Comandante

"Comandante" tells the story of Italian commander Salvatore Todaro and his crew that were the protagonists of a great act of humanity during the beginning of WWII. The two biggest merits of the movie are the visual impact that is pretty good (especially the reconstruction of the Cappelletti submarine) and the performances. In particular Pierfrancesco Favino was exceptional and magnetic on screen, owning every scene he was in. Additionally the story narrated is interesting and very human, but on the contrary the storytelling itself was the weakest point of the movie. More in detail the narration is a bit flat especially in the second part, which should be the emotional core of the film. The first half was indeed pretty interesting to me, with a darker tone and mostly about how bad war is. Then, the second part, focuses on the humanity that great people are able to maintain even in extreme conditions. However the rhythm slows down too much and a sense of flatness kicks in. Indeed the second half, except for a few interesting scenes, was a bit too formulaic and impersonal.

Despite some issues, "Comandante" is still a good movie that narrates an interesting story. You won't probably go crazy about it, but it is surely a fine watch if you are either interested in its human side, in war movies or in Pierfrancesco Favino performance.

Pierfrancesco Favino is an incredible actor. He makes you really feel that this movie is based on a real war event. At the same time, Johannes Wirix is a young actor who has incredible potential to be famous. The movie is a bit similar to Das Boot Franchise but of course it has the Italian touch and more sentimental. The first half of the movie is based on the darkness and horrors of the wars but the second half is focusing on the goodness and humanity in people. A true story that makes you understand how much humanity is important ! I recommend everyone to watch this movie and I give 9 out of 10 for this masterpiece.

In this film, the war seems more like a natural disaster, something out of everyone's control. The Italians are victims, just as much as everyone else. In reality, they're the ones to blame. A movie like this could never be made in Germany.

The movie is also poorly executed. Many scenes feels completely unnecessary and the acting is awkward. Inside the sub looks completely unrealistic with large areas and a square roof. It's hard to imagine that they're actually in the long thin submarines of WW2.

The action scenes are confusing, I had a hard time understanding what happens and why most of the time. Not only because the cgi is terrible but they're also poorly coordinated.

Overall, this is a terrible movie where the Italians feel sorry for themselves.

The movie goes back to the story of «Commandante» Salvatore Todaro, obviously a name of reference in the history of the Italian navy. The story moves from La Spezia, in Italy, to the Island of Santa Maria, in the Azores (Portugal) in the second half of 1940, during WWII. Indeed, the span of the narrative goes from the mediterranean to the Atlantic across the Strait of Gibraltar on board of an Italian submarine. But the real story is another, much deeper. In my opinion, this is a movie about humanity and leadership, about command and obedience, about reason and self-sacrifice, and morality, especially in times of war. There are the laws of war and those of the sea; but, most importantly, there also are the Laws of Humanity. In a subtle way, I could see in the movie the laws of God too. Indeed, this is a movie that shows what a leader can be and, most importantly, how the Laws of Humanity might prevail, even in times of conflict and war.

The movie is quintessentially Italian. This is certainly reflected in the immense list of delicious foods that the movie transforms in an interesting kind of cultural refrain. Particularly noteworthy is the question that that the apparent «enemy» puts to Comandante Salvatore Todaro in Portuguese territorial waters in October of 1940: Why did you save us? «Perché siamo Italiani», was the answer. In my personal assessment: the movie is wonderful; indeed, at times truly moving! Watching this movie confirms the idea that we might once again be back to manifestations of great cinema in Italy.

So, what is the movie "Comandante"? "Comandante" is a courageous movie about a part of the history of World War 2 almost forgotten, at least in Italy. Courageous because in this particular time period, where the political correctness tends to polish or iron out, in a very childish way how events in human history evolved, pretending to view all our history from a nowadays point of view, this movie does it different. For sure it has not the budget of a colossal, but it achieves what, for the same subject, Das Boot did in the eighties: photographing an epoch, with the people living in it. No post modern scripts, no revisionist dialogues or self-compassionate points of view.

The movie itself is a recount of real events, following a mission in the Atlantic Ocean performed by an Italian Submarine in the year 1940. The fear is there, the mentality is there, what you get to see is the point of view of people who fought for the other side in this atrocious conflict, depicted as it really was.

Last bust not least, the most precious thing in it, is the human side emerging, so rare, but so real, even there, in a time not so long ago.