Apparently, or so we are told, this film is based on a true story. Well, to be somewhat more accurate, it is based on a book that's based on a true story. Sounds realistic enough to me. However, once the film begins to plough through a rather well crafted cocktail of betrayal, revenge, bravery and cowardice, I couldn't help but think that if it was truly representative of a criminal reality so common, or perhaps I should say ONCE so common, to il Bel Paese, then we have all been the willing victims of decades of an overblown media spectacle.
At this point it might be borderline reasonable to ask what exactly it is that triggered this inane comment. Well, the film follows the dawn, daylight and dusk of a notorious criminal gang operating in the Italian capital throughout the whole of the 70s. All sounds fairly ordinary, and the rather obvious subject of a film, especially an Italian film. Yet, what strikes a chord is the fact that, at the end of the picture, every single gang member is shot/blown up/chopped in pieces and so forth. But, and here is the trick, not at the hand of the police or some up-and-coming criminal posse, oh no, that would be far too banal and thus, far to cinematic. They all end up shooting/blowing up/chopping EACH OTHER (in little pieces) in an enjoyably sadistic spectacle. If only this implosive, self-destructive phenomenon were a common trait of all crime-associated gangs in Italy, then the authorities really shouldn't have bothered with their pitiable attempts at bringing them to justice. It would have been enough to buy some popcorns and watch them shoot each other to death.
This might have revealed the ending of the film, hence the conscious spoiler warning, but, rest assured, it certainly does not give away the picture itself. And what a picture this is. Until now, my opinion of Placido as a director was tainted by a ridiculously large stain of scepticism. I had only watched one of his directorial efforts "Un Lungo Viaggio Chiamato Amore" and found it miserably uninteresting and, rather ignorantly, I thought that Romanzo Criminale would be no different. Well, I'm glad to say that I couldn't have been more wrong. The film is rock-solid across the board, though particular commendation indubitably goes to the actors. True, most of them are the usual suspects of watchable modern Italian cinema, but they - Favino and Santamaria in particular - still manage to do an exemplary job in this picture. The direction is also, and rather surprisingly, competent: crude, direct and, dare I say, sophisticated well, for Italian cinema anyway.
The only, rather minor, hiccup that I couldn't help but notice is the pacing of the film. Yes, despite the stellar acting, the competent directing and a gripping, albeit somewhat repetitive, story, the film felt overly long. Perhaps, and this is nothing more than a not-so-humble hypothesis, this is because it was, in effect, overly long, with a running time of well over two hours. All considered, this is a pitifully small price to pay for such a reinvigorating bout of fresh air in the otherwise unmercifully stiff atmosphere of Italian cinema.
At this point it might be borderline reasonable to ask what exactly it is that triggered this inane comment. Well, the film follows the dawn, daylight and dusk of a notorious criminal gang operating in the Italian capital throughout the whole of the 70s. All sounds fairly ordinary, and the rather obvious subject of a film, especially an Italian film. Yet, what strikes a chord is the fact that, at the end of the picture, every single gang member is shot/blown up/chopped in pieces and so forth. But, and here is the trick, not at the hand of the police or some up-and-coming criminal posse, oh no, that would be far too banal and thus, far to cinematic. They all end up shooting/blowing up/chopping EACH OTHER (in little pieces) in an enjoyably sadistic spectacle. If only this implosive, self-destructive phenomenon were a common trait of all crime-associated gangs in Italy, then the authorities really shouldn't have bothered with their pitiable attempts at bringing them to justice. It would have been enough to buy some popcorns and watch them shoot each other to death.
This might have revealed the ending of the film, hence the conscious spoiler warning, but, rest assured, it certainly does not give away the picture itself. And what a picture this is. Until now, my opinion of Placido as a director was tainted by a ridiculously large stain of scepticism. I had only watched one of his directorial efforts "Un Lungo Viaggio Chiamato Amore" and found it miserably uninteresting and, rather ignorantly, I thought that Romanzo Criminale would be no different. Well, I'm glad to say that I couldn't have been more wrong. The film is rock-solid across the board, though particular commendation indubitably goes to the actors. True, most of them are the usual suspects of watchable modern Italian cinema, but they - Favino and Santamaria in particular - still manage to do an exemplary job in this picture. The direction is also, and rather surprisingly, competent: crude, direct and, dare I say, sophisticated well, for Italian cinema anyway.
The only, rather minor, hiccup that I couldn't help but notice is the pacing of the film. Yes, despite the stellar acting, the competent directing and a gripping, albeit somewhat repetitive, story, the film felt overly long. Perhaps, and this is nothing more than a not-so-humble hypothesis, this is because it was, in effect, overly long, with a running time of well over two hours. All considered, this is a pitifully small price to pay for such a reinvigorating bout of fresh air in the otherwise unmercifully stiff atmosphere of Italian cinema.