(2001/ITALY)
REVIEW BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-MICHELE SOAVI CAST-KIM ROSSI STUART, DINO ABBRESCIA, VALERIA MILILLO, BRUNO ARMANDO, PIETRO BONTEMPO, CLAUDIO BOTOSSO and MATTEO CHIOATTO. SOURCE-NO SHAME FILMS DVD (REGION 0 NTSC / 200 MINS / 2006)
Director Michele Soavi (DELLAMORTE, DELLAMOTRE) who in recent years has built a very solid career as a television director since his last feature of CEMETERY MAN. With UNO BIANCA, a two part, three hour cop thriller which follows a real life event where a group of ruthless terrorist go un-caught for quite awhile. The group known as the "Uno Biancha Gang", went on a spree which resulted in 24 deaths and numerous amounts of wounded during the early 90's. It wasn’t until the two police inspectors Luciano Baglioni and Pietro Costanza paid extra attention, investigated and infiltrated the group that their rein of terror ended.
Though, in Michele Soavi’s version which in large part is scripted by Luigi Montefiori or better known as George Eastman, is loosely based on the events. Still staying pretty true to the actual events, the film itself adds the necessary elements to give it an edgy in your face cop thriller. UNO BIANCA main focus is broken into two areas as for their given two part set up. The first part has us follow both Valerio (Kim Rossi Stuart) and Rocco (Dino Abbrescia) which represent the two cops who investigate the gang. After a botched attempts to lure some of the gang members, their captain and close friend is killed. Both Valerio and Rocco vow to bring those responsible to justice. Their number one job is to find out just who this Uno Bianca gang is made of.
The second part get more in-depth with the characters on both sides. Once Valerio and Rosso get a break and find out a link as to who is in the group, they investigate further. Once they are sure they have their man from a previous bank heist, they decide against higher authorities to go undercover and infiltrate the gang. Rossi does the stacking out while Valeria goes in deep to gain the groups trust and get the much needed evidence to bring them to justice.
Soavi’s vision is both shocking and very atmospheric in every sense. UNO BIANCA is certain one of the best modern day cop thrillers I have seen. For a television effort that in the first place feel more like a full fledged feature, Soavi never seems to be constraint with those usual television budgetary caps. In true Soavi fashion, there are tons of trademarks in UNO BIANCA that many of come to associate with him. From the opening scene of looking down a loaded barrel of a gun to the highly stressful scenes of terror. This is all carried by the smooth cinematography and the many effective and highly innovative transitions throughout the film. Once a prodigy of Dario Argento, Soavi has certainly come into his own by edging a path that many young Italian film makers are sure to follow in the years to come.
UNO BIANCA echos those many classic polizia offerings of the 70's, giving the much dormant genre a new ray of light. Offering possibly new faces to the genre, much like Merli, Milian and other did during the 70's. Kim Rossi Stuart is effectively casted as the lead character of Valeria, who is hell bent on finding the truth to the death of a friend. At first it seems to be a routine investigation, it quickly takes a political turn that rubs him the wrong way. Stuart’s sheer intensity triggers his characters quickening obsession to find the truth. Once again, Soavi shows his ability of guiding his actors down the right path. The rocky progression of Valeria who within time uncovers what at first comes to him as something totally impossible to the very possible in turn igniting his obsession with bring those in the wrong down. This energy rips right through the film’s entire feel and brings it to a level that carries out until the dying seconds of it’s finale.
Though Stuart’s performance is certainly the main focus of this film, though not the main subject material, there are other valuable contributions given by other actors in the film. For one, Dino Abbrescia who plays Valeria’s partner, Rossi. Like Stuart, Abbrescia’s direction is intense, brutal and very real in his portrayal. Driven by Valeria’s burning desire to bring justice, though seeing right through him and picking out Valeria’s hidden obsession. He keeps Valeria’s objectives in the clear, leveling out any distress that may come their investigation. The interaction between the two actors is times and yet for real all at once.
This offering from Italian cinema exports No Shame Films gives us a totally intimate viewing of one of director Michele Soavi’s best efforts. Being released as a two disc DVD, No Shame once again gives the fans exactly what they are looking for. Something that is very rare to us here in the North American market, a high profile Italian television presentation. The main feature is in it’s original aspect ratio of full framed 1.66:1 which I might add is very clean almost crystal clear. The audio is also in it’s original Italian 2.0 Digital Dolby with optional English subtitles. Like the picture the audio is once again is super clean.
Disc 1 gives us part 1 of UNO BIANCO (which has an short introduction from the film’s producer Pietro Valsecchi), along with a handful of interesting features. The first being a 17 minuted interview with actor/writer Luigi Montefiori (George Eastman). I must admit this interview is highly entertaining too, as Eastman recounts not only his involvement with UNO BIANCO, but also fondly goes down memory line with discussing many moments with the late Aristide Massaccesi (Joe D’Amato) along with how he first met Michele Soavi. Along with that Eastman interview, there is also two other brief interviews with the UNO BIANCO’S producer Pietro Valsecchi and it’s cinematographer, Gianni Mommolotti.
Disc 2 carries on with the second part of the film along with giving us two brief looks of behind the scenes from the film itself which even included Michele Soavi. In closing, there is a well written booklet of liner notes containing bios and filmographies for Michele Soavi, Kim Rossi Stuart, Dino Abbrescia and Luigi Montefiori which are wonderfully written by Richard Harland Smith. There is also you own "Make you own Fiat Uno" included which is only limited to the first 7000 units. So, all in all this is yet another excited new release from No Shame, one that carries a high octane cop thriller one would surely enjoy with it’s full intensity.
STORY/FILM- 4.5/ BITCH SLAPS PICTURE-4/5 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO-4/5 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS-4/5 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD-4 BITCH SLAPS You can purchase this from X-Ploited Cinema
After March 28 2006
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