"Gemeinsam mit dem römischen Filmemacher Garrone hat Roberto Saviano Teile seines gleichnamigen Tatsachenromans zu einem Drehbuch verarbeitet. Doch GOMORRAH, der Film, hat so gar nichts vom spekulativen Undercover-Reportage-Format des Buchs. In fünf Handlungssträngen legt Garrone die moralischen Verstricktheiten bloß – die Angst, die lodernde Hoffnung und Resignation, die das bettelarme kampanische Hinterland beherrschen. Die Hauptfiguren sind kleine Fische, lediglich Handlanger, die die 'Schmutzarbeit' erledigen. Ihr Umfeld steht stellvertretend für die vielen Geschäftsfelder der Camorra: den Handel mit Drogen und Waffen, die Giftmüllentsorgung oder die Manipulation der süditalienischen Textilindustrie." Maya McKechneay, Falter Wien

"A glimpse into the unglamorous reality of the inner workings of the Italian mafia. All levels of life are polluted with the putrescent grime of crime. There is no escape. No hope. No redemption. Only mamma mia." CinemaVoid, Letterboxd (2022)

"Staying down and dirty, GOMORRAH generates bleak magnetism from the partnerships Garrone forges with his actors. Garrone doesn't inflate his characters into arch-villains or tragic failures. Together, he and his ensemble create indelible images of bravado and anguish." Michael Sragow, Criterion Channel (2017)

"A film about organized crime that is the polar opposite of "The Godfather". There is nothing glamorous about crime here. It's a film about the foot soldiers that are in the trenches doing the dirty work and barely making a living out of it.
The five intertwined stories show you a multitude of different aspects of organized crime in Naples. When you come down to it, it's all about making money, but the characters in the film aren't the ones benefiting from it. They are really closer to being victims then any kind of crime boss. Some of the younger characters are quoting from Scarface at the beginning of the film to give you an idea of what kind of mentality they have going into it. By the time they know any better it's too late to get out.
The film is compared a lot to "City of God" and quite frankly I think that does this film a disservice. GOMORRAH is a completely different beast. While "City of God" is more of a drama, this film is more of a 'matter of fact' kind of film. There are no love interests or heroes here." Mr. DuLac, Letterboxd (2012)

"[A] remarkable, slightly unconventional, and strictly unglamorous Mafia epic... Unlike most of the multi-thread narratives in today's cine-Babel, GOMORRAH manages to convince on the macro-level because its makers have taken care to actually attend to the micro-level and build their way up, instead of forcing the stranglehold of a predetermined pattern on the proceedings." Christoph Huber, Cinema Scope (2012)