No Mortal Thing

Bernardo Cancello, the 74-year-old mob boss at the center of this labyrinthine thriller from Edgar-finalist Seymour (Vagabond), rules a clan that’s part of the ’Ndrangheta crime association in Calabria. Bernardo is worth more than €400 million, but to escape detection from the authorities he has to sleep in an underground shipping container in his backyard. The opposite of Marlon Brando’s noble godfather of film fame, the violent, ruthless Bernardo is grooming his grandson, Marcantonio, to take over the family business. After Marcantonio commits several brutal murders, he goes to Berlin to escape any ensuing investigation. In an upscale Berlin neighborhood, Marcantonio beats up a defiant teenage girl, an employee of a pizzeria he was trying to shake down. Watching is Jago Browne, a 26-year-old merchant banker from London. Jago’s impulsive decision to devote himself to avenging the assault leads to more trouble. Seymour successfully juggles the large cast and many subplots, though a confusing ending comes as a letdown to this otherwise engrossing saga. Agent: Jonathan Lloyd, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (Aug.)