FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
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
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