Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.5

Gomorrah: Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 29, 2022

"Gomorrah: Season Three" (2017) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus features on the release are original trailers for the other seasons in the series. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The King is dead. Long live the King!

Without the heavy shadow of Don Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino), the exiled King of Secondigliano, Genny Savastano (Salvatore Esposito) can finally begin reshaping his father’s crumbled empire to his liking. But first he has to calm down the streets and remove anyone whose loyalty to his late father might foil his ambitious plan.

Malammore (Fabio De Caro), Don Pietro’s childhood friend and right-hand man, is Genny’s top target. If Malammore is neutralized, there would be no one left in Secondigliano with the required authority and connections to reorganize Don Pietro’s soldiers and question Genny’s plan. With the help of Ciro di Marzio (Marco D'Amore), Genny’s old pal-turned foe-then pal again, Malammore is ambushed and taken out. While Malammore’s body is still warm, Ciro, who is still a wanted man in Secondigliano, tells Genny that he needs to go away to figure out what to do with his life.

While Ciro goes deep undercover in Sofia, Bulgaria, in Rome Don Giuseppe (Gianfranco Gallo) emerges from prison and forces the shady accountant Gege (Edoardo Sorgente) to confess that his son-in-law has used him to transfer virtually all of his wealth to various companies that are under his control. Don Giuseppe uses his contacts to confirm that his arrest was part of Genny’s plan to take control of his organization as well. To get even with Genny, Don Giuseppe then orders his men to detain him in a middle of a big drug deal, beat him up, and send him back to Secondigliano with a warning to never ever come near Rome or his daughter, Azzura (Ivana Lotito). Genny and Azzura’s baby boy is taken away as well.

Badly hurt, humiliated and broke, Genny returns to Secondigliano and eventually reconnects with Ciro, who has quietly reentered Naples. Just like in the old days, Genny and Ciro then go back on the streets and put together a plan to regain the Savastano clan’s positioning in the city. For the plan to work as intended, however, Ciro must convince Enzo ‘Blue Blood’ (Arturo Muselli), a young and hungry thug with whom he connected in Sofia, that he and his men can climb to the top and take over an area of South Naples that was once controlled by his late father. Enzo takes the bait and begins working with Ciro, not realizing that he is partners with Genny, but as his reputation grows the city’s top crime bosses call a meeting of the Syndicate and agree to remove him. With war on the horizon, the last of the old influential crime figures in Secondigliano, Lady Annalisa (Cristina Donadio), enters the negotiations determined to get rid of Genny. She trusts Patrizia (Cristiana Dell'Anna), the late Don Pietro’s trusted assistant who is being used as a messenger, to help her succeed.

In the middle of all the drama, Genny’s wife, Azzura, who has been placed under house arrest by Don Giuseppe, phones Genny from Rome and begs him to do whatever it takes to give her back their baby. The plea and the incoming gang war present Don Giuseppe with what appears to be the perfect opportunity to permanently get rid of his son-in-law.

Season Three has twelve episodes, each once again approximately an hour long, that premiered in the summer of 2017. Six were directed by Claudio Cupellini, and another six by Francesca Comencini.

The intensity of the drama that flourishes in Season Three is easily comparable to that of Season One and Season Two, and so is the strength of the visuals, even though this time the camera visits new places that are quite exotic. The third episode, which was shot almost entirely on location in downtown Sofia and a few of its most dangerous suburbs, is really a minor masterpiece because it could work even as a short film.

But the absence of Stefano Sollima is impossible to ignore because there is something in the buildup of the drama that feels different. It is true that there are plenty of new characters that affect its evolution, with Muselli's character clearly having the biggest impact, but there is a change in the direction as well. The most notable discrepancies emerge during the quiet moments where various characters are seen pondering upcoming events or the consequences of their actions. A few times it feels like these quiet moments do not slow down quite as nicely as they do in Season One and Season Two.

Still, the overall quality of Season Three is excellent. It is why it is another genuinely terrifying examination of the cancer that has metastasized in Naples and is destroying its people. Can the city be saved? Probably, but only if Neapolitans realize that it is in their best interest to cut out the cancer.

Gomorrah: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gomorrah: Season Three arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Each of the twelve episodes looks fantastic. In terms of delineation, clarity, and depth it is hard to imagine that Blu-ray can offer a better technical presentation. The explosion of rich colors is pretty spectacular as well. Obviously, this isn't surprising because Gomorrah is a very recent production that was apparently shot with the latest ARRI cameras. (In native 4K, the visuals should be absolutely breathtaking). Now, there are a couple of darker sequences where I noticed that the blacks begin to stutter a bit and become patchy. You can see examples in screencaptures #13 and 20. However, I am not at all convinced that this is an issue that can be entirely avoided in 1080p. It appears that there is something occurring during the downsampling to 1080p, which then the encode somehow exacerbates. There are probably ways to minimize it, but it is pretty clear that the encoding alone isn't responsible for it. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Gomorrah: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. (For what it's worth, the bulk of the dialog is actually in Neapolitan, and plenty of it incorporates some local slang). Optional English subtitles are provided.

I viewed the entire Season Three with the Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It is excellent. However, I think that the Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is every bit as solid. I even compared a few of the shootouts where the 5.1 track has some surround effects and I still think that the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 does a pretty incredible job. Regardless of your choice, turn up the volume because the series is graced by an incredible soundtrack courtesy of ambient rockers Mokadelic.

Gomorrah: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - each disc has original trailers for Gomorrah Season Two, Season Three, and Season Four.

Gomorrah: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Viewing Gomorrah has been an astonishing experience because the quality of its first three seasons is simply superb. I definitely felt the absence of Stefano Sollima's touch in Season Three, but there were more than enough surprises that made up for it and I cannot wait for Season Four to reach my mailbox. Folks, Gomorrah might be the greatest crime series done on both sides of the Atlantic, so I urge you not to ignore Kino Lorber's releases. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.