Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

If you are a big fan of "spaghetti westerns" then I highly recommend "Cry of a Prostitute" as a mafia version of "A Fisful of Dollars". Instead of Clint Eastwood playing both families against each other, you get a brutal Henry Silva. Barbara Bouchet taking milk baths isn't a bad thing to see either. Like the Italian Westerns the plot is secondary to style, and the outstanding soundtrack is an integral part of the story. The editing is choppy and the dubbing atrocious, but this violent film has definite entertainment value. The closeups of Henry Silva's cold black eyes certainly elicits thoughts of Lee Van Cleef, and Silva is every bit as evil as "angel eyes" ................. - MERK

The "respectable society" in Sicily isn't amused: drug-dealers have begun to use children's corpses, stuffing the bodies with heroin which they smuggle across the French-Italian border; this practice being in non-compliance with the mafia's code of honour, they suspect two rivalling Mafia clans – one being the family of local mafia boss Don Cascemi, the other by exiled Italian-American Mafiosi Ricuzzo. Not wanting to get their 'good' names involved, the mafia hires Tony Aniante, a hired hit man who has learned his trade in the US. Tony infiltrates the fighting families and, using both physical violence and psychological warfare, he get's both families to wipe each other out while at the same time settling an old score of his own.Don't make the mistake to confuse American mafia films like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas" or even "The Sopranos" to the ultra-violent subgenre of Poliziottesco; apart from the topic of organized crime, both really have very little in common. In the Americanized versions, the Mafiosi are invariable shows as corrupted yet often charismatic, honourable even amiable at times; you won't find an amiable character throughout the entire film. There's no Tony Soprano, no Sonny or Vincent Corleone, there's only Tony Aniante – and if you find any redeeming elements in this 'protagonist', well, you might consider seeking out medical advice.Henry Silva as Aniante is impressive: eyes like burning coal, features reminding us of some carrion animal, that could only be replicated with the use of special-effect (if they wouldn't happen to be Silvas features already). At first Aniante comes across like a tough guy who might harbour some decency within him (for example, in the scene where he saves the handicapped grandson of one of the clan-heads from assassination). About halfway through the film, we realize that he's nothing more than a ruthless, ice-cold psychopath, left traumatized by a violent childhood and a pathological hate for women. He rapes, beats and kills with such glee and passion, one doesn't know whether to be scared or repulsed by Aniante, who's not above crushing the bodies of two opponents whom he's just killed, with a steamroller. His form of romance consists of slamming a lonely woman unto a slaughtered cow, sodomizing her and beating her to a bloody pulp. Need I mention who becomes the new godfather of Sicily at the end of the movie? The topic 'trauma' runs through the entire film, not just through the disturbed characters but by showing us a deeply traumatized society, were everybody has their share of scares, caused by generational violence and bloodshed. "Queli che contano" doesn't show us that beautiful, jolly south of Italy, where the people do nothing else but sing, dance and drink Chianti; it shows us a barren land, scorched by the sun, where sweat-drenched shirts are a way of life and even the buildings speak of decay and degeneration.If "Queli che contano" has a message, it is that there is no "respectable society" within the mafia – just corrupted souls, ruthless criminals and even the most honourable Mafioso is still a thug, a murderer and a thief. It may well be the last movie that a Mafioso may want to see – and in case this should be my last review, please tell my wife that I love her and keep searching that bay for a guy standing inside a concrete block.Despite all the sleaze and exploitation, it's very powerful, even an authentic film that's certainly not easy to enjoy (unless you're a complete sadist), but it might well be a cure for people who tend to idolize the mafia, cossa nostra, camorra or any other organized crime organisations. I'd give it seven from ten.

1st watched 4/5/2003 - 4 out of 10(Dir-Andrea Bianchi): Godfather-like Italian movie without good acting, directing or writing. The title will fool you(at least the U.S. released video title-Cry of a Prostitute) because this movie has very little to do about a prostitute except that she is a minor character that pretends to be the wife of one of the many `Don's' in this movie. This is just a way to get people in the U.S. to rent the video. The story is actually about a man who plays the game with many mafia-type gangs and ends up being the top honcho in the end. It's very obvious where this movie is going, but there was some interesting things like seeing the actual reason for the family feuds(centering around the mis-treatment of a handicapped boy in one family) that became mafia's and seeing the reality of their real business's that become crooked by entering drugs into the business. The emotionless Henry Silva does an ok job in his part but most of the acting was not memorable. Watching this makes me want to see the Godfather, to see how much better it is in it's storytelling and acting. Not a good reason to give this a thumbs up, though.

WOW! Another false ad campaign by Joseph Brenner! He mis-advertises this film at the theatres as some kind of a woman beating movie, as the poster shows a woman's face all bruised up, with the caption "for a lousy 50 bucks he could do whatever he wanted with her", when it is another Italian Mafia film with Henry Silva! Even the video box hints it is some kind of a motel sex film, when it isn't! And it isn't a good mafia movie either! This is one of the mafia films that is so bad it probably ENDED the mafia film craze! The opening credit isn't even the original, as it is a tacked in credit with music from DELTA FOX! UGH! To be avoided!