The Legionnaire
Stars: Maurizio Bousso, Germano Gentile, Carlo Marson, Falaguasta Aquila, Mario Ferrari and Ina Gjika
Director: Hieb Papou
Scriptwriters: Giuseppe Brigante, Emanuelal Machi and Hieb Papou
Composer: Andrea Boccadoro
Cinematographer: Luca Neruegna
MACT Productions/Fandango Sales
USA Release 2024
Rating: R
Running Length: 83 minutes
Italian Language with Subtitles
Italy is a country of leisure vacations, pasta, wine, warm bread and afternoon siestas. That is the scene people think of, however, we are in another century now, and immigrants have come into Italy to the extent that eight percent of the population is now of another ancestry. With a mix of cultures in the country, rules begin to change. People move and take their culture and habits with them. Such is the story of two Afro-Italian brothers in Italy. One, Patrick of slender build (Maurizio Bousso) lives with their mother in what could be considered a slum area of Rome. They have come to Italy from Cameroon. Patrick is against ever being evicted. The other brother, Daniel (Germano Gentile) is a well-built police officer in the Reparto Mobile (riot squad). Director Hieb Papou, himself born in Belarus but living in Italy, brings to life what it is like to have such a division within a family unit. One brother lives just under the law, while the other brother upholds the law. There is police brutality here.
As the story goes, the brothers have opposite viewpoints of life. Daniel has worked his way through the ranks to become a police officer. This brings benefits such as a regular paycheck, an apartment, white wife and a promising future. Daniel is teased by his work mates, though, and takes it as part of the job, as he is the only man there with dark skin. Then, the decision is made as to what to do with squatter sections of Rome and suddenly, there is Daniel’s family section next. What to do? Daniel has never told his boss, Aquila (Marco Falaguasta) what his background is and that is going to be a climactic deciding point.
The two actors, Maurizio Bousso and Germano Gentile play off each other well. They have gone separate ways and both have decisions to make concerning their lives. Gentile, as the husky police officer, does this role well. The destitute sections of Rome that were part of this filming are real and the audience gets to see things happen in real life---such as electricity suddenly going out. Some of the people in scenes were actually living in squatter settlements in Rome. What you see on the screen is not unusual anymore. Most major cities in the world have refugee places and no help available for them.
This is an action film with a story that goes along at a nice pace. You go from Patrick and squatter meetings to Daniel in uniform at work. The city is a background for the tension that arises and Rome, with all its structural splendor, has problems at its feet. A nice ride by a new. young director, Hieb Papou, who cites Sam Peckinpah as a favorite director.
Copyright 2024 Marie Asner
