The Traitor

Everyone has, of course, heard of the mafia but what and who these people are, remains hidden behind lurid headlines and sensational films.

The Traitor offers an insight into who these people really are, their motivations, ambitions and the structure of the organisation, headed by a commission.

What becomes clear is how tribal, loosely cohesive at best and brutal this group is. It underscores too, the fragility, of the judicial system in Italy. Law enforcement and judges intimidated by these groups and politicians potentially collaborating with them. Small wonder they became so powerful.

This film is inherently interesting, made more so by stellar performances, that are simple and honest. There is no pretension here, just an insight into the troubled and tortured life of a man who decided to expose the vicious criminal organisation he once served.

One notable downside is because of the breadth of ambition of this film, covering decades, it can be difficult to follow at times. Making the viewer work to keep up with what happening to who, when and why.

Nonetheless compelling viewing. 7/10 from me.

No parla italiano, and that gave me some problems following the narrative, due to a very bad english CC's, that mustve been issued by an overeager middle schooled italian or siscilian. and that is a major drawback for the film....

which is very good indeed, about the big trials towards the leadership of the cosa nostra divisions of siscily in the late 70's and the 1980's. i do remember some of the names, and especially the bomb attack on giorgio falcone made a deep impression to me when it happened. it also shows the primitive judicial system that were excecuted in italian court rooms, with poor discipline and frightened judges and officials and corrupt police.

the story do spring back and forth very fast and often, but survives by good time and place info on each shift. the pace are slow, but the acting are very well done and the lead male actor gave an excellent performance on many levels. i wish i had those cool demeanors...

if you want to see a film with some similarities to don corleone, and killing spree of blood feuds alla sciciliano style, then the grumpy old man recommend il traditore. a strong 8.

From the debates in the halls of Palermo to the killings in the streets, Bellocchio delivers a very well done movie with all the characteristics to be remembered as a great mafia movie. Favino is just fabolous, great acting. A marvelous portrait of a piece of Italian history. Thank you Marco!

I liked it. Although certain events of the so-called "Second Mafia war" took place, between the 1981-83, have been changed and rightly accelerated due to the film's rhythms (for istance the death of Salvatore Inzerillo is set in 1982 and not 1981 and is little bit different about how he was killed). Bellocchio has been able to discreetly direct a film that is not at all simple and above all with a character as a protagonist absolutely not easy to manage.

Favino is certainly the strong point of the whole film, with a really intense acting from beginning to end. So much has fallen well in the shoes of Buscetta that sometimes seems to see and above all feel the real Don Masino. The Maxi-Trial of 1986, shot among other things in the Palermo's bunker room, the same where the real historical juridical process took place is certainly the point that entertains the viewer the most. The comparison between Calò and Buscetta is truly faithful to what was really there, the same thing the scenes with the other Pentito, Salvatore Contorno, the scenes when he speaks fluent sicilian slang are really similar with the original deposition, but having proposed with other realism also other salient moments with the other defendants was really classy. Perhaps the film falls just in the act after the Maxi-Trial and following the 1992's Massacres (Capaci and Via d'Amelio) , when going towards the conclusion by now the same Buscetta becomes precisely more and more "invisible" and without anything more particularly interesting to reveal.

This film covers more or less 30 years of italian (not only) history, and tells the story of the mafia penitent Tommaso Buscetta, who accepted to collaborate with the judge Giovanni Falcone. The plot is accurate to what really happened and doesn't leave much to the director. Great acting by Pierfrancesco Favino playing Buscetta.