The Sicilian (1987)

Touches You

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

For entertainment value, Cimino's 'The Sicilian' does not deliver in the Hollywood sense. That's good in my opinion.It viewed some where between documentary and romantic fairy tale. Maybe to many, the latter choice would be more appropriate. I'd place Sicilian, Salvatore Giuliano or Lambert's portrayal smack in the middle. That's because even after doing much research I'm still not sure who the real character was. Probably, no one really knows for sure.The plot moves along fine except for the opening flashback from Turturro's cell. Cimino should have axed the scene first cut. The inclusion of the American governess did not help the story line either. In fact, she, the actress gave an unconvincing and unflattering portrayal of Americans (the rich ones) living abroad. At times she swore like a trooper. Most of the film she sounded and looked like a hooker in communist garb, designer that is. I was so glad when she fell off the reel.The rest of supporting cast was complementary. Giuliano's accomplices were good enough and just bad enough to add intrigue. Even the crotchety old professor was a good fit as interlocutor between Giuliano, his loyal band of unhappy bandits, the fickle mob and the stripe changing church.The film's one weakness is the behind the scene's love affair between the Mafia Don and Giuliano. I found it confusing. Do competing mobsters profess such unrequited love? Perhaps they do in Sicily.If you're looking for something in the genre of the non-stop murderous mobster films, then give this one a miss. However, if you are fascinated with Sicily and their mysterious culture, 'The Sicilian' will give you some good glimpses of the stunning mountain terrain, cosmopolitan Palermo and its people both big and small, good and bad.

In keeping with one of the movie's subplots, I confess to being a total Cimino fan. I have loved the four films that I have bought on DVD and I believe he is a much underrated director.  I just finished The Sicilian several minutes ago and I, as opposed to the last commentators, loved the film, did not fall to the floor in hysterical laughter and did not think that Cimino wanted to become Scorsese in the worst way. I thought the script was thoughtful and one of the few films to confront the historical political skeleton hanging in every Italian closet--the skeleton of land redistribution and the ghosts that haunt,to this day, the society of old Italy. The people of Bologna and Emilia-Romangna understand this but the Scicilians still rely on the Mafia. Of course, everyone sees in a film that which they are programmed from childhood to see; for me, however, I saw a deeper film than other commentators saw and as a result, I watched a far better film--a film of great substance with the rough beauty of the Scicilian countryside and the Scililian cityscapes bared for all to appreciate. The historicity of Cimino's films produce a memorable panoply of substance, painted on a canvas of great beauty. I loved the actors and I loved all that they did on the screen; I applaud Cimino for his artistic brilliance. I am hugely saddened that there is nothing comparable in today's Hollywood cinema.

This is a fantastic story about rebellion against the odds, Mario Puzo's Novel is a splendid read. However, Christopher Lambert acting is completely wooden. Absolutely awful. He straight out looks and speaks like an American with a terrible attempt at a Sicilians accent. Very annoying to people that have read the book and looked forward to decent story being told. Too much emphasis on the relationship between the duchess and not Giovanna. Gives the viewer the impression of a stronger love connection (when it was just sex for revenge/future plans) between the duchess than when Giovanna (his true love in the book) sat by the sidelines. Crappy casting and a poorly adapted novel seems like Michael Cimino just missed the whole plot. could of been so much more. Oh well read the book instead.

Despite the score of 4.8/10, I still picked up The Sicilian in the DVD bargain bin since I liked Christopher Lambert in Highlander and Fortress. I'm not gonna say Christopher Lambert is the greatest actor in the world but I guess he did OK in this. They've got some good supporting actors such as Joss Ackland and John Turturro that bring life to the movie. I like this movie a lot. It is MUCH better than the trash Lambert has starred in the past five years [i.e. Fortress 2, Absolon]. This movie deserves more than a 4.8...more like a 6.5+. Michael Cimino has got to be one of the greatest directors ever but I guess after Heavens Gate, people lost faith in him. Oh well. If you're looking for a spin-off Godfather type movie with the 'Highlander', it's worth a rent.