The Traitor – 8

Here was a world I knew well, from The Irishman, Narcos, Sopranos, The Godfather and many more. As in The Irishman, the central figure, Tommaso Buscetta, was a “soldier,” but as played by Pierfrancesco Favino he is the dominant figure you want to watch, everything De Niro wasn’t. This, too, was a true story, which had plusses and minuses. Negative was the need to throw in historic episodes, such as the trial of ex-Premier Giulio Andreotti, that detracted from the movie’s dramatic arc. Positive was the help in suspending disbelief as one after another mobster was executed, often in grisly fashion. For a foreigner, the best new angle here was the film’s insight into Italy’s legal system and the light touch – even humor – that director Marco Bellocchio brought to the subject. The opening 20 minutes was a Cosa Nostra version of Saving Private Ryan, but once things settled down there were enough recognizable characters to populate a whole miniseries. Powerful, engaging and historically informative.