The Challenge

José Suárez has a good racket smuggling American cigarettes into Naples, but he's ambitious. He heads to the country, to become a broker for farm produce. That trade, however, is controlled by the Camorra. He comes to an understanding with them, but that puts him in their pocket. On his wedding day with Rosanna Schiaffino, they squeeze.

It's a dark and stormy movie by Francesco Rosi about the intersection between ambition, business, beautifully written and performed. Suárez offers a dynamite performance in a role that is simple in its motivation, but complex in its performance.