Diabolik

I know about "Diabolik" as a character from a comic book, though I actually never read it. So as I sat down to watch this 2021 Italian movie from directors Antonio Manetti and Marco Manetti, I didn't really know what to expect.

Writers Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti, Michelangelo La Neve and Mario Gomboli put together an entertaining storyline and script for the movie. Sure, it was a pretty straight forward crime heist mystery, but there was still something that worked about it. Perhaps it was a mixture of the storyline and character gallery.

With my very limited exposure to the Italian cinema, then I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble at all. But they definitely had some good talents on the cast list, especially the leading actors Luca Marinelli (playing Diabolik) and Valerio Mastandrea (playing Ginko), as well as leading actress Miriam Leone (playing Lady Kant).

There is a good amount of mystery, action and character development throughout the course of the 133 minutes that the movie ran for. And I will say that I didn't find a single dull moment throughout the runtime of the movie. So thumbs up to directors Antonio Manetti and Marco Manetti on that accomplishment.

Visually then "Diabolik" was good. It wasn't a movie that made use of a whole lot of CGI. But the effects in the movie worked well in favor of the overall movie. And the wardrobe department definitely also did a good jobs.

If you haven't seen "Diabolik" yet, and enjoy a heist movie laced with mystery elements, then give this 2021 Italian movie a chance.

My rating of "Diabolik" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Two charming starring , Luca Marinelli and Miriam Leone , star this nice and enjoyable movie set in a nameless European nation . Dealing with popular hero from famous comic books who previously performed John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell . Adaptation of the Noir comic book of the sixties by the Giussani brothers , concerning the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly robber , he evades the law while performing his criminal antics , as the eludes the police by disguising , changing cars , hot pursuits , and masking himself . Along the way , Diabolik uses his extraordinary powers to foil criminals and steal billions from the government . As the anti-hero of the film , Diabolik must face off botcher law enforcements . The film is a thriller with a markedly retro aesthetic that emulates the psychedelic adaptation to the big screen carried out by Mario Bava : Danger Diabolik (1968) . On this occasion the elusive , implacable thief with a thousand disguises , Diabolik (Luca Marinelli) , whose true identity no one knows , returns to drive his iconic Jaguar E-type to strike a new coup : seize the famous pink diamond, a priceless piece carried by the rich and enigmatic heiress Eva Kant (Miriam Leone) . Meanwhile , Inspector Ginco (Valerio Mastandrea) takes every precaution to ensure that the robbing don't take place at the local bank . He robs from the rich to give to the girls !. Meet Diabolik. Slick. Suave. Gentle. Brutal. Wild. Out for all he can take, seduce, or get away with...!

Agreeable and brilliant rendition , not taking any situation seriously ; being based on famous strip-cartoon thriller titled "Diabolik", one of the longest running - and most successful - Italian comic strips , known as "fumetti" drew by Angela Giussani and Luciana Giussani . This very campy picture contains thrills , action , phantasmagoria , psychedelia , pop art , tongue-in-cheek , absurd situations , and being competently developed , including split screen . Fantastic production design and art design influenced by the original comic books and James Bond movies , showing splendidly the breathtaking settings at a remote cave in a mountain and others . Through a retro aesthetic , this new reboot introduces the viewer into a tense and cold atmosphere that has the best ingredients of Noir cinema : impassive femme fatales , twisted criminals , a staging full of shadows and a police investigation determined to unmask to this relentless thief . Here Luca Marinelli and Miriam Leone replace John Philip Law and Marisa Mell but they do not reach those iconic figures resulting in being an inferior and overlong film compared to Mario Bava's classic . Diabolik (2021) won the 2022 David Di Donatello Award for Best Original Song : La profondita degli abiss and was nominated for 11 more statuettes, including a Best Lead Actress nomination for gorgeous Miriam Leone.

The main and support cast -with everyone having fun- are frankly good . Luca Marinelli is fine in the title character as the masked career thief known only as Diabolik , who eludes his official pursuers with his mistress and partner-in-crime . Bombshell Miriam Leone as wonderful colleague is ideal actress to her role , she shines and expands her beauty and extreme sexuality . The best of the interpretations result to be Valerio Mastandrea as stubborn police inspector who's usually duped and Claudia Gerini as Signora Morel . It contains lively and catching original music score by Aldo De Scalzi . As well as glimmer and glamorous cinematography by Francesca Ametrano . The motion picture was decently directed by Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti who have made a sequel titled Diabolik - Ginko all'attacco! (2022) with Giacomo Gianniotti as Diabolik , Miriam Leone , Eva Kant , Valerio Mastandrea as Ispettore Ginko and Monica Bellucci. The picture will appeal to thriller genre buffs . Rating 6.5/10.

As a huge fan of the character, and having felt let down by the 1968 cartoonish effort to bring Diabolik to screen, I was really pumped to learn that this film was being made and had great expectations for it.

Well...

Truth is that I sat in horror during the entire first act as I could not believe the absolutely incompetent direction, writing and acting displayed on screen. The Manetti brothers should stick to TV films and soap operas as they are clearly not cut for this genre.

But hey what do I know? They are already working on the second and third installments lol.

I want to mention that when Claudia Gerini entered the screen, for a moment I forgot that I was watching a mediocre school play. I wish she was in for more. I also really felt that Marinelli, although he did a decent job, was wrongly cast as Diabolik as he does not have the phisique du role. Same for Leone, which beauty and hair pulled up are not enough to make her a believable Eva Kent. Music score was generic and did not help propel the story.

Although I was hoping for the contrary, Diabolik 2022 doesn't stand a chance against the many international titles out there in the same genre, and as a first installment of what it appears to become a trilogy, unfortunately it is not really promising.

"Diabolik" is nowhere as bad as people make it out to be: it's certainly flawed (mostly from pacing issues) but it's solid, well-directed and acted, and fairly respectful of the source material. Is this a masterpiece? No. Is this the "rebirth of Italian genre movies"? No, but it's fun and entertaining to watch if you don't expect to go see Citizen Kane.

A note: obviously, Italian press reviews are hating on this movie only because they tried to make something different from the otherwise monotonous theathrical panorama: it's beyond me why every single time someone tries to make a genre movie in Italy, press is always demolishing the effort, there's no surprise the film catalogue isn't evolving much as it should.

Surely we are faced with a film with several defects, especially in the final part where the script goes too far and the photography is perhaps too like a TV movie, but the film is still fun and entertaining and has a nice retro 60's taste, the cast good expecially beautiful and talented Miriam Leone as Eva Kant, also excellent Mastandrea as Ginkgo, Marinelli, who was very good in They call me Jeeg, in this film he struggles a bit but still gives an appreciable performance as Diabolik. In conclusion a nice film but nothing more. My rating is 6/10.