•
Rating: Hello everyone,
what I would like to talk to you about today is an authentic cultural phenomenon. And it is not just for the great (and well-deserved) success that this TV series has been able to achieve, but also for the inner movement it has been capable of provoking. But let's go in order...
"Romanzo criminale-The series", for those who don't know, is the recent television adaptation of the book of the same name by Giancarlo De Cataldo and the subsequent film adaptation of the same name. The story, although very fictionalized, is inspired by the real events linked to the so-called Banda della Magliana, a criminal association that, from the late '70s to the early '90s, held Rome to ransom, dominating almost all the illegal activities in the capital: drugs, prostitution, gambling, sports betting. Built by a small group of very young neighborhood criminals, the Banda grew and expanded, establishing business relationships with the Mafia and Camorra, and later even with the Secret Services.
This, besides being History, is also roughly the main story around which the lives of the protagonists, also inspired, often fictionalized, by real figures, intertwine: the LIbanese, for example, the founder and inspirer of the Banda. A rather tormented character in search of social redemption at first, he will become towards the end a sort of nerve-wracked individual with a mind destroyed by cocaine and delusions of grandeur. Although he dies at the end of the first of the two seasons, he probably remains the most important personality of the entire series. In fact, his presence will be palpable even in the second season, where he will still appear very little in visions and flashbacks.
Among the other main characters, we find il Freddo, a character who, if he weren't a ruthless killer, would resemble the classic romantic hero, mysterious and silent; il Dandi, childhood friend of the Libanese, lover of the high life and convinced that money can buy anyone and anything. It will be those two who will contest the Libanese's crown after his death, and their ideological contrasts will break the core of the Banda.
Other important characters include il Bufalo, a bloodthirsty, sullen, impulsive, and resentful criminal yet loyal to the Libanese and the Banda; Patrizia, a fascinating prostitute who loves luxury and money and is not very true to her heart, with whom Dandi will fall in love, and Commissioner Scialoja, a determined policeman set on catching the Banda, especially Dandi, as he is also in love with Patrizia.
The series boasts a truly remarkable cast composed of exceptional talents, rarely seen before in Italy, as well as a respectable direction by Stefano Sollima.
Another strength is the soundtrack. In fact, the two seasons of the series cover a span of about twenty years, and it is also thanks to the background songs that the viewer understands the historical period of the events. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to rediscover old Italian and international classics, from Vasco Rossi to Tears for Fears, from Patty Pravo to Franco Battiato, to Bonnie Tyler and Alan Sorrenti.
Compared to the movie version, the series is much more detailed, giving the viewer a better idea of the events described (I found the movie a bit confusing...) and, above all, allowing the audience to become attached to the protagonists, despite the fact that most of them are ruthless criminals.
And this brings us to my initial statement about the inner movement: anyone who has watched this series, in fact, cannot say they have not felt sympathy for the Lebanese, Dandi, Freddo, or other members of the fierce criminal Banda.
I believe it's natural because, taken with a pinch of salt, this is the story of a group of young men who, starting from nothing, affirmed themselves and ruled uncontested over a city that at the time was divided among many small independent criminals. Of course, as a reminder that crime doesn't pay, or at least, if it pays, it then asks for interest, there is the fact that the members of the Banda do not meet exactly a happy end....
Taken with a pinch of salt, in short, it is the story of a group of underdogs who made it.
Cheers
Loading comments slowly
