero is as good as always and Fabio Testi is magical, it is a mystery why he did not become one of the giant names of international cimema. If you cannot see it any other way the old British video release is a horrid pan & scan, sometimes "needs must".