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BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET 20 YEARS LATER
Directed by: Amanzio Todini.
Produced by: Silvia D'Amico Bendicò & Carol Cucchi.
Written by: Age, Suso Cecchi D'Amico & Amanzio Todini.
Director of Photography: Pasqualino DeSantis.
Edited by: Ruggero Mastroianni.
Music by: Nino Rota.
Released by: Fox Lorber.
Language: Italian with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Italy. 101 min. Not Rated.
With: Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman & Tiberio Murgia.
DVD Features: Trailer.

This sequel to the 1958 Italian comedy, Big Deal on Madonna Street, revisits three characters from the classic, now in their twilight years. Marcello Mastroianni reprises his role as Tiberio, a part-time photographer and a full-time crook. Having just been released from jail, he finds 1980s Rome to be completely foreign. Neighborhoods have changed dramatically, his son is now a grown man, and his wife has taken a lover. Broke and living in a car dump, he's coaxed by his old-time crime partners, Ferrabotte (Tiberio Murgia) and Peppe (Vittorio Gassman), into pulling off another deal that this time will financially secure them for the rest of their lives. Of course, things do not go as planned, and the three old timers are put to the test against the modern world.

With the exception of the clips from the original movie, this film, which is actually set nearly 30 years later, bears little resemblance to its predecessor. It is by no means as comical or as smart, and Mastroianni at times looks embarrassed. The jazzy score of the original is gone as well as the sass and cool of the characters. The sequel's focus is centered on Tiberio, rather than the chemistry of the gang. Though it has its fair share of running jokes (Tiberio is constantly haunted by painters and his son is one long gay joke), most of them miss their mark. Michael Wong
October 18, 2005