Italians have their superhero too. He is Gabriele Mainetti. Director, actor, musician and producer, especially the latter thing. After many doors slammed on his face, he decides to produce his first feature film on his own, with the support of "Rai Cinema".
"This movie does not work," they say. "This movie has hit the box office!” we hope he said to producers who have refused his work, and now they kick themselves.
Therefore, “Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" became the Italian phenomenon of the year, an absolute masterpiece and a movie that could lead the rebirth of Italian genre cinema. Yes, the film is nice, but do not exaggerate.
The revival of Italian genre is already underway, led by so many independent directors who work well, knowing history and refreshing it.
However, “Lo Chiamavano Jeeg Robot” is a real phenomenon of the year is true thanks to the fact that it is between many Italian films with a catchy titles. There was a person at the University who was usually goes around with the ugliest, nerd classmates. He goes everywhere with the, at the disco, at the pub. The explanation of this choice was that, in his opinion, if you go around with people worse than you do and if you are not Brad Pitt, you figure out that you are the coolest person of the group. Then there are some Brad Pitts around, but in Italy, unfortunately, there are few directors (the Brad Pitt) who can prove to be like excellent talents.
Therefore, "Lo Chiamavano Jeeg Robot" is a pretty, different movie, not the masterpiece that many have seen.
It should be recognized that Gabriele Mainetti knows the matter well. He has a very interesting cinema and writing ideas (look at the scenes at the beginning and at end) and he knows comic, Anime, and all the American superheroes (not like the good Salvatore of "Il ragazzo invisibile"). In addition, he is smart, ironic.
For our good fortune, his superhero does not mock the Americans but he lives his reality. Rome. Tor Della Monaca area. The most interesting idea of ​​all. Because if you're a little poor criminal in a difficult area and you find out that you have the super powers the first thing you do is steal an ATM, the second it’s buy things you want and the third it’s robber an armored. Of course, you did not plan the “Great robbery” or raid the Vatican Museums.
As for the irony that accompanies all this long film is well studied and touches the genre and other Italian realities ("Gomorra" above all). Finally, Mainetti gives us blood, sex and criticism of the desire to appear in this society.
Little talk about "Gomorra" here in a beautiful scene and with Salvatore "Genny" Esposito. Dear Salvatore, we do not know what you want to do in life, whether you enjoy the wave of this character or whether you want to be an actor. In the second case, you should stop from interpreting “Genny” every time, because the roles glue on actors and then you cannot leave it anymore. You will end up doing the character, role of great respect, but no one in Italy use it anymore.
Returning to the film and leaving this aspect of comics, Mainetti tells us, like so many, about the suburbs, about borderline life, and about people who would like a ransom or redeem it as the protagonist. A simple thing views many times and since many years and a bit banal if, we want, but interesting thanks to an original frame and made good by the three main actors.
Claudio Santamaria our Jeeg, interprets with perfect disenchantment and cold Enzo Ceccotti a boy from Tor Della Monaca, who lives alone, eats only yoghurt or puddings, lives with small thefts and watch Porn DVD every day.
Next to him there is the newcomer Ilenia Pastorelli, Alessia, who makes the Roman pleb, with severe psychic problems due to repeated sexual abuse by his father Sergio and some social workers. She plays a good character, but we did not know she came from the "Big Brother" where some say she was already a Roman pled. Only time will tell us if she was herself or if she is a talented actor.
Finally yet importantly, there is Luca Marinelli, Fabio Cannizzaro better known as "Lo Zingaro", the villain. Chosen because different from the iconography of the bad guys of the Italian TV series or a movie (like “Romanzo Criminale”) creates a perfect character, interpreted with extreme skill. A very theatrical character halfway between the parody of a villain and Joker of "Batman".
His main goal is to gain likes, to have visualizations, to tell to be proud of being  at an Italian TV Show hoping to "flee" from the kennel where he lives in.
On their three, everything develops and changes, sacrificing Alessia, the only character that does not evolve but which is fundamental to the evolution of the hero, like another woman and her daughter. It was frankly (and unfortunately, we add) was the only and classic narrative possibility. Because or she become a heroine too or she recover from her mental problems thanks to the hero she found on her way.
We told about Enzo Ceccotti that appears for the first time ran away from two cops after a little theft in a shocked Rome under terrorist’s attacks. He finishes in the Tiber and in a toxic trash bin (yes, Mainetti knows also " Toxic Avenger") and during a job for the “Lo Zingaro’s” gang with Sergio, dad of Alessia, he find his incredible superpowers. Sergio dies, Lo Zingaro tries to find Sergio and Alessia grow fond with Enzo, discovering his super powers call him Jeeg as the hero of the cartoons who she watch repeatedly and who, according to her, will come to save her. Between the two, there is a similar relationship, apart from the age, of "Leon" by Besson.
Jeeg, as he said, begins to exploit this strength stealing an ATM, armor and breaking Zingaro's plans who must give some money to a Neapolitan clan to whose chief sings an Anna Oxa's song in the birthday party. The fury between Roman and Neapolitans triggers classic blood, while Enzo slowly changes the vision of life thanks to Alessia.
The girl is kidnapped, as in this in genre, is killed in a clash between the Neapolitan clan and Zingaro, dives into the Tiber and also acquires super powers.
At our humble opinion, the film had to finish here. Because the rest seems to suffer from a lack of ideas, in terms of history and behind the camera. Except for the extraordinary moment in which Zingaro kills dancing the Neapolitan clan and apart from the final scene, Mainetti dangerously threatens to cliché
Lo Zingaro wants to make the world's biggest bang and blow up the Olympic stadium during the football match AC Roma-SS Lazio. This gives rise to an equal struggle with Jeeg. A somewhat absurd duel between people who don’t’ see quite anything.
Beyond some mistake, however, the mission of "Lo Chiamavano Jeeg" was successful. It is not the superhero of cinema, but a good fun well studied.