The heads of the criminal families of the South of Italy decided to legalize the proceeds, and turn Ostia into a second Las Vegas, to rebuild the play area with hotels and all the ensuing consequences (drug trafficking, sluts). A concerted effort by the local bratva, politicians, and the Roman Catholic Church is needed to bring the project to life. To supervise the project entrusted to an authoritative criminal with the chase of the Samurai.
“Castes decide everything,” said some wit, and was as always right. Amid the magnificent urban landscape of Rome, charming scenes from a play called life are played out. A respectable deputy, a loving husband and father soaks his salami in the company of two whores, restoring strength lost during the desperate struggle for democracy with the help of crack, a respected businessman dives into the murky waters of the Tiber fleeing from debts, gangsters happily let each other blood, the Roman high priest wants to resign, and all these people are directly connected with the ambitious project of New Vasiuki (in the sense of Las Vegas – 2).
Director Stefano Sollima managed to link the disparate (at first glance) storylines together, and shoot an epic canvas about eternal values. The first fifty minutes cause melancholy, bewilderment, boredom. A loose, disintegrating narrative into separate parts, glossy from the long use of type. Girls, drugs, local fights between scumbags - what's new here? The legislature wants to be closer to the people (or rather to the women's part of it) - is that news to anyone? Politicians and crime are intimately connected, and I could never believe that these crystal-clear people are capable of such a thing! Criminals kill people! My father, I will not go out without need.
Fortunately, Sollima is an old romantic, dying wheezing, gurgling blood - that's sweet music to his ears. The slightly boring first part is compensated by the shocking second. The Chinese call red the color of joy, the director will produce so much red for the viewer that joy threatens to turn into delight. Gunshot, serious bodily, knife wounds - gourmets have a lot to choose from, not all heroes will live to the final credits, here is a real happy ending, viva Italy!
The plot of the film is simple - some unconscious citizens do not understand the benefits that will bring the Italian people the construction of a play area in the suburbs of the eternal city, and prevent the onset of a bright tomorrow. The supporters of progress (mafia) should explain to the unconscious citizens the inadmissibility of such conservative views, and thereby contribute to the prosperity of Italy.
Sollima directed the beautiful Gomorrah, and continues to exploit the theme of organized crime and its alliance with the political establishment. Having inherited from ancient Rome several wonders of the world, the Italians preserved only three of them: the mafia, pasta and football. Serie A is experiencing bad times, pasta is stuck in the teeth, and the mafia never tires. There is nothing new in this film, but it is pleasant to watch, filmed according to the precepts of Chekhov (remember the hanging gun?), we are obsessively, throughout the film show an angry, rumbling pit bull, what should it mean? That’s right, the dog will have dinner with someone’s high-calorie scrotum, you understand the drama.
You watch this movie and you realize that the Italians are a sea people, all those killed in this film die beautifully in or near the water. The director allows the heroes to improvise: beautifully bleed out on the seaside, comfortably stain the chlorine of the pool with red blood cells, or gracefully gurgle with bloody foam in shallow (to the knee) Roman puddles. This is what it means to live on the peninsula, the wave calls!
A well-chosen soundtrack favorably shades the most dramatic scenes, M83 has already written music for Oblivion and other films, some of the songs used here are not new, but they are very well suited to create an emotional background. The main wealth of the film is the actors.
Favino (starred in A.C.A.B.) plays a cowardly corrupt beast (what is meant by the concept - a politician), Amendola embodied the image of the Samurai (nothing special, more like a businessman), from a dusty closet brought to light God, eaten by the moth of Anglad. Weaned from the bright light, pronaphthalene grandfather wrinkles, squints, tries to portray lost dignity. It is curious that Amendola and Anglad have already crossed paths on the set of the beautiful in its bloody "Queen Margot", the boys did not have time to get bored, ap, and a new meeting, just 20 years have passed.
Who really pleased was Dionysi (Anakleti) - a noisy, hysterical gypsy, a filthy ghoul, devoid of charm. Not to mention Alessandro Borghi (character number 8, a very convenient name, the most important thing is rare and easy to remember). Borghi has a unique acting talent, and a non-standard appearance. Head in the style of “hard-boiled egg”, and the ability to very eloquently pull out the eyes. At the same time, Borghi never repeats himself, each time he stares at - a new, amazing - how many emotions can be conveyed with one hatched eye.
Anger: furiously - angry eyes, surprise: amazed - indignant, annoyance: perplexed - questioning, in a word - talent, watch his career.
Bottom line.
Italian directors do not fit in films, the timing of which is less than two hours, the duo So-So (Sorrentino, Sollima) can not walk small.
8 out of 10