Based on the mediocre attendance Friday night at the Varsity Cinemas, it is dubious that The American will garner a significant share of the weekend’s box office receipts. This is unfortunate news because the film is likely one of the better films that is out there at the moment. It is not a top film – those will be released later in the fall – but it is wholly enjoyable. I have not seen The Expendables but I can imagine how that film might feature more explosions and more action with less substance. This is a slow-paced thriller that gradually …
Gomorrah
This Italian film with English subtitles relies on the contrast between innocent youth and the guilty actions of the members of the Camorra crime syndicate in the region of Campania to make its dramatic point. The insidious organization, supposedly larger than the Cosa Nostra, recruits young people to fill its ranks, which deplete rapidly due to an enormous number of homicides. Two teenaged friends realize that they must become mortal enemies because one of them joined a separatist faction. Two dim-witted young men go from playing Scarface to stealing weapons. A grocery delivery boy uses his position to trick a …