They Call Me Jeeg Robot

Enzo (Claudio Santamaria) is a small time petty thief who falls into a vat of chemicals and finds himself imbued with superhuman strength. Meanwhile the local hood boss Zingaro (devilishly well played by Luca Marinelli) finds himself obsessed with the new superhero and his crazed ambitions to infamy puts both hero and villain on a familiar collision course.

This superhero origin story is given a local Italian flavour, and the result is an understated superhero film with layered characterizations: this makes the catharsis from the redemptive arc of our hero well earned. With the cosmic heroics of the Marvel stable overwhelming the cinematic landscape this past decade, it is a breath of fresh air to see a movie which does so well with just the basics of a well worn superhero story. Surprisingly good, down to earth and heartfelt to boot. Bravo.

GOOD. Italian ci-fi of a superhero. In reality, he is a type of anti-hero, a delinquent who lives on small urban crimes and who suddenly discovers he has supernatural powers. It somewhat resembles another character from American cinema and comic books: Deadpool. For those who have seen one of the Deadpool films, you will know what it is about. Perhaps it is a trend in modern cinema to create unconventional superhero stories, with satire, humor, irony, and sarcasm. The special effects are simple but suited to the purpose of the narrative. The story is interesting and entertaining. Like almost all superhero films, the film's events are forged by the author to match the narrative. It's a good movie for entertainment, which is what matters. I recommend.

I love Italian movies and series because mostly are high quality products. Here we have a little pretty anti hero gem called Jeeg Robot. First, the acting is quite good. Pretty raw and credible. Some familiar faces from Gomorrah. Second, the cinematography and the FX's are pretty good. Not excessive CGI used. And last, the script was quite good. Some not predictable turns. So, overall a great little great gem again coming from Italy.

Here is a backstory you will not find in a comic book, but likely deserves one anyway.

A non-traditional director does a superhero film in Italy (believed to the first ever) and sets it against a backdrop of actual themes and events and social issues well known to those who live there.

Unlike Marvel and DC, who are fighting each other to the death in an insane crusade to monetize every last story, treatment, and dust bunny in their respective archives, director Mainetti took what he needed from the superhero mythology and threw the rest out.

The mere fact that this movie does not care about a sequel or a franchise or a merchandising spin off gives it instant points in my book.

When you look closely at it, and see solid writing, good performances, and even a "tragic romance" as good as anything from a daytime soap, you realize that we have something very special here.

Recommended.

Well, one year after his release I finally watch "They Call Me Jeeg". I had great expectations for this movie, and most of it was met. This movie tell the story of a "superhero" produced in Italy and directed and interpreted by Italian director and actors,who have become accustomed to the usual "cine-panettoni", I can call it a "small masterpiece". Of course, it is not perfect, in fact in some points the acting (in some cases), the accuracy of certain details, the characterization of some characters and the audio of the movie(although, all in all, in a few moments). Finally, after seeing 1173 movies in my life, I think I can say that this movie deserves a lot, considering also Gabriele Mainetti's still not have many experiences as a director. So I suggest to all those who have lost it to dedicate 1: 52h of their time.