Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor (Il traditore) is a gripping biographical crime drama that chronicles the life of Tommaso Buscetta, the first high-ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) to turn informant. The film dives deep into loyalty, betrayal, justice, and moral ambiguity, presenting an unflinching look at one man’s fight against an empire of crime.
Detailed Summary
The Rise of Buscetta
Set in the early 1980s, the film begins during a bloody internal war within the Sicilian Mafia. Tommaso Buscetta (played by Pierfrancesco Favino) is a respected figure in the Cosa Nostra but begins to distance himself as violence intensifies between rival factions. He flees to Brazil with his family, trying to start anew, leaving parts of his family behind in Italy.
The Arrest in Brazil
Buscetta’s temporary peace is shattered when he’s arrested in Brazil. The film portrays this with gritty realism—he’s tortured and interrogated by Brazilian authorities before being extradited to Italy. This sequence marks a turning point: Buscetta is physically broken but mentally defiant.
Buscetta Meets Judge Falcone
Upon his return to Italy, Buscetta meets Judge Giovanni Falcone (Fausto Russo Alesi). Their relationship becomes the moral and emotional center of the film. Falcone, known for his integrity, convinces Buscetta to testify against the Mafia, triggering what would become the Maxi Trial, the largest anti-Mafia prosecution in Italian history. Buscetta’s testimony changes everything—he becomes both a national hero and a condemned traitor.
The Maxi Trial
Bellocchio recreates the Maxi Trial scenes with meticulous attention to detail. The chaotic courtroom, filled with defiant mobsters screaming threats from cages, is both surreal and terrifying. Buscetta calmly identifies his former associates and outlines the Mafia’s structure for the judges, breaking the sacred code of silence, omertà.
The War Against Falcone and Buscetta’s Isolation
As the trial progresses, the Mafia retaliates. Family members of Buscetta are murdered, including his sons. Judge Falcone himself is assassinated in 1992, an event that devastates Buscetta. Bellocchio captures the scene through Buscetta’s reaction rather than direct violence, emphasizing emotional loss over spectacle.
Movie Ending
The final act of The Traitor shows Buscetta living under witness protection in the United States, aging, and increasingly haunted by his past. He remarries, yet the ghosts of his murdered family and his betrayal of old allies never leave him.
In a tense final confrontation, Buscetta testifies again against Salvatore “Totò” Riina, one of the Mafia’s most feared leaders. Riina accuses him of being a hypocrite—a murderer who turned on his own. Buscetta defends himself by arguing he remained loyal to “true” Mafia values before they were corrupted by greed and senseless killings.
The film ends with Buscetta’s quiet death in Florida in 2000, far from his homeland. He dies of natural causes, a man who survived his enemies but not his memories. Bellocchio closes the film with a haunting sense of moral ambiguity—was he a hero, a coward, or both?
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No, The Traitor does not feature any post-credits scenes. The film concludes with Buscetta’s death and textual information about the aftermath of the Maxi Trial, emphasizing historical closure rather than cinematic continuation.
Type of Movie
The Traitor is a biographical crime drama rooted in historical fact. It blends elements of political thriller, courtroom drama, and psychological study. The pacing is deliberate, emphasizing character over action.
Cast
- Pierfrancesco Favino as Tommaso Buscetta
- Fausto Russo Alesi as Judge Giovanni Falcone
- Luigi Lo Cascio as Totuccio Contorno
- Maria Fernanda Cândido as Maria Cristina de Almeida Guimarães Buscetta
- Nicola Calì as Salvatore “Totò” Riina
- Fabrizio Ferracane as Pippo Calò
Film Music and Composer
The score was composed by Nicola Piovani, who uses restrained, melancholic compositions to underline the emotional depth of Buscetta’s story. The music avoids typical “mob movie” clichés, leaning instead toward operatic tension and tragic undertones.
Filming Locations
Filming took place in Sicily, Rome, and Rio de Janeiro, with additional scenes in Germany. The locations add authenticity—Palermo’s narrow alleys and Rio’s sunlit chaos serve as visual contrasts between the two worlds Buscetta straddled: crime and exile.
Awards and Nominations
The Traitor premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and received:
- David di Donatello Awards: 7 wins including Best Film and Best Actor (Pierfrancesco Favino)
- European Film Awards: Nominations for Best Actor and Best Director
- Italy’s Official Submission for the 2020 Academy Awards (Best International Feature)
Behind the Scenes Insights
- Bellocchio spent years researching Buscetta’s life, consulting legal documents and transcripts from the Maxi Trial.
- Pierfrancesco Favino learned Sicilian dialects and Buscetta’s unique gestures from real recordings.
- The courtroom scenes were filmed with hundreds of extras and actual legal consultants to maintain realism.
- Bellocchio intentionally avoided stylizing violence to keep the focus on psychological tension.
- Some surviving Mafia witnesses reportedly criticized the film’s accuracy, though prosecutors praised it.
Inspirations and References
The film is inspired by real events documented in Buscetta’s testimonies and the official court archives of the Maxi Trial. Bellocchio’s narrative also draws thematic inspiration from The Godfather, reversing its glorification of Mafia life. It’s a story about the collapse of criminal honor rather than its romanticization.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
There are no known alternate endings. However, Bellocchio shot several scenes depicting Buscetta’s sons’ murders, which were later shortened to reduce emotional exploitation. The director chose restraint over graphic violence to keep the story grounded in realism.
Book Adaptations and Differences
While not directly based on a single book, The Traitor draws heavily from historical accounts, court records, and testimonies documented in real-life publications about Buscetta. Some creative liberties are taken—dialogues between Buscetta and Falcone are dramatized, but the events themselves are historically accurate.
Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- The opening scene where Mafia bosses gather during a festival before the killings begin.
- Buscetta’s brutal torture sequence in Brazil.
- His first meeting with Judge Falcone—an unexpectedly calm conversation about morality and fear.
- The chaotic Maxi Trial where Mafia members hurl insults and threats from cages.
- The assassination of Falcone seen through Buscetta’s emotional breakdown.
- The closing scene in Florida, where an aged Buscetta confronts his legacy.
Iconic Quotes
- Buscetta: “The Mafia has rules. What they do now is not the Mafia I knew.”
- Judge Falcone: “You call yourself a man of honor, but what is honor when it’s built on blood?”
- Buscetta: “I didn’t betray the Mafia. The Mafia betrayed itself.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- The courtroom’s chaotic design mirrors actual archival footage from the real Maxi Trial.
- The film subtly references The Godfather—Buscetta is seen watching it with disdain in one scene.
- The title Il Traditore (“The Traitor”) appears only at the very end, symbolizing Buscetta’s complex moral identity.
Trivia
- Bellocchio was 80 years old during production, yet the film feels strikingly modern in pace and tone.
- Pierfrancesco Favino’s performance was so accurate that some of Buscetta’s surviving relatives said it was like “seeing Tommaso alive again.”
- More than 4,000 pages of court transcripts were reviewed for the screenplay.
- The film’s budget was around €11 million, making it one of Italy’s most expensive films of the decade.
Why Watch?
The Traitor isn’t a conventional gangster movie—it’s an intense political and moral thriller rooted in real history. You should watch it if you appreciate complex character studies, historical dramas, and courtroom realism. It’s both a personal tragedy and a portrait of a nation fighting to free itself from corruption.
Director’s Other Movies
- Vincere (2009)
- Good Morning, Night (2003)
- Fists in the Pocket (1965)
- The Eyes, the Mouth (1982)
- Dormant Beauty (2012)
