uno Louis LoCascio so bad we had never seen. Not even in I stop when I want. In the series The Bad Guy (on Prime Videos) is serious. Here we witness the transformation of Nino, a prosecutor who has always worked against the mafia and who at a certain point ends up on the other side of the barricade to kill, even at the cost of his life, the boss Mariano Surofugitive for 15 years.
The directors Giuseppe G. Stasi and Giancarlo Fontana, those of comedy Put grandma in the freezeryes they enjoy playing with genrestalking about fighting the underworld and to laugh about it, to mix the grotesque with realism, the dead killed with Play Jouer by Claudio Cecchetto, drama to comedy, crime ai simpsons. For what we have seen this series deserves to be seen. A bit like Bang Bang Baby. Let’s hope that the audience of streaming platforms will reward it.
The Bad Guy: the plot of the tv series
A house in the middle of a deserted plain is surrounded by a line of policemen with guns drawn, an officer is on the ground with his legs smashed, while inside there is a certain Balduccio Remora (Lo Cascio) who laughs and begins to tell his story going back eight years. His name wasn’t actually Balduccio, but Tonino Scotellarowas a Sicilian magistrate who has been fighting the war all his life underworld and the boss Suro (Anthony Catania). In short, a hero. His wife Luvi (Claudia Pandolfi) is a brilliant lawyer, daughter of a magistrate killed by Suro’s hand. Nino is one step away from catching the boss.
He gets a tip. Suro has to have a kidney surgery in secretToni knows the place of the operation, but when he arrives on the spot with his sister Leonarda (Selena Caramazza), agent of the Ros, can’t find anyone. Someone cheated on him. Who? And the unthinkable happens: the magistrate is accused of protecting the boss and that he was the one who blurted out to Sugar where, how and when to kill the father of Luwian. The wife defends her husband whom she is unable to exonerate from 15 years in prison.
Claudia Pandolfi and Luigi Lo Cascio. (Photo Paolo Ciriello)
Nino Scotellaro turns into a “bad guy”
It’s only the beginning. Something amazing still happens. After a few years, during the transfer from prison, Tonino is the victim of an absurd accident: the Bridge over the Strait of Messina (yes, in the series it exists) collapses and by sheer luck is saved after having risked drowning in the sea. From that moment begins his leak and the idea of turning into Balduccioan uncle of the Tracina underworld family (enemy of the Soru) for many years in South America. Who remembers her face? Nobody.
Nino/Balduccio plans his revenge, posing as a mafioso, against Mariano. He wants to kill him for his wife Luwian and for himself, for years obsessed with that cumbersome figure. Nino is willing to lose his life to complete the mission. Does the hero turn into the villain and how far is he ready to go? To such an extent that he even renounced his love for Luvi.
Luigi Lo Cascio as Nino Scotellaro. (Photo Paolo Ciriello)
A crime that looks to the Simpsons
The only way to fight evil is to draw from evil. This seems to be the path that directors take. They overturn the mechanism of good and bad:in The Bad Guy it seems that everyone leans towards the dark side. «All expectations will be disappointed – he assures Claudia Pandolfi to the Turin Film Festivalwhere the series premiered – expect everything».
«This project impressed me – he says Louis LoCascio – I wanted to be there at all costs because it deals with big issues, such as the fight against the mafia, but he does it with intelligent amusement, sense of freedom and inventive vivacity». The crime merges with the dark comedy«the files on the Mafia trials with the episodes of simpsons – say the directors – revenge with the cruelty and irony, the dramatic pages of Italian history are lowered into a crazy and ramshackle atmosphere». «The Bad Guy it’s like a Shakespearean drama and the main character wears the mask of wickedness to take his revenge – continues the Sicilian actor – then we will understand if this mask will melt to be confused with evil or not».
The soundtrack: from Dimartino Colapesce to Mina
The duo Colapesce Dimartinowhich we will also find in the next one San Remo Festivalsign the soundtrack of The Bad Guyis their song Crazy things and the hilarious jingle Wowterworldwhich refers to the location (i.e. the water park built in the middle of nowhere to launder money), where the family of Enzuccio Tracinasoon to marry Suro’s daughter.
There are not only the two authors of Very light musicduring the episodes you will discover a rocking soundtrack: the initial scene is accompanied by that masterpiece by White flag by Franco Battiato, but there are also the poetry and voice of Mina with If by phoning, Achilles Lauro and 80s pop by Play jouer sung by Cecchetto.
iO Woman © REPRODUCTION RESERVED