Italy, France, Romania · 2010
Rated R · 1h 42m
Director Michele Placido
Starring Kim Rossi Stuart, Filippo Timi, Valeria Solarino, Moritz Bleibtreu
Genre Crime, Drama
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Set in Italy in the 1970s, VALLANZASCA is the true story of the Italian underworld’s most infamous outlaw. A criminal by age 9, Renato Vallanzasca grew up to become the country’s most notorious mobster before the age of 27. Vallanzasca and his gang wrested control of the Milan underworld with a string of high profile robberies, kidnappings and murders. In the process, he captivated the public and earned the nickname ‘il bel Renè’ – for his devilish charm and handsome face. Arrested multiple times, his daring escapes from prison enraged the government, angered his rivals and fed his legend.
Angel of Evil is bloody, yes, but loaded with generic action sequences, shouting matches and blustery sentiment. To borrow Robert Evans's famous quotation about "The Godfather," you can smell the spaghetti, but less sauce might have helped.
A slick, enthralling look at the life of Vallanzasca but fails to truly get under his skin.
In many ways reminiscent of "Mesrine" but suffers greatly in comparison. It hits many of the same marks -- but the scenes unfold almost elliptically, never really building or illuminating character, and never sparking narrative momentum.
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
Though there's no shortage of mustache-quivering energy and wide-collared strutting, Angel of Evil can't separate itself enough from the pack as a character piece to be memorable as anything other than a blood-spattered timeline.
What is missing is any sort of psychological insight. Just what made Renato run? You won't find out here.
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