Corruption, Italian Style

Not since Benito Mussolini controlled Italy has a man so dominated the country like Giulio Andreotti. Margaret Thatcher once said of him, "He seemed to have a positive aversion to principle, even a conviction that a man of principle was doomed to be a figure of fun". He has been Prime Minister for what seems like forever. Despite the fact that under him, Italy has been consumed with the murders of high-level bankers, judges and journalists, as well as the kidnapping and assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro, he not only survives, but thrives in power. Finally it all seemed to crash down on Andreotti when he faced a trial of majestic proportions that accused him of a slew of heinous crimes. "Il divo" is the story of what led up to the trial, the trial itself and its aftermath.

Andreottii (Toni Servillo) is a peculiar looking man or at least he is portrayed that way here, and make no mistake about the fact that it plays a major part in the way we perceive of him. By all accounts his appearance and demeanor were equally as odd in real life. Servillo does a nice job, at least as far as I can tell, but his performance borders on an impression as opposed to a portrayal of a character. His appearance was so disconcerting and odd that at times he reminded me of that dancing fool in the television commercials for Six Flags Great Adventure, which forced me into slight giggles and in turn took me outside the confines of the story (but this is my problem and not all that relevant).

The story connects the dots in ways that undoubtedly create discomfort in certain quarters. Andreotti's clearly corrupt regime is intertwined with the Mafia, the Masons, and the Vatican, none of which should serve as a shock by this point in time but still carries some impact for the viewer. This is primarily because director Paolo Sorrentino presents it all with a great veneer of authenticity and a look that creates an aura of almost eternal darkness onscreen. That darkness is matched by the coldness of the characters in his regime and in the hearts of the external participants.

"Il divo" looks great. It has great moments but it almost always seems to be parody rather than original. It seems a shame because with the right execution this could have been a stone cold winner on all accounts.