Les cent pas

I was so shocked to learn that when Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were assassinated in Sicily in Spring/Summer 1992, that the people of Sicilia were standing up and protested to the organized crime. Yes, I do remember. I read a Book called " The Excellent Cadavers" by Alexander Stille, when he talks about the bloody ordeal of Ani-mafia judges who were murdered by Toto Riina during the 70's and 80's. This man Peppino Impastato took it upon himself and spoke out against this terrorist society in the 1970's. But in the end, with that task he was murdered. This was a good film and I enjoyed as much. Great performances. I CENTO PASSI is a film that really hit me because of my appreciation of the culture and the language of the Island of Sicily. This is a film that captures a man who sacrificed his life for a just cause to a bunch of murderous cowards.

Rating: 7.6

Forget all the movie you have seen since now about mafia. Forget good people to one side and bad people to the other, forget blood and gunshots. This is the real story of a boy from Sicily who's family is actually very well connected with Mafia, so to fight Mafia he has to fight against people he loves, and make them take the same risks he takes in this fight. It is also a good portrait about Sicily's way of life and youth rebellion of seventies. I'm sorry for those have to see it in a different language from italian (I should say sicilian) because original dialogs worth it. A word about scriptwriters, Monica Zapelli and Claudio Fava. Their good job comes from their knowledge about Mafia, and their courage actually fighting it.

I saw this movie just recently and loved it. I was sort of forced into watching it (I as trying to get my friend to bring out "Alien" instead, but that didn't work), and I found it an amazing experience. The performances are sizzling, especially from the title role of Peppino played by Luigi Lo Cascio. For a mafia film I found there to be an incredibly low amount of violence. If only it hadn't been forgotten, because it is a truly underrated gem. No Godfather, or even Pulp Fiction, but still a heart-warming and powerful film.

Unmissable.

7/10

I stumbled across this movie tonight and am so glad I did. I had never heard of it, or of this story. Was refreshing to not see the glorified 'mafia' we see in films. Well cast and well written. And will always remember this film when I hear the song 'A whiter shade of pale'. A side note, I noticed during one scene they were watching a film and I had to pause. It was the film 'Hands over the city', which I had just watched the night before on the Criterion channel. In these times it was a well timed movie for me. Not many people are ready to stand up for their beliefs, and be the one who speaks up.

A very careful reconstruction of a real episode developing in Sicily from the '50s to the '70s. The film has the pace and the political idealism of "Z" by Costa Gavras. Americans might be interested to see the Mafia depicted in its Italian home-base, and relations between the (poorer, but more "original") Sicilian Mafiosi and their American counterparts / relations. This is a film on the protesting youth of the '70s, as well, with a lot of music like in the THE BIG CHILL. In Italy the film has been much discussed for its Mafia theme, but underneath there is a lot of family psychology.