L'année de plomb

A good title, but more applicable to 1981, since that was the year that saw attempts to assassinate the President of the United States and the Pope.

This film sounds of interest on paper for the prospect of seeing John Frankenheimer address the abduction and murder of Aldo Moro. It doesn't stint on the gunplay (one particularly nasty moment depicts a horse getting caught in the crossfire). But there's even more talk - some of it in Italian - while the old dynamism that brought us 'The Manchurian Candidate' is sorely lacking, and Andrew McCarthy makes a very passive hero.

In compensation Sharon Stone brings a feral power to the role of an American photojournalist who never lets a little aggro get in the way of a photo opportunity. While it concludes with one of Frankenheimer's trademark closeups of a TV screen.

this may not be john frankenhiemers best work but is not one to overlook. i feel at the time of its release andrew mccarthy career was already over and although he does a fare job of it he did not help it's release and sharon stone was not yet a house hold name.plus Italian politics of the 70's doesn't really sound that inviting.

however this little film is exiting,intriguing and well plotted. you feel for andrews plight and you feel lost in a world you don't really understand just like andrew. weather intentionally or not it works for me i don't it want all laid out. the actions of the red brigade are not answered just like the news we watch every night. john frankenhiemer made the best of a hard subject and the last third of the movie is very tense. with a good twist and a message that has not dated.

also the DVD quality is very good but where are the subtitles and how about some extras, the deleted scene is odd to say the least. if your a sharon stone fan its a must one of her better early performances.

All I can say is, Sharon is very well cast here as a reporter. She looks beautiful in a very wild, intelligent way. I can honestly believe she is a reporter who gets off on the danger and is willing to risk her life for materials. The male character is kinda weak though, I don't think he has enough chemistry with Sharon. Vanessa Golino is very beautiful though, saw her in rain man before but she looks gorgeous here as well. The ending is kinda shocking as well. The whole theme of this movie gives off a 70s spy thriller feel. Sharon looked gorgeous holding her camera in the beginning. The motorcycle chase scenes were decent, but the whole plot is a bit messy for me to give the movie a passing grade.

From the first moment I felt myself well entertained. I did not check the specifics, before after watching it, so I was surprised that it was made so many years after the kidnapping of Aldo Moro. The lighting and filming was stimulating from start to finish. And nothing wrong with the cutting neither. I remember nothing about the sound, so it much have done its job well. The filming ( the grittyness/grain ) and the format, made it seem a true timepiece, that maybe because of that, sometimes balances on the edge of kitsch.

Two things didn't help this film, the first might've been the channel I watched it on, no subtitles for the Italian parts. The second was McCarthy and Stone as leads, they try hard but in a serious subject like this they play it as if it's Douglas / Turner in Romancing the Stone 3.

On the plus side the scenes in Roma are very well done, especially the demonstration scenes and you do get a hint of what it was like in the Italian capital during the terrorist happenings.

The other thing about the movie is it tells about what happened to Aldo Moro, the kidnapped Italian PM, but nothing of what happened after. I've tried looking into this but it could take a while.

A decent film even with it's limitations.