Brilliant neglected and underappreciated film about the Sicilian mafia.

| Original Score: A | Dec 15, 2008

A gentle Italian comedy from 1962 that takes a sobering, chilling turn that would make Michael Corleone proud.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 12, 2007

Director Lattuada was reportedly acclaimed for his oddball tonal shifts, which Mafioso offers in spades.

| Original Score: 4/6 | Jul 12, 2007

Director Alberto Lattuada's seriocomic 1962 look at the Sicilian mob lifestyle broke the omerta, providing a look at the sordidly fascinating life of the wiseguy.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 30, 2007

No wonder Mafioso vanished without a trace when it was released in 1962; the mordant mobster comedy was about 45 years ahead of its time.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 24, 2007

It feels like a comedy, and then a dark drama, and then, no, wait . . . a semicomic documentary, right? The effect, carried brilliantly by Sordi, is delightful.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | May 18, 2007

Some viewers may feel betrayed when the film's light-hearted and gently mocking attitude suddenly turns deadly serious. I thought it was breathtaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 18, 2007

If you're curious to see the roots of Mafia-related cinema (or even if you simply enjoy a well-made, well-acted film), don't miss Mafioso, a fresh, and still engaging comedy-drama.

| Original Score: 9/10 | May 11, 2007

The transitional gears never grind. They just keep clicking until you know you're along for the entire ride.

| Original Score: A- | May 11, 2007

The sort of masterpiece that will obliterate memories of lesser, later efforts in the 'meeting the parents' comedy lineage. Brilliant.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Apr 26, 2007

The film ripens in an unanticipated way, nimbly shifting from near farce to something quite a bit darker.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Apr 26, 2007

Mafioso may be 45 years old, but it's as bracingly relevant as anything else in theaters today. Even in the heat of a dry Sicilian summer, the film looks fresh as a lemon tree. And when you bite down hard, it's just as bitter.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Apr 20, 2007

If you crossed Meet the Parents with The Godfather and filmed it 45 years ago in Italian, you might come close to Mafioso, a black-and-white gem from 1962 whose appearance in local theaters is inexplicable but most welcome.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Apr 13, 2007

Mafioso is one of those quirky little films that grow on you as time goes by. Wonderfully shot in black and white by Armando Nannuzzi, whimsically played by Sordi and Bengell, Mafioso will remind you again why you like movies.

| Mar 31, 2007

...a masterpiece film that readily rivals the best modern American gangster film.

| Original Score: A | Mar 27, 2007

This is brilliant, subtle acting. And Lattuada's filmmaking matches it, with his blend of neo-realism and easy theatricality. He doesn't waste a shot.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 23, 2007

The black American offers a brief, sharp bit of tragicomic business that only appears unrelated to Nino's dire plot. He has no idea who he is, and even when he finds out, he's committed to silence.

Full Review | Mar 17, 2007

Nothing quite prepares you for the unique experience of this film. It's an offer that you ... well, you know. Leave the gun, take the cannolis. Mangiate bene.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 16, 2007

Mafioso may have been made in another era, but it stands as a classy, even radical rebuke to the film school posers who keep recycling the same tired gangster tropes.

| Mar 15, 2007

It takes a while to adjust to its rhythm, but this is essential viewing for cinephiles.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 15, 2007