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Crime Novel

2005 2h 32m Crime Drama List
53% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
After serving prison time for a juvenile offense, Freddo (Kim Rossi Stuart) gathers his old buddies Libano (Pierfrancesco Favino) and Dandi (Claudio Santamaria) and embarks on a crime spree that makes the trio the most powerful gangsters in Rome. Libano loves their new status, and seeks to spread their influence throughout the underworld, while the other two pursue more fleshly desires. For decades, their gang perpetrates extravagant crimes, until paranoia threatens to split the friends apart.

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Peter Howell Toronto Star The universal nature of crime -- and its dark appeal -- is driven home with bullets and bravado. Rated: 3/4 Jul 6, 2007 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail In short, Romanzo Criminale is interesting at first before overstaying its welcome and growing ever more tedious. Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 6, 2007 Full Review Alan Morrison Empire Magazine An ambitious, bloody and engrossing work. Rated: 4/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) It's hard to get much juice when it's all quick slice-and-dice in the first half-hour. . . . the moral slipperiness between criminal and politician, thug and cop, just doesn't ooze out here beyond all the blood. Oct 20, 2007 Full Review Dragan Antulov Index.hr Italija dobila svog "Kuma" i "Dobre momke" Rated: 8/10 Sep 28, 2007 Full Review Angela Baldassarre Sympatico.ca In his eighth directorial effort, Romanzo Criminale, Placido takes aim at terrorism in his country during the 1970s . Though the proceedings are fascinating and powerful, it's unable to maintain momentum throughout its over two hours running time. Jul 20, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Liam D While not one of the best crime thriller epics (especially coming from Italy) due its runtime that drags a bit but the great performances and well done needle drops make it worth watching Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/05/24 Full Review Audience Member In 1970s Rome, four young delinquents, nicknamed Ice, Lebanese, Dandi and Grand steal a car. Crashing through a police road block, the driver, Grand is crushed by the steering column. Back at their hideout, a small disused caravan near a beach, they are discovered by the police. Cold, Lebanese and Dandi run away, but are captured. Grand, who is mortally wounded, dies in the caravan. Roll opening credits. Some years later, in the 1970s, Ice is released from prison and joins up with Lebanese, who tells him he has come up with a plan to kidnap and hold to ransom Baron Rossellini, a wealthy aristocrat for whom Lebanese's parents worked. He has formed a gang with Dandi - they are Black, Bright Eye, Ricotta, Bufalo, Rat and Ciro and Aldo Buffoni. After negotiating the ransom of 3 billion lire, the Baron is shot by one of the Cannizzari brothers who have been entrusted by Lebanese to guard him. Nonetheless, they take a picture of the dead man with a newspaper and get the 3 billion lire. However, the local Police Commissioner Nicola Scialoja manages to record the serial numbers of the ransom money before the gang receives it, setting out to capture the gang. As the gang divide up the money, Lebanese proposes to split 500 million lire between them, and use the remaining 2.5 billion to build a foothold in the criminal underworld of Rome, starting with drug dealing. However, the drugs racket is owned by the dealer Terrible, and so the gang wipe his gang out apart from Gemito, who Lebanese bribes to help them. After his home is raided and his body guards killed, Terrible wakes to find Ice, Lebanese and Dandi in his bedroom. Cornered, he reluctantly agrees to let give control of the racket to the gang... "Romanzo Criminale" is based on Giancarlo De Cataldo's 2002 novel, which is in turn inspired by the Banda della Magliana true story. The Magliana gang was one of the most powerful Italian criminal associations, dominating Rome's drug, gambling and other kinds of crime activities from the early 1970s to 1992 (death of Enrico De Pedis). The gang's affiliates start their career kidnapping rich people, drug dealing (hashish, cocaine, heroin, etc.) from the 1970s they started working with the Italian secret service, fascists, terrorists, the Sicilian Mafia, Camorra and many more. Some gang members are still alive, as inmates of an Italian prison, or justice collaborators. This Italian mob film suffers from a wobbly storyline, wobbly editing, wobbly acting and a wobbly scene structure. Just poor in my eyes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member People!!! You don't know what you are rating! This is a very good work, an exciting and true to the facts tv series presenting an important chapter of Italian history of organized crime. This doesn't happen often, as usually it's all about the fiction and the action! If you are looking for Al Pacino kinda fiction, this is not it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Un canile. Accorsi urla soltanto, la migliore è Patrizia (perché doppiata). Si salvano Stuart e Santamaria giusto perché si possono guarda'. Bella la trama. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Una produzione italiana con un cast d'eccellenza. Si distinguono regia, montaggio e fotografia che rendono la narrazione avvincente, ammiccante nei temi politici e il ritmo sostenuto. Spiccano Favino e Santamaria più di Rossi Stuart. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on the true story of an infamous band of criminals, the movie is Another Italian mafia movie but with the excitement of a stylish aesthetics and a strong group of actors. Not a bad movie at all Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Crime Novel

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State Property 2 14% 82% State Property 2 Gomorra 91% 70% Gomorra Layer Cake 81% 84% Layer Cake El Bonaerense 91% 46% El Bonaerense The Business 57% 84% The Business Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis After serving prison time for a juvenile offense, Freddo (Kim Rossi Stuart) gathers his old buddies Libano (Pierfrancesco Favino) and Dandi (Claudio Santamaria) and embarks on a crime spree that makes the trio the most powerful gangsters in Rome. Libano loves their new status, and seeks to spread their influence throughout the underworld, while the other two pursue more fleshly desires. For decades, their gang perpetrates extravagant crimes, until paranoia threatens to split the friends apart.
Director
Michele Placido
Producer
Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz
Screenwriter
Stefano Rulli, Sandro Petraglia, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Michele Placido
Production Co
Cattleya
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 2, 2007
Runtime
2h 32m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital