Arrivederci amore, ciao

Once there was a promising Italian director with a nearly perfect hand when it came to splatter fun like "Deliria" (Stage Fright) and who eventually delivered the exquisite, tongue-in-cheek postmodern zombie flick "Dellamorte Dellamore" (Cemetery Man) with Rupert Everett in his perhaps finest leading role. That's fifteen years ago, with Soavi having done lots of TV work in the meantime -- maybe the reason why "Arrividerci amore, ciao", his first big-screen venture after more than a decade, is exactly looking like a professionally executed RAI Uno television assignment. The biggest problem of "Amore" is the script, working moderately, occasionally even quite well for about an hour, after which the story is rapidly mutating from a pretty tight, at intervals hard-hitting crime flick into an extraordinarily boring wife-murder yawn ultimately dissolving into lukewarm air, the end being one of the most awful letdowns in Italian thriller history. It's probably my last Soavi movie: Arrividerci Michele, ciao.

Probably one of the best Italian movies of the 2000s, I really can't understand the people who didn't appreciate it

Completely so-so. Some parts are nice - music, Alessio Boni, who just CAN'T play bad. But other parts are very strange: it seems that the director himself treated that film non-seriously. Night life, memories about South America, blood, some dialogues - are artificial and lifeless, grotesque. They seem unnatural, although all thoughts of main hero are interesting (perhaps, they were taken strait from the novel). So the serious and even tragic film begin to have some unexpected comic connotation: really, I couldn't help laughing than watching all this "night club things". Feelings of main hero wasn't shown: I see a girl, I want a girl (which is completely normal), but I do not want to sleep with her, I want her to love me (why? of course, the hero has some reason, but nobody show us what it is). Very strange feeling...

I had the opportunity to see this film during the New Line Italian Cinema Festival at Lincoln Center over the summer.

I loved the storyline and acting. The music was fabulous too.

All the actors were great. Especially Alessio Boni. He is such a "gem". If only he could come to the US and be the next international star. The range of his acting is monumental. I have had the chance to see his acting in previous films which has made me hooked ever since.

On another note, I did not read the book but after viewing the film, it made me want to run to the nearest Barnes and Nobles and purchase it and also look forward to buying the DVD when it hits the United States.

Alessio Boni is the star here. Incredible performance of a sociopath. He's just so cold.

Isabella Ferrari and Alina Nedelea also do some fine acting here. Alina Nedelea in particular really won over my sympathy after just a few scenes.. very talented.

The other star of the film is director, Michele Soavi. He took a story/script that spans a period of years and made it feel compelling and urgent. Gorgeously shot with some truly fun camera angles.

It also has a standout soundtrack featuring a haunting rerecording of Insieme a te non ci sto più by Caterina Caselli.

At the end of the day, this is a must-see for fans of dark, disturbing crime films.