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Scuola di Ladri
I have always felt a strong dislike for Enrico Maria Salerno, not only
on the big screen but also in interviews and TV shows. But apart from
that I have always considered him, as it should be, one of the best
Italian actors of his period. This is the reason why every time I see
"Scuola di Ladri" and its sequel, I am amazed how a great artist may
have accepted to participate in this sadly 80's comic jumble.
"Scuola di Ladri" that follows and is inspired by "Police Academy",
reversing the perspective, without forgetting the vague inspiration
from "I Soliti Ignoti" and from "I sette uomini d’oro" (I know,
I'm swearing but, in fact, I said vague) is a film that brings together
a series of very important comic actors, as usual in and certainly
attractive for the audience. Written by Castellano & Pipolo who
also had to deal with the direction, passed to Neri Parenti because the
two were busy with "Grandi Magazzini" is a sequence of silly and old
gags in which the three stars, Paolo Villaggio, Massimo Boldi and Lino
Banfi, can play all their comic cliché. Of the three, the best
one is Banfi, always at ease when someone forgets to write a
screenplay, while Villaggio repeats for the umpteenth time, and it will
not of course be the last, his best-known comedy style and Boldi,
nothing ... Boldi is Boldi and would not make you laugh in any
circumstances.
Enrico Maria Salerno instead keeps the threads and gathers the three around him, playing the role of white clown.
As a title suggests, we are dealing with a school of thieves. Aliprando
Siraghi (Salerno) recovers and brings to his villa three grandchildren,
Dalmazio, Amalio and Egisto who make a modest life. And here begin the
moments that don't make you laugh. Dalmazio (Village) is a security
guard who lets criminals pass and beats the innocent (new gag!), Amalio
(Banfi) is a dog sitter who mistakenly gives a guard dog to a blind
person instead of his guide dog (wtf!) and, Egisto (Boldi) sells
objects at the traffic lights and washes the windshields, but one of
them does not have it (wow!).
After such a terrible start, Aliprando's entrance slightly improves
things. Former robber, criminal, he wants the three with him to create
a criminal society, but the three need training. "Comic" stealing
lessons in which the three comedians, as mentioned, have big room for
their gags and also copy Celentano in "Mani di Velluto". Then follow,
scams and thefts, which are the best and fastest part of the film,
between fake ATMs and surreal sales, with an American who buys the
prison of Regina Coeli, with a clear reference, (or a copy), of
“Totò Truffa".
Copying is the only way that “Scuola di Ladri” manages to
show something decent, even if in the end, the uncle cheats the same
grandchildren, who take revenge by stealing the 1986 World Cup from the
hands of Maradona but there, the only time they could copy, they manage
to have a cup on their hands that looks like a cup from an amateur
tournament instead of the World Cup.
Ideas borrowed also from the news, because Neri Parenti with finished
scenes and actors on holiday, calls the whole cast back to shoot a new
ending, inspired by a news story: a robbery at the post office with the
robbers trying to enter from the sewers.
Must be said, if the problem was only plagiarism, we could also say we
are satisfied, but "Scuola di Ladri” is a film that does not
offer anything decent. And what's more, he doesn't even have boobs that
can distract us a bit, since there is only Barbara Scoppa, sexy and
nothing more, in a couple of scenes. You could say that you can't do
worse, but wait for the sequel.
