Le Clan des Siciliens is an excellent case study of the Mafia, in my opinion much better than The Godfather. I have seen it twice with more than 10 years in between. Both times I was deeply impressed. Le Clan des Siciliens has that typical French crime noir touch: from the very beginning the spectator knows that things will go wrong, but not how. Beware. This is not a fast speed action flick. Don't expect a lot of shooting and explosions. In my opinion that adds to the realism. Maffia criminals are professionals, not lunatics. They avoid unnecessary violence, because they don't want to draw attention. So Le Clan des Siciliens is a study of criminal behavior and Mafia morals. It relies heavily on character building. Thus it uses all the strong points of French cinema in the period 1960-1980. Gabin, Delon and Ventura excel. They are so much better than say Brando, Pacino and Caan. Le Clan des Siciliens is one of the best movies I know and moreover a half forgotten one.
Review of The Sicilian Clan
