NAPLES NEVER DIES... IT SHOOTS! is the much awaited follow up to director Aaron Stielstra's 2008 crime-comedy classic SEE NAPLES... THEN DIE. While the film is a massive achievement for Stielstra, I'm still on the fence about whether or not the film surpasses the earlier hit. The characterizations in the new flick are wonderful and while Stielstra doesn't quite transform like Lon Chaney, each of the characters are unique enough and easier to distinguish. This is certainly an improvement over the original which felt like Stielstra was playing multiple roles more for lack of budget. Here you can't imagine the characters played by anyone else. However, what makes this film perhaps stand out less over the original is the weirdness factor and overall convolutedness. The pacing is also off in some spots with a few scenes dragging on for more than they should. However the film is still funny (albeit less quotable than the first) and makes fun of it's own short comings. This is no doubt a funny film and the weirdness adds to that somewhat, but most of the comedy bits just don't stand out as being quite as quotable or memorable as some moments in the first film. Even so, the film succeeds on some level just by being so overly demented and deranged. Highlights include a hilarious sex sequence (complete with fake buttocks), a bevy of shootouts (one of the most memorable featuring a librarian dressed up as a clown), a few musical numbers performed by one of the most stereotypical Jewish characters ever committed to film, and a fantastic miniature car explosion that would make Antonio Margheriti proud. The film is also notable for exhuming a rare, long lost cartoon clip said to be produced by a Danish company and animated in Rhode Island with voice characterizations recorded in Ramirez Hills, AZ.
If anything, the film is impressive for it's large scope (with locations spanning the US and Italia) and seemingly improved production values. Camera work improves a bit and even the overall film quality looks better. All in all this film is a great achievement for Stielstra and director Spartaco Castelluci alike. I look forward to what the Weisensteinbaum Bros., Castelluci Enterprises, and Depth Charge Productions release next.
