They Call Me Jeeg Robot

Enzo (Claudio Santamaria) is a small time petty thief who falls into a vat of chemicals and finds himself imbued with superhuman strength. Meanwhile the local hood boss Zingaro (devilishly well played by Luca Marinelli) finds himself obsessed with the new superhero and his crazed ambitions to infamy puts both hero and villain on a familiar collision course.

This superhero origin story is given a local Italian flavour, and the result is an understated superhero film with layered characterizations: this makes the catharsis from the redemptive arc of our hero well earned. With the cosmic heroics of the Marvel stable overwhelming the cinematic landscape this past decade, it is a breath of fresh air to see a movie which does so well with just the basics of a well worn superhero story. Surprisingly good, down to earth and heartfelt to boot. Bravo.

GOOD. Italian ci-fi of a superhero. In reality, he is a type of anti-hero, a delinquent who lives on small urban crimes and who suddenly discovers he has supernatural powers. It somewhat resembles another character from American cinema and comic books: Deadpool. For those who have seen one of the Deadpool films, you will know what it is about. Perhaps it is a trend in modern cinema to create unconventional superhero stories, with satire, humor, irony, and sarcasm. The special effects are simple but suited to the purpose of the narrative. The story is interesting and entertaining. Like almost all superhero films, the film's events are forged by the author to match the narrative. It's a good movie for entertainment, which is what matters. I recommend.

Enzo (Claudio Santamaria) is a small-town crook in Rome, stealing purses and taking on small jobs with other crooks just to get by; after one such incident, he finds himself being chased by the cops and the only way to escape them is to jump into the Tiber River. Unfortunately for him, the place where he jumps conceals a number of barrels containing toxic waste, and one of them has been leaking. He suddenly finds himself with superpowers, and uses them to steal for himself until one day he meets Alessia (Ilenia Pastorelli), a young woman lost in a fantasy world featuring the Japanese anime Steel Jeeg. She convinces him to use his powers for good, but she doesn't know that a super-villain, Fabio (Luca Marinelli), wants to subvert Enzo for his own ends…. This film is a hoot, a shout-out to Italy's 1970s love affair with the (real) "Steel Jeeg" anime from Japan, and a gritty tale from the dark belly of the big city all at the same time, and all done with exquisite Italian flare. (Fabio, for example, has a fabulous dress sense and has a small-time claim to fame as a one-time contestant on a TV talent show, which everyone mistakes for the Italian version of "Big Brother.") There's lots of action, of course, but also a quieter story of how Enzo gains superpowers which lead to him gaining his soul. This movie won a bunch of Italian film awards, and it's easy to see why - it's by turns charming, brutal, thrilling and tender. Anyone familiar with the genre will know from the beginning how it will end, but the journey itself is a terrific ride, and lots of fun!

Here is a backstory you will not find in a comic book, but likely deserves one anyway.

A non-traditional director does a superhero film in Italy (believed to the first ever) and sets it against a backdrop of actual themes and events and social issues well known to those who live there.

Unlike Marvel and DC, who are fighting each other to the death in an insane crusade to monetize every last story, treatment, and dust bunny in their respective archives, director Mainetti took what he needed from the superhero mythology and threw the rest out.

The mere fact that this movie does not care about a sequel or a franchise or a merchandising spin off gives it instant points in my book.

When you look closely at it, and see solid writing, good performances, and even a "tragic romance" as good as anything from a daytime soap, you realize that we have something very special here.

Recommended.

Oh my, just when I thought I see it all, another hidden gem surprises me. This movie has everything, and even when I think I will never see a more controversial relationship between two main characters since "Leon, The Professional", Enzo and Alessia appear. A weird movie, with a rare plot, but I need to say that better than a lot of American superheros movies that saturate the cinematography year by year these days. Just hope this will not be just a one hit wonder and the director continue these franchise because they could have a future if they make the right moves. A sad story, with a non-conventional approach, for be "a superhero movie", but that is well executed and will take a place between my favorite films outside of Hollywood. Great work!!!!