Diabolik – chi sei?

Who really is Diabolik, the ruthless Italian comic book antihero? The final chapter of the Manetti Bros. adaptation sets out to find the answer. 

Taking a leap in time to the 1970s, a period of unrest marked by the Vallanzasca and Magliana gangs, student protests and street killings, the story begins with car chases and machine gun shots that leave innocent victims dead on the street. It’s not Diabolik pulling the trigger, as he has his own code of ‘professional’ ethics and only kills when necessary. Instead, it’s a gang of criminals responsible for the bloodshed, wreaking havoc in the city with gratuitous and unscrupulous violence. Captured by the gang, Diabolik and his nemesis, Inspector Ginko, find themselves locked in a cell with no way out.

While the crudeness of the film may hide the soul that lies within, it ultimately reveals Diabolik’s deepest truths. Women play a significant role in the story that on the surface seems to revolve around male characters. The fitting completion of a saga that dared to bring one of Italy’s most beloved comic book characters to the big screen.

–  Manlio Gomarasca

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