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Fri 11 Nov 2006Gangsters all'ItalianaReviewed - Romanzo Criminale/Crime Story:  SET against turbulent political events in Italy between 1977 and 1992, Michele Placido's vigorous gangster movie inevitably evokes Marco Tullio Giordana's magisterial epic The Best of Youth.While Romanzo Criminale doesn't aspire to the sheer scale and ambition of that masterpiece, it makes for arresting cinema that never flags. Placido exhibits a firm command of narrative, rhythm and visual style, and he elicits vivid performances from his capable cast.