La scorta

If you like cop vs. gangster movies, but are tired of the usual stuff, in which it seems the writer or director is trying desperately to both imitate and outdo some of the recent semi-hits, you should see this.

There is violence, suspense, possible betrayal- all the elements that make crime and crime-fighting fascinating, and yet there is never a sense of straining to create excitement. The characters, the events seem totally natural.

The atmosphere of the movie is often intimate, like some of the better war movies-- because the essence of the story is people being together in danger: the Mafia-fighting judge and his escort (bodyguards).

The film has a beginning and end, but its realism helps to naturally imply the past and future of the struggle in Sicily.

Angelo and Corsale are two of a team of escorts for a Judge in Sicily. They replace a Judge who was murdered with his escorts by the mob. As Judge De Francesco continues his predecessor's investigations the escorts are put under increasing pressure as the threat from the mob become greater.

This film is an excellent look at two things, one is the macho world of escorts and the stress that they are under. The second is the world of corruption and organised crime in Sicily. The two lead escorts are of different worlds - Angelo is more aggressive while Corsale is a family man who is more precise and organised. The men are not the focus of the story and they don't bounce off each other in the way they would in a Hollywood movie - they have conflict but it is not of the major sort and isn't merely a plot driver. The most exciting element of their work is the fact that they have to be on edge constantly - a parked car on their escort route leads to a dramatic build up in case it's an ambush - they constantly need to be on guard and expect an attack at any time.

This constant tension is well put across and you find yourself expecting action through the whole film. When the violence does come it is sudden and unexpected - just as it would be in real life. The tension is fed by Ennio Moricone's pumping urgent score that plays for many of the escort scenes and makes a film low on action seem absolutely action packed!

The lead performances are mixed - Claudio Amendola is a little of a caricature as Angelo, but Enrico Lo Verso is good as Corsale. Carlo Cecchi is also good as Judge De Francesco who must cope with the fact that his job puts his life in daily danger.

Overall a dramatic little film that looks at the risks related to the job of being an escort, but also leaves you with a downbeat conclusion about the effect that the mafia has on life in Sicily as the full extent of the corruption is made clear.

This tidy Italian film appears to be an honest snapshot into the corruption some people must deal with on a daily basis; although the plot centers around an outside judge who is supposed to uncover corruption, the view becomes fascinated with the daily lives of those who protect him, the trusted ones whose lives are put on the line every time they walk outside to get into a car, when they drive down city streets, when the shield the man they are there to protect.

Each of these "escorts" (hence the title "Scorta") is given a distinct personality, and we come to care for them, particularly a contrasting pair, one an angry loner with a dark agenda of his own, and one a family man trying to make a name for himself in law enforcement. We come to care for these two more than we care to watch another bloodletting, the possibility of which lurks around almost every frame of the film: corruption runs rampant, and thus this is not a simple film about the good cop triumphant over the bad gangster.

Some people complain regarding the ending, as it appears not to be nice and tidy, the viewer left with the satisfaction that two hours spent watching can leave them feeling happy. I would suggest that the film gains power by creating a vacuum where each of us is led by the writer and director of this film to make us deal with a little reality. Judge for yourself! It's a worthwhile film with a penetrating score by Ennio Morricone.

"La Scorta" is a very good film, it's intense, sad, and depressing. The acting is brilliant, especially Enrico Lo Verso (who also did a great job in e.g. "Il Ladro di Bambini"). The pace of the film is perfect, the mafia only plays a minor part and the music (by the genius Ennio Morricone) adds even more to this film. (7/10)

La Scorta is a wonderful film that I wish were available on DVD. If you get a chance to see it you won't be sorry. That it is not as linear, dynamic and paint by numbers as the usual Hollywood thrillers I guess is frustrating to some people, but to me it powerfully conveys the ambiguity of power and that terror is more frightening when its source is unclear.

La Scorta is a naturalistic study of the problems of terror that Italy faced in the 1970's, and I think it's very well done by Mr. Tognazzi. If you were able to screen it or are just interested in the subject matter you would also probably enjoy two Francesco Rosi (originally an AD to Visconti) films: "Illustrious Corpses" (Lino Ventura) and "Tre Fratelli" (Philip Noiret, Charles Vanel) both of which deal with the complex issues of Italian terrorism. It is very interesting revisiting these films post 9/11, and it has had some effect on the industry, note the recent re-release of "Battle of Algiers" here in LA (Jan 04 - highly recommended).