My only previous experience with Michael Cimino was the overrated and interminable "The Deer Hunter" which contained a wedding scene which lasted longer than some marriages. The director did not seem to understand the meaning of the word edit. The Sicilian tells the story of Salvatore Giuliano, a post WWII Robin Hood like figure who committed bold robberies and tried to initiate land reform with a small scale redistribution of wealth to the starving peasant farmers of Sicily. He battled the government, the church and the mafia, the holy trinity of Italy. Giuliano is played by Christopher Lambert, and the actor has a disconcerting cross-eyed look which made me wonder how the hell Cimino chose him for the lead role. He looks lost and is if he somehow landed on the set from his Tarzan role from his earlier work in "Greystoke". I did see the longer uncut version and the script is decent, probably due to the fact that a co-writer was Gore Vidal, one of my favorite chroniclers of history. His sarcastic wit is evident throughout the film and make it passable entertainment.

"Heaven's Gate" was Michael Cimino's worst film and one of the worst of all time? Never. The troubled making of it was a disaster, indeed, but the movie is almost a masterpiece and a good film on its own. The ones that came after Cimino's "ban" from Hollywood are the excellent "The Year of the Dragon", the average "Desperate Hours", his last "The Sunchaser" (a nice film for those with eyes to see), and this one "The Sicilian", adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel and based on the life of criminal Salvatore Giuliano. In my humble opinion, this is his worst film. Confusing, ineffective and trapped in a weird chaotic fashion with scenes going from good to painfully bad. But it's better to blame on Steve Shagan's script and the studio who trimmed down the film in a few minutes making the story even more confusing than what already is.What we gather is that Giuliano (played by a dreadful Christopher Lambert) and his Sicilian group of criminal peasants cause horror in Sicily stealing land from its rich owners and giving to the poor, working for the cause of making Sicily independent. He defied politics, the church and everyone against his actions. His popularity was so great that even a powerful mafioso (like the one played by Joss Ackland) gave him some support until the day his arrogance for more power drives him off course, and no one's there to help him anymore. I guess this film could be called "Salvatore Giuliano: The Beginning" as it ends from the part where Francesco Rosi's good classic begins with the disastrous and controversial investigation about the mysterious robber's murder, a political crime that devastated Italy. If built on the same tradition of "The Godfather", with substance and greatness it would have turned out to be a great endeavor. However, it all looks phoney, simplistic and we feel as if watching a poor version of "Scarface". Another story about a man trying so hard to be a powerful criminal, difference is that he has some ideals of respect, justice and fights for others though he's no hero - but he seems more reliable than all the other corrupted Italian institutions. And in Giuliano's role, Lambert comes off a stiff, unnatural, only pleasing to look at when he's dressed with his elegant trench-coat. Ruined the movie just as much as Barbara Sukowa as the American lady who "rapes" the gangster.And there are qualities to be found in this Cimino work, qualities that remind us of his previous works. The cinematography bears similarities with the shots captured in "The Deer Hunter" and "Heaven's Gate" and Vilmos Szigmond is not the director of photography here yet it looks like one of his works; David Mansfield score has its moments; Mr. Ackland was a strong presence, as John Turturro as well, playing Giuliano's best friend. It's the story that is wrong. I couldn't get anything from it, no life, no truth, nothing new. Worthy of a view? Maybe, out of curiosity. Bear in mind that Cimino lost his mojo with this thing with badly staged scenes (but some horrifying and effective moments as well, demonstrated in the barber's execution in front a whole village after being discovered as a traitor who denounced Giuliano) and no story to work with. The book has to be ten thousands better to get ruined this way. 5/10

I've seen about four of director Michael Cimino's films, and every time I see one I feel like I am watching an attempt to create the equivalent of opera within the film medium. All of Cimino's films are filled with things one would often expect to find in the opera: emotional soliloquies, multi-layered mob conflicts, varied ethno-religious pageants filling the screen, extended love scenes, contrasting symbolisms between murky and bright color schemes, and plenty of furious soul-searching by its male characters following unexpected death and despair. Plus, like opera, his films are LONG.The problem is that the old Italian conventions of the opera are not what most American audiences and even critics want to see. That is my theory for why his films have never gained the kind of respect he would probably get if he were a purely European director. My guess is that one day they will - alongside someone like Sergio Leone, whose work is quite similar.A film treatment of a melodramatic novel by Mario Puzo about a Robin Hood-type (emphasis on the "hood") outlaw stealing from the Sicilian gentry to give to the peasants in Fascist 1930s Italy is really the best possible setting I've seen for a Cimino film. His style of multi-layered art filmmaking was just not compatible for the American West of the 1880s in "Heaven's Gate." Here, he is using an incredibly literate screenplay (supposedly most of which was written by the literary legend Gore Vidal, the rest by author Steve Shagan), filled with endlessly quotable spiritual/political/philosophical dialogue and musings. Aiding this is the Nino Rota-esqe score by Cimino's usual musical composer David Mansfield.Subtle character development has never been the strong suite of Cimino; he explores bigger things in his films like mood, place, and theme. And in this respect, he really does deserve credit for putting the audience in the middle of 1930s Italy, with its cauldron of conflicts between indentured peasants, land-owning gentry, shifty politicians, and the self-righteous dons and pontiffs who control things behind the scenes. This would be an excellent movie to watch alongside "The Godfather III," also based upon the work of Puzo, to spot common themes. While nowhere near as groundbreaking or spectacular as The Godfather films, this movie does deserve its place as a companion piece in Puzo's screen adaptations. It's not a fast-paced Scorcese mafia film; it requires patience.

Based on the novel by Mario Puzo, which was in turn loosely inspired by the life of bandit, black marketeer, and separatist Salvatore Giuliano, "The Sicilian" is a confusing, self-important mess of a movie. As was the case with Rob Roy, Jesse James, and Bonnie and Clyde, popular culture once again whitewashes the acts of a real-life criminal and reinvents them as a folk hero. Set in Sicily during the 1940s, the film begins with Giuliano (Christopher Lambert) and his friend Pisciotta (John Turturro) stealing grain to feed hungry villagers. Caught in the act, Giuliano escapes after shooting a police officer, but he is seriously wounded himself (despite his life-threatening injury, Giuliano still manages to outrace the authorities and leap onto the back of a horse!). Giuliano seeks shelter in a monastery and is treated by a barber who says he will certainly die. However, Giuliano declares that he will live and makes a miraculous recovery. Giuliano's (near) death and resurrection is obviously intended as an allusion to Christ. I'm not a religious person, but I still think there's something blasphemous about comparing a thief and murderer to the Messiah.Once fully healed, Giuliano launches a crusade to provide the poor people of Sicily with land and counter the authority of the Mafia, the Catholic Church, and the wealthy landowners. To accomplish this he becomes a bandit and flees to the mountains, eventually assembling a large following. However, Giuliano goes too far, makes powerful enemies, and (in another parallel with Christ) is betrayed by a Judas in his ranks.If executed properly, "The Sicilian" could have been a powerful, complex tale of a man who does terrible things for noble reasons and ends up undermining everything he fought for. Unfortunately, the motion picture is plagued by poor choices. Various accents are spoken by the international cast, very few of which sound remotely Sicilian. Christopher Lambert in particular is miscast. Supporting characters come and go without contributing much to the story. Numerous factions become involved in the plot - the government, the Mafia, the church, the nobility, and the socialists - but it's not always clear whom is allied with whom or why. Many scenes were cut from the finished film by the studio and the audience can tell."The Sicilian" was directed by Michael Cimino, who has a very mixed track record. After directing one of the greatest movies of all time, "The Deer Hunter", Cimino was responsible for the notorious commercial and critical disaster "Heaven's Gate" (which, in retrospect, is actually not that bad). Cimino recovered somewhat with the crime thriller "Year of the Dragon", but "The Sicilian" was another step backwards for his career. Cimino at least insures that the film is well shot, but his deadly serious intentions are frequently undermined by weak performances, clunky dialogue, and schmaltzy music.** out of ****