The "respectable society" in Sicily isn't amused: drug-dealers have begun to use children's corpses, stuffing the bodies with heroin which they smuggle across the French-Italian border; this practice being in non-compliance with the mafia's code of honour, they suspect two rivalling Mafia clans – one being the family of local mafia boss Don Cascemi, the other by exiled Italian-American Mafiosi Ricuzzo. Not wanting to get their 'good' names involved, the mafia hires Tony Aniante, a hired hit man who has learned his trade in the US. Tony infiltrates the fighting families and, using both physical violence and psychological warfare, he get's both families to wipe each other out while at the same time settling an old score of his own.
Don't make the mistake to confuse American mafia films like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas" or even "The Sopranos" to the ultra-violent subgenre of Poliziottesco; apart from the topic of organized crime, both really have very little in common. In the Americanized versions, the Mafiosi are invariable shows as corrupted yet often charismatic, honourable even amiable at times; you won't find an amiable character throughout the entire film. There's no Tony Soprano, no Sonny or Vincent Corleone, there's only Tony Aniante – and if you find any redeeming elements in this 'protagonist', well, you might consider seeking out medical advice.
Henry Silva as Aniante is impressive: eyes like burning coal, features reminding us of some carrion animal, that could only be replicated with the use of special-effect (if they wouldn't happen to be Silvas features already). At first Aniante comes across like a tough guy who might harbour some decency within him (for example, in the scene where he saves the handicapped grandson of one of the clan-heads from assassination). About halfway through the film, we realize that he's nothing more than a ruthless, ice-cold psychopath, left traumatized by a violent childhood and a pathological hate for women. He rapes, beats and kills with such glee and passion, one doesn't know whether to be scared or repulsed by Aniante, who's not above crushing the bodies of two opponents whom he's just killed, with a steamroller. His form of romance consists of slamming a lonely woman unto a slaughtered cow, sodomizing her and beating her to a bloody pulp. Need I mention who becomes the new godfather of Sicily at the end of the movie? The topic 'trauma' runs through the entire film, not just through the disturbed characters but by showing us a deeply traumatized society, were everybody has their share of scares, caused by generational violence and bloodshed. "Queli che contano" doesn't show us that beautiful, jolly south of Italy, where the people do nothing else but sing, dance and drink Chianti; it shows us a barren land, scorched by the sun, where sweat-drenched shirts are a way of life and even the buildings speak of decay and degeneration.
If "Queli che contano" has a message, it is that there is no "respectable society" within the mafia – just corrupted souls, ruthless criminals and even the most honourable Mafioso is still a thug, a murderer and a thief. It may well be the last movie that a Mafioso may want to see – and in case this should be my last review, please tell my wife that I love her and keep searching that bay for a guy standing inside a concrete block.
Despite all the sleaze and exploitation, it's very powerful, even an authentic film that's certainly not easy to enjoy (unless you're a complete sadist), but it might well be a cure for people who tend to idolize the mafia, cossa nostra, camorra or any other organized crime organisations. I'd give it seven from ten.
Don't make the mistake to confuse American mafia films like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas" or even "The Sopranos" to the ultra-violent subgenre of Poliziottesco; apart from the topic of organized crime, both really have very little in common. In the Americanized versions, the Mafiosi are invariable shows as corrupted yet often charismatic, honourable even amiable at times; you won't find an amiable character throughout the entire film. There's no Tony Soprano, no Sonny or Vincent Corleone, there's only Tony Aniante – and if you find any redeeming elements in this 'protagonist', well, you might consider seeking out medical advice.
Henry Silva as Aniante is impressive: eyes like burning coal, features reminding us of some carrion animal, that could only be replicated with the use of special-effect (if they wouldn't happen to be Silvas features already). At first Aniante comes across like a tough guy who might harbour some decency within him (for example, in the scene where he saves the handicapped grandson of one of the clan-heads from assassination). About halfway through the film, we realize that he's nothing more than a ruthless, ice-cold psychopath, left traumatized by a violent childhood and a pathological hate for women. He rapes, beats and kills with such glee and passion, one doesn't know whether to be scared or repulsed by Aniante, who's not above crushing the bodies of two opponents whom he's just killed, with a steamroller. His form of romance consists of slamming a lonely woman unto a slaughtered cow, sodomizing her and beating her to a bloody pulp. Need I mention who becomes the new godfather of Sicily at the end of the movie? The topic 'trauma' runs through the entire film, not just through the disturbed characters but by showing us a deeply traumatized society, were everybody has their share of scares, caused by generational violence and bloodshed. "Queli che contano" doesn't show us that beautiful, jolly south of Italy, where the people do nothing else but sing, dance and drink Chianti; it shows us a barren land, scorched by the sun, where sweat-drenched shirts are a way of life and even the buildings speak of decay and degeneration.
If "Queli che contano" has a message, it is that there is no "respectable society" within the mafia – just corrupted souls, ruthless criminals and even the most honourable Mafioso is still a thug, a murderer and a thief. It may well be the last movie that a Mafioso may want to see – and in case this should be my last review, please tell my wife that I love her and keep searching that bay for a guy standing inside a concrete block.
Despite all the sleaze and exploitation, it's very powerful, even an authentic film that's certainly not easy to enjoy (unless you're a complete sadist), but it might well be a cure for people who tend to idolize the mafia, cossa nostra, camorra or any other organized crime organisations. I'd give it seven from ten.