This film tells the story of the kidnapping and murder of Giacomo Matteotti, a Reformist Socialist member of the Italian parliament who was a thorn in the side of the nascent Fascist regime's side as he relentlessly exposed and denounced its crimes and the violence it used to stifle the opposition.
The film has only a minor fault: it is slightly pedantic; or rather, it can appear so. In this respect it probably shows that it was made in the 1970's, a period much of the westworld leaned to the left. In Italy the left has probably never been as strong as in those years, either before or after.
The fact that it was made in the 1970's, a period in which most of the westworld leaned to the left a lot, is probably onme for the reasons.
However, this can not erase its many merits. First of all, a stellar cast, composed of a great many of the best Italian actors of that time, beginning with Franco Nero as Giacomo Matteotti, especially in the long scene of his last speech in Parliament (one of the many high points in the film), and with Mario Adorf as Mussolini.
Its rendering of the events narrated is poignant. It rates high on historical accuracy (once again, in this respect the initial scene is excellent, in that it not only faithful to what happened, but it also recreates the venomous political atmosphere of the time).
The film ends up with being kind of a mixture between a crime story and a political thriller. Viewers feel involved because they realise that the things that were at stake at the time were liberty and civilisation, things that have an impact on all of us.
