Roberto Succo

"Roberto Succo" is a rarity in French cinema: a movie featuring a teenage girl who isn't the craziest person in it. The fact that the girl is played by Isild le Besco, who used to specialise in crazy teen girl characters, further underlines this point.

Aside from that the movie is pretty negligible. It's too long winded, or perhaps just too plain long, to really hit any notes. It's about a crazy psychopath, and he was surely well cast, with his piercing, bulging eyes. But the movie doesn't have any shocks, any suspense, or much of anything. You know the guy's crazy but he doesn't feel dangerous. I think "crazy", when not married with danger, is merely annoying. I wanted the guy caught or killed, but wasn't into waiting two hours for it to happen.

For a film about a killer this is surprisingly dull.

Nothing much happens and even when things do happen they don't generate any real excitement or interest.

The acting is good from the two leads, Cassetti in particular delivers a great performance combining the certainty and stupidity of Succo but the rest of the cast also do what they need to.

The problem is that there is poor writing and direction and the fact that as a true story it isn't interesting, Succo is not a unique character, he isn't interesting or exciting.

Films of this sort normally try to generate tension or empathy or outrage and this generates nothing except a feeling of regret that you wasted your time watching it.

Roberto Succo is a "based on true tale" of an Italian serial killer. Roberto ended up mostly in France living an incredibly strange life with normal(ish) girlfriends for some of the time, whilst stealing, raping and murdering the rest of it.

For me some parts of the film were interesting. Obviously the interplay between this insane man and the people he was with, including the girlfriend in France for the most part. Also some of the police chases were somewhat incredible to behold, and had a very real feel to them, unlike normal Hollywood fluff. The direction and acting were particularly good, giving the film an almost fly-on-the-wall feel. Ultimately though the whole film was massively let down for me by two serious failings. Firstly, the execution of either the editing or the story. The story itself jumps around horrendously in time, and broke continuity for me. Although I could pick up the continuity of what happened I can't help but think there were better ways to fill these huge gaps. Secondly, there was very little insight given into what drove Roberto to do the things he did. For example pretending he was a terrorist and spy. Of course he was insane, but I was expecting some attempt at trying to explain his background (other than the fact he murdered his parents). There was also what appeared to be a plot line with the French policeman and Roberto which carried right to the end, but again was never really explained as to why this was significant. 2/5

Cedric Kahn's films have been character-based, rather than action-based (I'm thinking of L'Ennui and Feux rouges) so it is jarring to see this series of really expert car chases interspersed with some plodding attempts to give character to Succo. I don't find Stefano Cassetti to be an interesting actor; he reminds me of pro athletes who are coaxed into movies, like Bret Favre. That blank stare looks like a really vicious deer caught in the headlights. A real actor would have forced us to reflect more on Succo's personality, rather than admiring his skill at carjacking.

The little acting there is comes mainly from Isild le Besco as the needy schoolgirl Succo takes by storm. The interview at the police office is a marvel of bland obstinacy with a little fear of the future blended in. Le Besco apart, there is little to recommend this film.

Wow. I am still struggling to reconcile this film; a man so amoral, so interesting, unstable, cute and unpredictable. The film is a masterpiece of storytelling and a lesson in how to use subtlety to frame extreme and horrific violence. Let me give you an example. At one point, Roberto/Kurt is cutting his nails and is told by Lea that she wants to end their affair. In that moment his hand slips and he cuts his foot badly. The audience jumped and sucked in air more at that point than at any other in the film; the splash of blood was so unexpected and surprising that it made me gasp.

The director, writer and actors seem to be trying to tell a story without sensationalising or sympathising, there are no moralising "I think we have all learnt something today kids" sections. Roberto Succo is not analysed and explained, the audience is told a story and left to draw their own conclusions. It feels so good to be regarded as an intelligent individual with a degree of perception and a mind of my own.

Two things stuck me after the film. Firstly, that Succo was like a child with tantrums and utter lack of regard for consequence, easily angered and distracted. Capable of charm and unbelievable cunning, his danger came in his lack of restraint when it came to violence.

The other thing that I realised an hour or so after watching the film was that nothing is made up. Every scene features someone who can corroborate the situation, there are no scenes with Roberto on his own, or with a victim that died without a witness. From this I surmise that a conscious decision was made not to fictionalise sections of his existence that had no witness to verify the event. Yet, this is done effortlessly and without being forced. By the end of the film you know as much as anyone else alive about Succo, and no extraneous conjecture, constructed to aid the narrative. This is astounding in its audacity and spectacular in its execution.

The car chases are some of the most stomach wrenching I have ever seen; forget Bullett, Ronin (high speed through Paris...unbelievable driving) and Blues Brothers, this is some of the most tense high speed driving I have seen on film. You have to pity the Police, maybe they were slightly inept, but only because there was no motive for so much of the crime, how often do you come across a criminal so ruthless, pointless and deadly?

Any gripes then? Well, perhaps the film could have been a bit bolder with its camera moves, but then perhaps that would have detracted from the style. I didn't like the soundtrack; I thought the whole film could have done without any music apart from that in clubs and bars. But that is just because I think the film didn't need the punctuation of Marianne Faithful's (OK, very moving) voice.

I understand the outcry in France at this film, and you could take away the impression that the police were at fault. However, the Italian cops came over like fools, and the Germans made such monumental errors that Succo was obviously that thing a police force fear most; insanely dangerous - dangerously insane, but with such a honed fight or flee instinct he was like nothing they could have prepared for. Sad man, pathetic situation, tragic victims; what a film.