I got a chance to see Gomorrah for free, and after reading Empire's 4 star review, I couldn't possibly turn down the chance. Despite the torrential downpour of rain that I had to battle through to get to the cinema, it was definitely worth it. Sitting in a dark room with legs soaked to the core (and becoming increasingly colder by the minute) is not the most pleasant of experiences, but as soon as the film starts it draws you in with it's most stylish and possibly most violent moment. From there on the pace slows down and the film becomes more of an interlinked multi-character study. Taking the usual route in representing crime stemming from poverty is starting to get old now, but thankfully it does not dwell on this too much (we've seen this far too many times in the likes of City of God or Sweet Sixteen) but it is important to have this themes as a backdrop, adding realism to the motivation of the characters. One shot that impresses is an introduction to Toto's home; a dilapidated block of flats that is frequently framed to resemble prison cells, not only highlighting how bad the quality of life in the area is, but also suggesting that the inhabitants are 'imprissioned' by the crime, and end up partaking in it as a means to get out. The violence of the film is handled excellently, with sparse but strong moments of incredibly realistic killings that sneak up on the audience as much is it does the victims. The downfall of the film, however, is lack of focus. As with several films that use a structure made up of interlinked plots, cutting back and forth between different story lines prevents the audience from being able to identify with the characters, and the several plot strands arn't really strong enough to hold your interest in each one. This isn't a disaster though, because the film is still fantastic in moments and the acting and cinematography are often superb, it's just a bit too vague on the whole to really capture your attention and make you care about the story.