Reviews

Not a masterpiece, but quite enjoyable. My son loved it. I would not screen it for my wife and mother in law tough because of some profanities. Some scenes were hilarious (such as the duel between the penguin and Leonidas). My favorite part was when there was the roasting battle among the Spartans. Low budget movie worth watching in a winter rainy cold afternoon with your friends.

I run into this pearl of a movie totally by coincidence. I had never heard about it but my attention was drown by the appealing list of the involved artists, all protagonists of the best examples of the Italian classic moviemaking: Monicelli, Comencini, Age, Scarpelli, Manfredi, Volonte', Adorf to mention only the main ones. I did not expect much from it when i pushed the "play" button of my TV remote control and I suspected that my ignorance about the very existence of this movie was a clear evidence of some major failings in it.

Rarely I had been so wrong in prejudging a movie! I thoroughly enjoyed the superb acting (starting with Manfredi, in one of his first - and quite satisfactory - major roles), the spotless and engaging script, the brisk albeit quite resourceful direction, the artistic black and white photography, the subtle soundtrack. The movie is a canny combination of drama and comedy. Lots of hilarious situations and witty jokes - but in the context of a very sad and sometimes poignant story of a jail escape attempt conceived by a bunch of two bit petty criminals. Among them, a simpleton (Manfredi's role) who is unwillingly caught into the escape plot and ends up paying a huge price.

90 minutes of pure artistry. One can wonder - given the serious overall tone of the movie - if it can be considered part of the canon of the celebrated "commedia all'italiana", but who cares about categorizing? Enjoy this movie anyway: maybe it is the very Janus-like nature if this unexpected masterpiece which is part of its irresistible charm and interest.

This is commedia all'italiana at its best. Solid script, excellent acting (not only by Tognazzi but quite surprisingly also by the young and beautiful Ornella Muti), professional direction. The depiction of a union activist entangled with politically incorrect jelousy for his teenager wife is hilarious but also quite poignant. The setting in proletarian working class Milan is credible and realistic. A little gem of a movie. Something might get lost in translation/dubbing but definitively a must see also for non Italian viewers!