Il grande spirito

Really. I don't retell plot lines as that ruins the first-watch experience. I will say this, I think Rubini is brilliant. If you like Tarantino but want a little more story and relevance, this is the movie. There are little touches that make this movie great. Very early on, notice how suddenly we see a camera angle that changes the POV. It happens one more time before we see the second main character of the movie.

Why is that brilliant? Because it sets the entire film up. From here, Rubini begins the western. A western on the rooftops of an Italian city. A white man who uses those who live naturally. A natural who lives with nature...albeit on a rooftop.

It's all here: A chase, money, outlaws, an Indian, even a revolver. The greed of the white man and the oppression of those that live happily. The mixed up motivations of people of today and the example of how simply you could live.

From the very start you will be pulled in by the humor, clever direction and sympathetic characters.

This one is disappointing coming from the creator of STAZIONE and LA BIONDA. Rubini is a scruffy small time provincial hood involved in a gang war. His associates treat him dismissively after a stuff up bank job where he shot a poodle. He manages to get the loot away from them and plans taking off with his beautician ex. However he finds himself trapped in the apartment block roof top squat of crazy (how crazy?) Papaleo on who he has to depend despite the fact that Papeleo thinks he's a Sioux Indian under the control of the Great Spirit.

The cast work at making their characters vivid and the industrial sky line and small time corruption is nicely caught but it really is too much to try and run this up into a two hour movie.