The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 8, 2014

To fully appreciate “The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair,” one must have a doctorate in the financial history of Italy, with knowledge of its working parts pertaining to the Vatican, Masonic control, and government corruption. I’ll fully admit, this is not a movie that inspires interest in such topics, leaving its byzantine structure difficult to digest unless the viewer has a specific connection to the unfolding crisis. It’s not a terrible film by any means, but one that’s persistently complex to a degree where it begins to freak out its director, Guiseppe Ferrara.

“The Bankers of God” has the quality of a television movie, with its layers of conspiracy and accusations, reaching across the spectrum of power that drives the country. It’s also one of the most intricate Faces and Places picture I’ve ever encountered, with the opening 30 minutes flinging around important characters without properly introducing anybody, leaving the viewer to wade through a list of critical, stern men, with their affiliations reduced to acronyms. It doesn’t take long for “The Bankers of God” to feel like homework, with Ferrara soon sharing the sentiment, editing in visual reminders to ease understanding, but it doesn’t quite take.

The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The VC-1 encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't spark with any sort of cinematic life, resembling an average television addition to BD, video-like and flat. Detail isn't completely washed away, but smoothness remains, with filtering pulling out textures, leaving a few choice close-ups to really explore facial nuances. Colors are muted, rarely showing depth, with reds pushed the hardest. Blacks are tepid but without complete solidification. Noisy pockets remain, and fast movement brings out a blockiness that's fleeting but noticeable.

The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM sound mix features a rather uneven balance between dialogue exchanges and scoring cues, with music considerably muted, while voices are pronounced, often at top volume. Range is troubling, with crispy highs and minimal lows, and the picture's extensive dubbing contributes to an inherent artificiality. Hiss is consistent but damage is minimal.

The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (12 pages) with an essay on the history of the film is included.

• "The Blackfriars Connection" (21:50, SD) discusses the true story that inspired the picture, hosted by journalist Gianni Barbacetto.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Performances are excitable, as passions register with soap opera-style intensity, making scenes pop with fury as the injustice and political scrambling mounts. Packed with uneasy encounters and an interest in the history of the Banco Ambrosiano scandal, "The Bankers of God" isn't lacking details. It's how these details are communicated to the audience that's troublesome, going beyond simple concentration to explode with intricacies lost on the average viewer. Again, it's a feature that will undoubtedly appeal to a select group with a firm grasp on Italian history, but even they might feel a little cross-eyed by the end, often unsure what Ferrara was hoping to communicate with this knotted effort.