SummaryBased on the novel by Roberto Saviano (Gomorrah), Piranhas follows fifteen year-old Nicola (Francesco Di Napoli) who lives with his mother and younger brother in the Sanità neighborhood of Naples, a place that has been controlled by the Camorra mafia for centuries. Dreaming of a life lush with designer clothing and elite nightclub bottle service,... Read More
Directed By:Claudio Giovannesi
Written By:Roberto Saviano, Claudio Giovannesi, Maurizio Braucci
Piranhas
Metascore
Mixed or Average
57
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
46% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
46% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Sep 4, 2019
78
Given the rags-to-riches Mafia narrative Piranhas is built upon, it’s no surprise that Giovannesi’s film has received comparisons – both favorable and unfavorable – to "Goodfellas."
Jun 13, 2019
75
A familiar but arrestingly visceral crime story with a coming-of-age twist, Claudio Giovannesi’s Piranhas has an unusual relationship with its own predictability.
Feb 21, 2019
67
There is something so perceptive in the way Giovannesi zeroes in on these embryonic mafia bosses–especially as Piranhas ventures into the kids’ relationship with the adult world around them–which makes for an enjoyable if patchy 105-minute ride.
Feb 15, 2019
60
Giovannesi’s movie is watchable enough, but often looks like a smoothed-out, planed-down version of Garrone’s Gomorrah: Gomorrah without the rough edges, like a classy television version.
Aug 1, 2019
50
In its reliance on a conventional narrative through-line, it’s more reminiscent of “The Public Enemy” than “Goodfellas” in spite of its stylings of contemporary cinematic realism.
Feb 15, 2019
50
Piranhas feels a bit like a teen movie that just happens to have a Cammora backdrop, rather than a serious, nuanced drama about the paranza system – essentially, the grooming of underage kids as drug runners and Mafia footsoldiers.
Aug 21, 2019
25
When you strip away the novelty of it all, we’re left with little more than a kids-meal version of “Scarface.”
User score
Generally Favorable
56% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
44% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Nov 14, 2019
10
Beautiful film, beautiful script that tells the life of teenagers, recommended
Feb 19, 2022
8
This is a film about Italian street gang run by young teenagers on motorbikes (Vespa type bikes). I felt a little uncomfortable with the perhaps somewhat glamorous depiction of things at one stage, with the youngsters becoming used to firing guns - an extremely dangerous situation, of course. I remember thinking it was a bit like Oliver, with the street gang of young kids looking after themselves, pretty much. The performances are very good, it all seems spookingly convincing if anything and also there's good camerawork/cinematography. I felt its quite atmospheric - you can imagine being in the presence of these people, imagine the emotions felt by them at certain points. I thought its a pretty solid film, so yes, I'd certainly recommend it.
Production Company:
- Palomar
- Vision Distribution
- Sky Cinema
- TIMvision
Release Date:Aug 2, 2019
Duration:1 h 45 m
Tagline:The Kids Are Out To Play
Awards
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
• 2 Wins & 9 Nominations
Golden Ciak Awards
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
Bucharest International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
