Roberto Succo

ROBERTO SUCCO is a good movie, especially when considering the fact that it's based on a true story. But if you want to watch a real, disturbing 'serial killer movie' like only the French can make (meaning character driven and néo-realiste), check out HARRY UN AMI QUI VOUS VEUT DU BIEN ("with a friend like harry" in english), C'EST ARRIVÉ PRÈS DE CHEZ VOUS ("man bites dog") and BERNIE. Also, if you can find it, see SEUL CONTRE TOUS ("i stand alone") by Gaspar Noé.

SUCCO just doesn't have the intensity and the tension that those movies have. But it has its moments. The minimaliste direction and the outstanding performance of Stefano Cassetti make it an enjoyable ride after all. But again, it just can't compete with HARRY.

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.

This is French movie about a real-life Italian killer, Roberto Succo (Stefano Cassetti), who escaped a mental institution and went on a crime/murder spree all over Europe. He was somewhat similar to American killers Gary Gilmore (the subject of "The Executioner's Song")and Charles Starkweather (who loosely inspired "Badlands"). However, he was more a more prolific killer than the former, but didn't cause nearly as much panic as the latter--it actually took the police some time to piece together the various random crimes he was committing, which didn't immediately escalate to murder. The film "Roberto Succo" though probably MOST resembles the two later French "Mesrine" films (with Vincent Cassel), and like those, it seems to hew pretty closely to the real-life inspiration. Unfortunately, Succo was not nearly as interesting of a criminal as Jacques Mesrine, and Stefano Cassetti is not nearly as compelling of actor as the great Vincent Cassel.

During his crimes Succo stopped to rather tenderly romance a naive, 16-year-old French virgin named "Lea" (Isild Le Besco). But she was neither really an unwitting accomplice in his crimes like the real-life Carol Fugate (Starkweather's teenage paramour) or a sexy "moll" along the lines of the real-life Nichole Baker (played by Roseanne Arquette in "The Executioner's Song") or the character played by Ludivine Sagnier in the "Mesrine" movies. The unconventionally beautiful French actress Isild LeBesco does two things really well--one is act and the other is get naked, and she doesn't get nearly enough chance to do either here. Ludivine Sagnier has less screen time technically in the "Mesrine" movies than LeBesco does in this, but she is quite a bit more effective.

The film basically follows Succo as he commits his incredibly random crimes, and since Cassetti isn't the most exciting of actors, the film largely lacks a center and becomes quite boring. The police pursuit when it finally happens is almost an afterthought and the prison scenes at the end, while necessary to tell the full story, only prolong an already rather dull movie. It could have been improved with a stronger central performance, or if LeBesco had had a bigger role or had the kind of screen presence she would eventually develop in her later films (she is STILL by far the best reason to see this). Much of it though you have to blame on the filmmakers who perhaps stick TOO MUCH to the real-life inspiration at the expense of of making a very dramatically compelling movie.

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

Stefano Cassetti, who was living in France, red on a newspaper that a director was looking for a beginner, Italian mother tongue but fluent french speaking, to shoot a movie as leading actor; then he decided to go to the casting. He was "obviously" signed on. I suggest that all of you should stare at his almost unbelievable without-expression look. A real perfection! In my opinion the movie shows the natural capabilities of a young actor who proves to be completely at his ease in the complex role of a multi-identity psycho killer who's capable to commit unexplainable crimes but also to act as a nice and sensitive guy. Noteworthy also the dialogs.