Romanzo criminale - La serie
Tags: violence

Plot synopsis:
In 1970s Rome, four young delinquents, nicknamed Ice, Lebanese, Dandi and Grand steal a car. Crashing through a police road block, the driver, Grand is crushed by the steering column. Back at their hideout, a small disused caravan near a beach, they are discovered by the police. Cold, Lebanese and Dandi run away, but are captured. Grand, who is mortally wounded, dies in the caravan. Roll opening credits. Some years later, in the 1970s, Cold is released from prison and joins up with Lebanese, who tells him he has come up with a plan to kidnap and hold to ransom Baron Rossellini, a wealthy aristocrat for whom Lebanese's parents worked. He has formed a gang with Dandi - they are Black, Bright Eye, Ricotta, Bufalo, Rat and Ciro and Aldo Buffoni. After negotiating the ransom of 3 billion lire, the Baron is shot by one of the Cannizzari brothers who have been entrusted by Lebanese to guard him. Nonetheless, they fake the proof of life and get the 3 billion lire. However, the local Police Commissioner Nicola Scialoja manages to record the serial numbers of the ransom money before the gang receive it, setting out to capture the gang. As the gang divide up the money, Lebanese proposes to split 500 million lire between them, and use the remaining 2.5 billion to build a foothold in the criminal underworld of Rome, starting with drug dealing. However, the drugs racket is owned by the dealer Terrible, and so the gang wipe his gang out apart from Gemito, who Lebanese bribes to help them. After his home is raided and his body guards killed, Terrible wakes to find Cold, Lebanese and Dandi in his bedroom. Cornered, he reluctantly agrees to let give control of the racket to the gang.
The gang grows in influence and ambition. Rome falls under their rule, and the rule of Lebanese. Dandi meets and becomes enamoured with an upmarket prostitute, Patrizia, who, in order to be kept under the sway of the gang and in order to prevent Dandi becoming involved in brawls provoked by his jealousy, is bought over and given a brothel. Cold, meanwhile falls in love with his younger brother Gigio's tutor, Roberta. However, Lebanese begins to consider Cold's romance a weakness, a point reinforced when Cold asks to be dismissed from the gang. In response, Lebanese casts up the car theft from their childhood, where his leg was permanently damaged by the pursuing police. Cold and Roberta begin to learn English with the idea that they will elope. Then Cold receives a phone call informing him that Lebanese is dead, stabbed by Gemito after a bitter game of poker.
Then begins Cold's quest for vengeance, aided by Dandi.
Yet Scialoja is on their trail and succeeds in capturing Cold, then the other members of the gang except Dandi. Cold plans to escape from prison with the help of his friends, but a deadly spiral of score settling has already begun to coil around them all.

Review: Quality of This Series.
This series although in Italian is highly watchable because of excellent cast and cinematography combined with the authenticity of the recreation of the time and the story lines build upon the previous episode.
Also the way each character inter bonds with each other and that they are shown as both criminals who are portrayed as both evil and human.
If you liked programmes like Underbelly this is ten times better and will be right up your street.
From the police commissioner and his sidekick trying to capture the gang at every opportunity to there interaction with the other criminals and how they go about achieving their goals is both well written and believable.
There is not a bad actor in this series and the unfortunate thing is that I am watching this on Sky Arts(no disrespect) but this is a premier show which is based on the movie but broadens the story of each character.
At the end of each episode each character has a touching moment where you almost feel sorry for them and this creates characters that you can have apathy with and also care about and in a way feel almost sorry for.
This is quite simply one of the best pieces of television ever from any country, its rates alongside older classics like I Claudius and Poldark and more recent classics like The Wire and The ShieldThe casting in this is absolutely spot on for each and every character.The way the story unfolds is script writing at its best with a number of stand out Oscar worthy performances.
The interplay between the characters within and outside the gang of criminals is a joy to watch.The series can be both violent ,ruthless and quite simply beautifully poignant also.
Excellent and realistic TV series.
I had heard nothing about this, I just saw it advertised on TV as "Italian Sopranos" so myself and my wife started watching it.
We both agree that this is one of the best TV series we have seen.
The casting is spot on with the characters being totally believable and very very well acted.
The attention to detail is fantastic seeing that it is set in Rome in the 70's (for the first series anyway) so the cars.
clothes and hairstyles and even the home furnishings are all authentic.The story is gripping as the gang go from plot line to plot line and the interactions between the characters keep you guessing as to what is going to happen next.
The fact that its set against a backdrop of when Italy was going through a period of its history which involved the turmoil of corruption, terrorism and criminality and that's just the government, leaves you with a hard choice of who to root for.All in all thoroughly entertaining and believable.Mark S..
I really don't understand what took me so long to watch, let alone, discover this amazing show.
Romanzo Criminale is an immensely realistic and edgy show.
Based on events of street thugs turned criminal organization in 1970-1980s Rome, the series seemed to portray the decade's atmosphere with perfection and had me captivated for its entirety.There was some sort of novelty, if not charm, of seeing a group of amateur thugs band together to form lifelong friendships, pursuits of love or strive for a better life in general - all in the backdrop of social/political unrest of Italy at the time.Despite humble beginnings, these somewhat naive core characters begin to see the stark realities that surround them.
Betrayals, murders, greed and revenge are only just a small taste of what ultimately corrupts the main and side characters, turning one against the other or forming alliances.The characters and how they are conditioned/molded is really what shines here.
To see Libanese rise from such impoverished, depressive conditions or the undying struggle for justice by Commissioner Scialoja.
The characters and narrative are further strengthened by a well written, intense script, excellent cinematography, truly monumental climaxes and actors that really pull of some outstanding performances (particularly Freddo's character).Ultimately, this is a show that will drag you in, keep you extremely invested in multiple characters and then crush you at least a few times, but it's okay!
Criminale Romanzo's charm and realism never really wears off and manages to tell a great story with conviction.
Disregard the fact that you'll have to watch this with subtitles, it is Easily one of the best TV shows I have ever watched..
Brilliant series.
Romanzo criminale was hidden away on the Sky arts channel and I'm glad i found it.
I have watched the three series devotedly and i must say this was one of the best TV programme I've followed.
In my opinion, its an Italian version of The Sopranos, if you've ever watched the Sopranos you'll definitely enjoy this.
The whole series was in sub titles and I think the sub titles added to the intensity of this show.
It goes into very graphic detail of the rise of a criminal gang in Rome, starting from the seventies.
All the characters were believable and I wouldn't be surprised if it was based on some criminals of their time in Italy/Rome..
What a wonderful series.
Just finished watching the finale of series 2 and it has be breathing hard.
And it's not just becomes its the finale, its the whole series and every episode with has been like that.
Yes it's in Italian so the subtitles are key, that way I think we tend to focus more and are less distracted by other things at home, and that makes it much more enjoyable.
The storyline itself is quite good which makes the core of the series of great quality.
The direction keep the story moving fast , though it feels that the transition sometime isn't that smooth.
But I thought the crude sense makes the series even more charming.
The main leads do a great job and are quite ably supported.
I have manly seen series2 and now have to see the first series for sure , the other way round would be much better but I think it'll be great fun all the same.
The editing is brilliant and hence thrill of the series is kept alive through every episode because of that.
A must watch for people who love good action TV ( it is a crime series so expect a lot of gun related action) ....a have to have to watch for people who love mafia related television..
What a top notch TV series.
Great not just by Italian standards, but by any standard.
One of the best, if not the very best crime series I've ever seen, and I consider this better than most crime films.
It has nothing to do with the Sopranos, which follows the life of a mafia family, a man at the very top of the food chain and his personal family.
This show is about young guys, not a family, only partners in crime, and their rise from the very bottom.
It is somewhat similar to Peaky Blinders in that regard.It is deep and rich.
It's not a very fast paced show, but it's fast enough that every episode has actual events and significance.
It's not a slow show at all - no mood setting scenes, long dialogues about insignificant things that are just about foreshadowing or symbolism, but it doesn't skip on details of how this gang went up, so no montages to rush through the process just to get us where they are, as an established gang.
It's not a story about an established gang, it's the story of the rise of this group of young men in the crime world.The other recent Italian TV series to get big outside Italy is 1992, but this is much better than 1992.
It's better than any Italian series and almost all Italian films.
It is in my top 20 best TV shows of all time and is rising by the episode..
Based on a TRUE STORY.
When this series came out Italy was taken by a storm.
Usually Italian TV it's a mix of boring carabinieri and saints portraits...This is the best series we ever produced.
And I can assure you that not only it's based on a real story, but the associates and the families member still alive are very much part of the criminal web of Rome.And like me, whoever was born in Rome knows very well La Banda della Magliana and it's legacy.All the characters have different name but if you look up for the real story they're easy to spot.
Some of them are still alive and the actual Freddo is just being taken off the special witness protection program and he's back in Rome..
I think I have cause this is one of the best series I've ever seen.
and I've seen a lot of them..
Gomorra La Series blew my mind and romanzo criminale blew up the rest of it.
gomorra looked like they were about to kill a whole bunch of people but romanzo looked like they already have.
that is how i compare these two amazing Italian crime series.
i mean from the storyline to the characters and the rest of it, top tier entertainment.
its realistic yet fantastic at the same time.
how does a series stay soo interesting one might say.
these two series has all of it and it never gets old.
i know gomorra has a third season comin but its been a minute for this one.
ill be watching these series again cause of the high replay value.
much props to the gomorra production and romanzo criminale productions.
the actors and actresses did a great job even tho i had to read subtitles throughout.
I've just started to look into more Italian shows and movies cause i didn't know they were soo good.
i look forward to more Italian TV in the near future cause it really doesn't get much better..
One terrific and most powerful Italian crime series, one of the most brutal I have ever seen, far far more bloody than any other American one.
I find here the same violence we had in the Italian films from the seventies.
Really exciting scheme, with so many outstanding characters to whom you get glued to, no matter the degree in criminality they are involved in.
Stefano Sollima is definitely the new master of the Italian crime industry, as Michele Placido was one or two decades ago, and in a more terrific way.
I remind you that Stefano Sollima already gave us SUBURRA and GOMORRA series and of course next year the next movie to SICARIO and named SOLDATO, about Mexican drug cartels.
So, after Italian mafias, Sollima will be plunged deep into the Spanish spoken underworld, far more brutal than the Sicilian one.
Back to this series, I am still shaking, reminding how impressive the late seventies, eighties and early nineties atmosphere were, with the music score of those fantastic years.
This is a pure masterpiece.
And this actress Giovanna Di Rauso, the female killer amazon with snake eyes, the kind of lady who, if I crossed her path in the street and saw her asking me for the time, I would quickly give her my watch and run away from this shark female.
Best TV Show Since The Shield.
Romanzo Criminale, an Italian crime series aired between 2008 and 2010, in two seasons, is one of the best reasons to watch television in recent years.
It's adapted from a novel which in turn is based on the real life events surrounding the Banda della Magliana, a criminal gang that operated in Rome between the 1970s and 1990s.
In the late seventies, the entrepreneurial and ambitious Lebanese, the leader of a four-man gang in Rome's Magliana area, makes an alliance with another four-man gang, led by Freddo, to kidnap a wealthy Baron and demand a ransom.
They invest the money on drugs and start controlling the supply in all of Rome, muscling out small pushers and dealers and powerful, Mafia-backed crime bosses.
The visionary Lebanese turns the eight members into the leaders of Rome's underworld, with him as the self-declared King.And once they run out of enemies, they start killing each other.
The series is mainly about two things: first of all, the themes associated with these kinds of stories: loyalty, honor, betrayal, greed, arrogance, power.
The hard work Lebanese puts into creating a united gang is constantly undermined by the members' individualism supplanting their communal activities.
All men are corrupt and no one wants to be controlled: everyone has a side racket, everyone is making deals with someone else, everyone is stealing a bit of the profits; it's not even for them – it's because they have wives and kids on the way, or mothers to take care of; or they just want to buy expensive houses, cars and clothes, or they have a prostitute to keep.
The members recognize that being united has brought them great advantages, but there's always the propensity for corruption threatening to destroy Lebanese's dreams.
But it's not just corruption: in Freddo's case, for instance, love makes him question his place in the group.
Like Lebanese, Freddo's one of the great characters whose personality dominates the series.
When either isn't present, you feel the lack; and when they're on screen, the show crackles with energy.The other thing the series is about, is giving a vast vista of Italy during the Years of Lead, a period ranging from the late '60s to the early '80s, when Italy was in socio-political turmoil: left- and right-wing groups killed hundreds of innocents in explosions, and the government, the secret services, and the organized crime were all working together for mutual gain.
The characters, like their real-life counterparts, were involved with neo-fascist groups and the secret services, in a complex web of favours, blackmailing, and mutual interests.
The series is political and dense.
In this regard, I'd compare it to the French mini-series Carlos.
The series was made for Italians, though, so don't expect information to be spoon-fed.
These events are so recent in Italy's history, like the P2 scandal, that the creators presumed viewers would still be familiar with them.
Non-Italian viewers are advised to do a bit of research: it's actually quite informative and interesting.
At least I didn't.But if you can put up with these bits of Italian history, you'll be rewarded with a fascinating, well-written story about the rise and fall of the gang members.
The first season deals with Lebanese's transformation into a powerful boss, but also chronicles his inability to maintain power due to what in tragedy we're taught to call 'character flaws:' arrogance, paranoia, micro-management.
Season two allows Freddo and Dandi, Lebaneses's best friend, to grow as characters as one struggles to keep the group united and the other forges new alliances that will make his old friends irrelevant in his thirst for power.
But although those three are the best delineated characters in the series, everyone gets a chance to shine.
One of the things I appreciated here was how the characters were dynamic instead of being stuck in their own circumstances.
There's for instance a character called Ricotta in season 1 who seems like a mere Mafia henchman, but throughout the series he slowly becomes a part of the gang and turns into a pivotal figure in the final episodes.
The same can be said for Bufalo, who at first was just another member, but whose quest for revenge in season 2 becomes one of the most spectacular subplots of the show.
Everyone is granted his moment of humanity and after 22 episodes, it's hard not to sympathize with all of them, even if some are despicable people.On the other side of the law there's Scialoja, a policeman investigating the gang for years, trying to disrupt their activities.
Like Lebanese, Freddo and Dandi, he's one of the most interesting characters of the series.
Fans of The Wire who loved the final season's downbeat ending will love this pessimistic look at the law and the portrayal of a society where justice is broken and the actions of good men are pointless.Like The Shield, Romanzo Criminale is a work of long-term plotting.
And if possible, it has to be re-watched: some scenes are heartbreaking in retrospect, like the football game in episode 2.
Now that foreign shows are finally becoming popular – The Killing, Spiral, Wallander – it's a good time to discover Romanzo Criminale, one of the best shows on TV in recent years..
what a TV series splendid violent sympathetic.
Though m an Indian I don't like most of Indian movies.I prefer holly movies.I myself recently started my acting career in TV.From very young age I was fascinated watching criminal/mafia movies.Godfather series was my previous best.Al pacino is my god😁....now let me come to the point.I started watching Italian movies only 2yrs back.my first Italian movie is Romanzo Criminale.I fall in love with Kim Rossi Stuart.But when I watched this TV series.i got addicted.now I cant resist watching some episodes everyday.specially ep5 when gang was arrested in the last scene with the wonderful song pazza idea and ep20 sorcio shooting heroin with Lilly song and mainly killing of terrible.I liked almost every one's acting but my best Bufalo libano freddo ricotta.Giorgio Caputo most handsome guy out there Andrea sartoretti angry man freddo performance and libano's drug addicted paranoid look is like a dream project.open violent brutal scenes drug shooting and open sex makes it successful.i don't know why it is stuck in 8.7.its definitely underrated.I started crying when freddo dandi were killed in the last scene😓.Its a literature.Hats off to Sollima.He is now my favourite director.I have watched many of his works.I am eagerly waiting for Suburra.I am dreaming one day I may be casted in this kind of TV series/movie.