Master of None: The Thief (2017)
Season 2, Episode 1
7/10
A lovely 'modenised' pastiche of ladri di bicicletta
13 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Sorry I just had to use that pun :-)

In case you didn't get that this series was going to pay homage to many classic Italian movies, we're nudged in the ribs almost straight away with a long shot of a DVD stack of movies that inspired this series.

It's nice to see Dev soo immersed in Italian culture and language, with nearly all of what's going on around him being a true reflection of life in Modena; his character seems to have really grown and matured since season 1.

This episode is a nice revamp of ladri di bicicletta but with enough twists and turns to keep it fresh and relevant. There's not much I would have change in the way of locations picked or camera angles used.

I suppose what stops this getting a 9 rating, like ladri di bicicletta has from me, is that the stakes are considerable lower than needing a bicycle to support your family during a depression. Having your mobile phone stolen and losing contact with a girl you just met doesn't draw at the heart strings quite as much.

Though I did like the accidental phone stealing revamp, though having lived in Italy, I can tell you that real Italians would have hit first then asked questions later.

The actor playing the boy was also a little bit wooden, especially if you can understand Italian, which takes you out from the scene at times. I'd have boosted my rating to an 8 if we had a kid as good as in ladri di bicicletta in this episode instead.
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