Blacks Souls delves into the intimate relationship between mafia criminality, vendetta tribalism, & cultural religion, director Francesco Munzi delivering a brooding & haunting look at how violence submerges men into a never ending darkness.

The religious beliefs of gangsters is incredibly fascinating. On one hand there is a stern Christianity (Catholic the most prominent denomination) that encompasses the morals, rituals and culture that many of these (mostly) men subscribe to. On the other there is the horrendously violent and criminal acts that they perpetrate in spite of the teachings of Christ in which they claim to adhere.

An incredibly powerful scene that depicts this hypocrisy is in The Godfather, when mafia don Michael Corleone stands as spiritual godfather to his baby nephew in a Church while nationwide his enemies are cut down. In the gangster movie sub-genre as a whole, it is rare to not find a scene where a crucifix is featured or the sign of the cross is done.

Italian director Francesco Munzi delves into this juxtaposition and much more in Black Souls, a heavy & haunting crime movie that has drawn comparisons to Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah in regards to authenticity, yet has a much more a religious bent.

Set in southern Italian town of Calabria, Black Souls focuses on the Cabrone brothers: Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) who are involved in the family business of high volume drug trafficking, and older brother Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracene) who refuses to take part in any mob dealings and instead lives a quiet life of goat herding and prayer.

When Luciano's only son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) rebels against his father and reignites a tribal feud, it brings about dire consequences with the whole family trapped in a whirlwind of violence.

With the movie shot in dark tones throughout (mostly natural lighting courtesy of cinematographer Vladan Radovic), a strong visual reminder is given that this a world where grace is absent, Munzi never wavering from the fact that these men have placed themselves in a permanent darkness through their actions and, indeed, their need to regain power through violent reaction.

The performances throughout are exceptional, especially from Marco Leonardi who adds new shades to the cocky violent gangster shtick (think Joe Pesci but with less motor-mouth), and Fabrizio Ferracene who is incredibly powerful as a man who cannot escape the cloud of death the "family business" wrought upon him.

The stakes at play in Black Souls are high, with deliverance sought yet hidden in a world blackened by the smoke of gunfire. Ferracene’s character Luciano especially tries to fight against the eye-for-an-eye Old Testament style violence that surrounds him, and it is indeed heartbreaking to watch him do so. Many crime movies can boast more bloody violence, but seldom few asks us to contemplate the destructive and corrupt power of violent acts as Munzi does.