I have a soft spot for "Carlito's Way" and "Scarface" is pretty good.

Wife's out on the p!$$ tonight so when I get back from my coaching course I can sit and watch "Senna" uninterrupted.

Casino
Once Upon A Time In America
Donnie Brasco
Carlito's Way

All quality films in the mafia genre

Watched Casino for the first time last night, probably since it was originally shown on tv. Three and a half hours with adverts but thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again.

Defo to that one. Can also add;

[iMean Streets
Mikey and Nicky
Miller's Crossing
The Roaring Twenties
Sonatine
Infernal Affairs[/i

The Departed and American Gangster are great gangster films, if not Mafia

I'd add Gomorrah to that.

I saw The Devil Inside yesterday and thought it to be a big steaming load of poop.

It's very enjoyable. I hope that you stay up and let your wife in if she has trouble finding the keyhole tonight seeing she's out on the lash.

This.

Gomorrah is the only Mafia picture that truly has an air of authenticity. Don't get me wrong, I love a good gangster film - The Godfather is my all time favourite film - but for a true reflection of the misery and destruction these organisations wreak upon politics and civic life, Gomorrah (and the book is essential) is the only one that matters. It is absolutely brilliant. A rare example of a film that exhibits a genuine social purpose - like La Haine or the Battle of Algiers.

Agree totally.

I do love a gangster film too, but Gomorrah is the most realistic and believable film this genre has probably ever produced. Like you say, the book is genius too, but it's had its effects on Italian society - hasn't Saviano (the author) been living in police protection since publishing it?

He has. 24 hour bodyguard cover - he has received numerous threats to his life since publishing the book. There is an excellent interview with him on the BBC2 Culture Show (available via certain video sharing sites) where he talks about his life post-publication and how in many ways it has ruined his life. It's an incredibly daring, brave piece of work and I can't praise him enough.

Find myself increasingly baffled by the whole rl'John Carter'rl cock-up. Wouldn't normally comment but this smacks of irresponsibility and incompetence.

Firstly - what sort of studio puts a quarter of a billion dollars into a film in the current climate? I read somewhere recently studios were (wisely) avoiding major gambles and taking safe, relatively inexpensive options rather than huge blockbusters - especially on what is a gamble.

Secondly - why a film based on these books? I read A LOT and love sci-fi novels, and I've never heard of them. I doubt most people have, and if they have I doubt they have any special affinity to them. Someone's done a belting sales job on the studio there. Even the formula is flawed - as the chap at the BBC stated, period dramas very rarely do well, and films involving Mars rarely do well. Of course, there are exceptions, but put the two together and the result isn't hard to predict.

Thirdly - given Disney spent an astounding $100 million on marketing, I'd never heard of it until very recently. Caught the back end of an interview with Willem Dafoe a week or two ago and that was the first I'd ever heard of it. Some marketing genius needs a major slap on the wrist.

A few others issues I have with it - the blend of CGI and real-life action, just doesn't work unless in small doses either way. CGI is increasingly fantastic but still stands starkly out as animation out against real-life. And even the trailer soundtrack - a horrible remash of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, immediately gives me the impression it's a cheap effort and does it no favours.

I find the whole thing simply astonishing. But I'll probably still watch it at my first [size(free)[/size opportunity.

Perhaps you're not their target market. Maybe they're going for the "I'll watch anything with guns, explosions and special effects in" crowd.

The market known as 'people who watch Transformers'