Uno bianca

An excellent movie in two parts that was made for Italian TV. A fantastic production for a TV movie. After I watched part one, which is about 90 minutes, I could hardly wait to see the second part but I had to wait a week b/c it was being shown at the Italian Cultural Institute. It was worth it. Great acting by a talented cast, in particular the two main actors, Kim Rossi Stuart and Dino Abbrescia gave memorable performances. Also Valeria Melillo is perfectly understated in her role as Rossi Stuart's wife. Say what you will about Italian TV in general, this movie and all the episodes of Commissario Montalbano (if you haven't seen this series, check it out, it's fantastic) prove that Italian TV can surpass even big budget American TV productions in terms of quality of acting, editing, and direction. Soavi must be a great director to generate and sustain the edge of this movie for 3 hours. Worth seeing!

Well, you've gotta admit--Michele Soavi certainly knows how to make a good movie. And this two-part serial is no exception. Kim Rossi Stuart plays a cop who is assigned to investigate a series of violent bank robberies and cop-killings. While on duty, his friend is shot in the head by one of the criminals linked to the gang. Stuart then goes on a personal crusade to nail down the leader of the criminal organization. This film is a colossal production running somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 hours! Although it bears many of the earmarks of American television productions, it nevertheless proves to be an extremely enjoyable, action-packed, and suspense-filled ride. Soavi is another one of those pioneering Italian directors who now find themselves doing work for television--just about the only guaranteed market in Italy these days. Anyway, he turns out this film with a mastery that keenly reflects the years spent working with Deodato, Argento, D'Amato, and others. I doubt this will ever get an American release, so any version available will probably be in Italian. However, this does not in any way detract from the enjoyability of this film. By the way, Kim Rossi Stuart is the son of veteran Italian actor Giacomo Rossi Stuart.