Cento giorni a Palermo (1984)
Directed by Giuseppe Ferrara

Film Review

Cento giorni a Palermo is not so much a gangster film as a strikingly realistic account of an unsuccessful attempt by the authorities to crack down on Sicilian mobsters in the early 1980s.  Uncompromising in the violence it depicts, the film has a trenchant documentary feel and vividly portrays the seemingly hopeless task faced by those trying to restrain the activities of the Mafia and other rival gangs at the time.

The film is notable for being the penultimate screen outing for Lino Ventura, one of the legends of French cinema, here, for once, speaking in his native Italian.  Ventura's intense, darkly introspective performance, is what makes this film so gripping and disturbing.  He portrays the real-life General Carlo Dalla Chiesa as a man of ruthless determination, a man whose resolve and courage are bound to see him triumph.  When we see the General's fate at the hands of his enemies, it is genuinely shocking, and we are reminded that, in real life, the good guys do not always win.

Film Synopsis

In the spring of 1982, General Dalla Chiesa gives up his plans of early retirement and instead assumes the responsibilities of police chief in one of the most crime-ridden places in Europe, the Sicilian town of Palermo.  At the time, Sicily is completely under the control of the Mafia and crime is running rampant.  Attempts to reign in the criminal underworld have failed disastrously and recently there has been a spate of murders of high-profile political figures.

Before he knows it, goaded by yet another assassination, Chiesa is waging a fierce war against the most ruthless and sophisticated criminal organisation in the world.  It isn't just hardened gangsters the new police chief is up against.  The influence of the Mafia extends far beyond the criminal milieu and can be found right at the top of the judiciary and government.  Despite Chiesa's best efforts the wave of crime and carnage continues, and it is only a question time before he will be the mobsters' next target...