Robbing Mussolini

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Robbing Mussolini
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Robbing Mussolini is an Italian dramatic action film partially based on true events. Near the end of World War II, it was rumored that Mussolini had a secret treasure stashed away. Meanwhile, a team of thieves, led by an arms dealer, decides to try to break into the central headquarters of the National Fascist Party and steal the treasure. While there's plenty of action and violence, none of it's very gruesome. There are plenty of explosions, blasts, gun fights, people getting shot, and a fair amount of blood, but again, nothing too gory. There are some torture scenes, brutality, and one scene briefly shows a man stabbing another man's stomach with a red-hot poker. Painful screams can be heard, tied up and bloodied victims are briefly shown post-torture. Many people get knocked out in various ways. A man gets run over by a car. People are shown hanging from under a bridge, a man is hung but survives, a woman kills a man with a heavy statue, hitting him on the head. People get cut, slapped, punched, thrown, and beaten. Sexual content includes a woman showing her breasts beneath a negligee, a woman under the covers naked after sex, romantic cuddling and kissing, and references to "quickies" and adult relationships. Strong language includes: "f--k," "f--king," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "whore," and "damn." Adults also drink alcoholic beverages, smoke cigarettes often, and one character often snorts a powder of some kind, presumably cocaine or speed.
What's the Story?
In ROBBING MUSSOLINI, a group of misfit, anti-fascist thieves plan to steal Mussolini's treasure, rumored to be worth millions. Partially based on true events, this caper pits fascists against heroes with hearts of gold. Will they manage to get away with a fortune? Or will they be caught by the brutal fascist regime?
Is It Any Good?
There's a lot to like in this quickly-paced crime/heist caper. But there are smaller problems that keep Robbing Mussolini from being fantastic. Put simply, there's nothing surprising about this story, nothing surprising about the action, the plot, how relationships turn out, and so on. Everything is done well enough, the acting, the writing, the scene compositions, and so forth, but it feels sometimes like this movie is "on rails" (to borrow a critical phrase from the gaming world), which means that every scene, the plot generally, and how the story plays out, all feels like it was always going to be that way, no matter what the characters (or yourself, if playing a game) do or decide to do.
Ultimately, this does impact the suspension of disbelief, along with action sequences that are more slick than realistic, bad decisions that don't simply end with a hero's demise, and other action genre commonalities that can be sometimes forgiven because of the genre. But throw in a supporting cast of characters that aren't deep or developed, and soon the film begins to feel a bit cartoonish.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in action movies. Did you find the violence and action in Robbing Mussolini exciting? What could have made the action and violence better?
Did you have any doubts that the heroes would succeed? Why or why not?
Did anything surprise you? Can you think of a surprising moment that could have happened that would've made the movie better?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 26, 2022
- Cast: Pietro Castellitto, Matilda De Angelis, Tommaso Ragno, Isabella Ferrari
- Director: Renato De Maria
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, History
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 27, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love action and thrills
Themes & Topics
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