Notturno bus

I recently saw this at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. It's producer Sandro Silvestri was on hand for an audience Q&A following the screening. This is a good action/drama/comedy from Italy. It's fast paced espionage-chase story and simple straight forward story line is almost like an American movie or television movie and one could easily see being remade as an English language film. A Polish billionaire needs a microchip with some important information on it and is willing to pay $4 million Eros to get it. Matera (Ennio Fantastichini), Andrea (Ivan Franek) and Garofano (Francesco Pannofino) and Diolaiti (Roberto Citran) are prepared to battle a violent war against each other to get their hands on the microchip. The microchip ends up in the possession of Leila (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) who enlists the help of Franz (Valerio Mastandrea), a down on his luck bus driver to help her out. This is a strong debut film from director Davide Marengo based on a story by Giampiero Rigosi and adapted for the screen by Fabio Bonifacci. It's nicely photographed by veteran cinematographer Arnaldo Catinari with naturally almost all the scenes shot at night. Some interesting support characters, most memorably Mario Rivera as Titti. This would be pretty appealing to a general audience but it does have some scenes of violence and is by no means an art film. I would give this a 7.5 out of 10 and recommend it.

I went back to Italy for my holidays and I decided to watch this brand new Italian film. I reckon that a 7/10 is appropriate. I'm afraid it's not unforgettable... but I found it pretty and snappy. Quite a strong script that ensures a good rhythm. Interesting soundtrack (Probably something more than "interesting", but a bit too "poppy").

Actors are just fine. Carachters too, even if they don't seem enough "working class".

Marengo is neat, he decided not to risk... The film is already difficult to shoot because half of the scenes run at nightime. Good job man! But next time I'd like to laugh I little bit more!

Iacopo Destefani

At the center of the exchange of a compromising microchip between opposing factions of secret agents, an unwanted thief and an impassioned chauffeur put in without wanting it. Between vicissitudes, deceptions and various pursuits, they will end up sharing their solitude and ... a great sum of money. Marengo debuts in the long run with a caricaturist metropolitan noir film that mimics the film with the sweetness of Mazzacurati master: the mirage of a different life for two lonely souls fleeing the past failures and the indigence of the present. The spy-story that is the background to the story is obviously a thin pretext that triggers around the subject of a postage stamp controversy, the tragicomic events of a stunning gallery of comic book characters that may arise as between professional failures and personal dissatisfaction, Up to the epilogue of an unlikely story of misunderstood feelings and disputed booties. If the parody of a mix of import registers that would like to contaminate action and reflection is poorly suited to the low quality of our screenwriters, the film shapes more on the side of a frayed and predictable action and the inconsistency of two- dimensional characters that reproduce so many stereotypes Of the overseas cinema: from the secret agent of a lonely Ennio Fantastichini to the bully with the golden heart of a corny Mario Rivera, from the dark lady of a two-bit Giovanna Mezzogiorno to the loser by the sad charm of a lazy Valerio Mastandrea. To make matters worse, the ridiculous overacting of an irritating Francesco Pannofino whirring and agitating throughout the film in the unusual attempt to play the card of a comedy over the lines to counter the unhappy sadness of sophisticated blues atmospheres. In the final, even the arithmetic game of a double cross between destiny fathers and prodigal sons with Cleopatra's complex in the unsatisfied reunion of an appointment for life ... or for death. All wasted effort, including the beautiful soundtrack of a talented Daniele Silvestri and two bus of the ATAC that were destroyed during the scene of the night-time pursuit between urban wreckage. Two nominations to David, two Silver Ribbons and one Golden Globe for an Italian-Polish production that spends three and picks one; Even here unfortunately the accounts end up not coming back at all.

"Hey, you hear the buses at night with certain broken mechanisms do Too much noise ... nobody is looking for anyone waiting for them Even the driver tell me ... what he does"

The initial part is quite interesting. The pursuit for the chip is gripping, the actors are some of the best in the Italian film industry and here they work well. The usual problem in Italian films is that there must be always the love story that redeem the bad guy and make him (or her) try to change his (or her) life. No real plot twist, no surprises. Love wins all. If you want to see a noir film really different in Italian film production, check "Senza nessuna pietà" with Pierfrancesco Favino. It will give you a different prospective on Italian films and will wipe away that sense of "already seen".

Finally: a thriller with a sense of humor. Sure, people get killed, but who says that's always a bad thing? A life of crime can be so much fun! Technically speaking, there is a blackmail-based plot here (revolving around a stolen microchip), but this is really an actors' movie. Pretty much all characters are lovable creatures of narrow habit: Bald-headed Trippi, the loan shark who just can't help beating people up on sight. Francesco, Trippi's debtor, an addicted gambler by day and a bus driver by night. Matera, the supposedly hard-headed intelligence veteran, who really has nothing but soft spots. Garofano, the mob's short-tempered bloodhound, who is kept on a very short leash by incoming calls from his boss and his wife, much like Paul Giamatti's Hertz in "Shoot 'Em Up". Finally Leila (aka Serena aka Alessandra), the compulsive liar and habitual thief. Leila goes by more names God himself and is aptly played by the divine Giovanna Mezzogiorno, the Italian Romy Schneider. Dolled up pretty badly in her hooker's personality, she shines all the more brightly when she gives up the gutter gear for a plain T-Shirt and the wig for her real hair to charm Francesco out of his melancholy. Stay for closing credits.