ALL YOU NEED IS CRIME

Italy, 2019, 105 minutes, Colour.

Alessandro Gassmann, Marco Giallini, Eduardo Leo, Gianarco Tognazzi, Ilenia Pastorelli, Massimiliano Bruno.

Directed by Massimiliano Bruno.

Here is a variation on Back to the Future (actually somebody says this in the film), Italian slacker style. It is often amusing in its way – but, rather silly. However, it was popular in its time and the director and cast made two more films, one continuing the present story, pursuing the woman who took all the money, the second another time travel but this time back to September 1943 and World War II.

In 2018, a group of friends from childhood have a scam going, advertising tours in Rome of all the scenes of crimes. They have their problems of employment, marriage and divorce… But, they know all the details of crime locations.

Then, to their surprise and ours, they go through a time portal landing in 1982, at the time of the World Cup, but right in the middle of the gangsters whose sites they intended to guide people to in 2018! The three friends are rather caricatures, but using the knowledge of the games in the World Cup to win a lot of money, cosying up to the gang leaders, an unpleasant crew, but the leaders, especially one, played by Eduardo Leo, taking a hostage. There are complications with the leader’s girlfriend who takes a shine to Sebastiano, Alessandro Gassman. But, from 2018, they have an idea about which church the hidden treasure in gold has been concealed and they are after that.

Italian comedy, comic characters and situations, amusing dialogue where in 1982 the three are referencing later inventions including mobile phones, the Internet… Even confronting their childhood selves, and a friend who has made a lot of money selling an app he invented, and the explanation given that one had taken the mobile phone through the tunnel and given it to the younger version of the inventor! And identifying himself as Steve Jobs!

Definitely just a light pastime, Italian style.