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‘Sicilian Letters’ Review: Toni Servillo and Elio Germano Correspond in a Bloodless Mafia Manhunt Drama
"Sicilian Letters" a talky cat-and-mouser inspired by a real mob manhunt marks diminishing returns from directors Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza
And so it unfortunately proves once again in Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza ‘s “ Sicilian Letters,” a heavily fictionalized riff on a real-life mafia tale, which sets up a battle of wits between a ruthless mob boss and the family friend working with the authorities to bring him down, but struggles to maintain any kind of momentum when the duel is merely a case of epistles-at-dawn. Sporting a majestically unflattering grown-out dye-job greased into a slick, straggly combover, Catello cuts a vaguely ridiculous figure, which bolsters the film’s comic credentials but does rather detract from its dramatic heft. That operation will end up teaming Catello with the weirdly antagonistic Inspector Rita Mancuso (Daniela Marra) who delivers even the most innocuous dialogue as though her scene partner has just murdered her dog, and who has her own reasons for trusting no one, not even her own superiors.
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