The Traitor (2019)

The real life of Tommaso Buscetta, the so-called "boss of the two worlds," the first mafia informant in Sicily in the 1980s.

Director:

Marco Bellocchio

Writers:

Marco Bellocchio, Valia Santella

Stars:

Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane

21 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Tommaso Buscetta
Maria Fernanda Cândido	...	Maria Cristina de Almeida Guimarães
Fabrizio Ferracane	...	Pippo Calò
Fausto Russo Alesi	...	Giovanni Falcone
Luigi Lo Cascio	...	Salvatore Contorno
Bruno Cariello	...	Alfonso Giordano
Nicola Calì	...	Totò Riina
Giovanni Calcagno	...	Tano Badalamenti
Vincenzo Pirrotta	...	Luciano Liggio
Bebo Storti	...	Franco Coppi
Rosario Palazzolo	...	Giovanni De Gennaro
Pier Giorgio Bellocchio	...	Cesare
Goffredo Maria Bruno	...	Stefano Bontate (as Goffredo Bruno)
Gabriele Cicirello	...	Benedetto Buscetta
Michelangelo Cicirello

Storyline

The real life of Tommaso Buscetta, the so-called "boss of the two worlds," the first mafia informant in Sicily in the 1980s.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | 1990s | year 2000 | sicily italy | cosa nostra | 

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Taglines:

The True Story About The Man Who Brought Down The Mafia

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexual content, language and brief graphic nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Giovanni Montinaro, son of Judge Giovanni Falcone's chief of security, strongly opposed the film, criticizing the choice of releasing it on the anniversary of the murder of his father and of the others involved in the attack. He let it go when Pierfrancesco Favino told him that the date was chosen by the production precisely as a way to pay homage to Falcone, his wife and his security detail, killed that day in 1992.

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Goofs

When Buscetta is playing with his new AR-15 at his home, you can hear Tim McCarver announcing a baseball game and references Eric Davis who played for Cincinnatti Reds. However, the scene is during Christmas time and baseball is not played that time of year.

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Quotes

Tommaso Buscetta: Riina used to say better to command than to fuck.For me it's the opposite.

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Soundtracks

Says
Written and Performed by Nils Frahm

User Reviews

The real mafia........

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Germany]

Country:

Italy France Germany Brazil

Language:

Italian Sicilian Portuguese English

Release Date:

12 May 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Traitor

Filming Locations:

Palermo, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,240, 2 February 2020

Gross USA:

$296,027

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,851,996

Company Credits

Production Co:

IBC Movie, Kavac Film, Rai Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

153 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1