Angela review

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Mob movies tend to view the crime world from an exclusively male perspective, so this fact-based drama about a Mafia wife at least has novelty on its side.

Angela follows a Palermo shoestore owner (Donatella Finocchiaro) who helps ship her drug kingpin husband's skag in shoeboxes. Respite from her cheapskate hubby comes in the form of Masino (Andrea Di Stefano), a hot-headed hood in the Sonny Corleone mould. But as the cops close in, their secret affair takes a deadly turn.

Roberta Torre's slow-burn drama has plenty going for it, not least Finocchiaro's absorbing big-screen debut. A celebrated stage actress, she combines nonchalant cool, touching vulnerability and reservoirs of untapped passion. Unfortunately, despite taking in a few neat twists en route to its poignant conclusion, the script's fidelity to true-life events means the action fizzles out just when it should explode, making Angela a little too lightweight to join the genre's big boys.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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