I saw K IL BANDITO at the Hollywod Italian Festival and, I must say, Martin Donovan has outdone himself. His views of Venice are stunning, his actors, especially Pierluigi Coppola, are terrific, and his eye on life in Italian prisons is on the money.
He starts his life of K (Kappa) when he's just a kid, robbing and stealing with his three buddies. One hopes Kappa will change as he matures because he's bright, smart and charming. But as he and his pals grow from kids into men, Donovan shows that they don't change, their lives are wasted. But look from where Kappa comes: his father abandons him when he is a child, and Kappa's mother is a whore.
She is played superbly by Lina Sastri. Donovan gets an Academy Award performance out of her -- when she's on screen there is no one else -- she puts the entire tragic life of Kappa's mother in her eyes and I, for one, could't take my own eyes from hers. WOW, what an actress!
Kappa's girl, waiting for him as he passes in and out of prison with his pals descends into a life of destitution, drugs and prostitution.
Kappa's life is a tragedy; watching a smart guy like him fall deeper and deeper into a life of crime, one sees that Kappa, in the words of Brando, could have been a contender, he could have been someone, instead of a bum, which he is, let's face it. Pierluigi Coppola, Donovan's Kappa; turns in a fantastic performance. I think he's going to be a huge star.
I would see this film again and have given it a #10.
He starts his life of K (Kappa) when he's just a kid, robbing and stealing with his three buddies. One hopes Kappa will change as he matures because he's bright, smart and charming. But as he and his pals grow from kids into men, Donovan shows that they don't change, their lives are wasted. But look from where Kappa comes: his father abandons him when he is a child, and Kappa's mother is a whore.
She is played superbly by Lina Sastri. Donovan gets an Academy Award performance out of her -- when she's on screen there is no one else -- she puts the entire tragic life of Kappa's mother in her eyes and I, for one, could't take my own eyes from hers. WOW, what an actress!
Kappa's girl, waiting for him as he passes in and out of prison with his pals descends into a life of destitution, drugs and prostitution.
Kappa's life is a tragedy; watching a smart guy like him fall deeper and deeper into a life of crime, one sees that Kappa, in the words of Brando, could have been a contender, he could have been someone, instead of a bum, which he is, let's face it. Pierluigi Coppola, Donovan's Kappa; turns in a fantastic performance. I think he's going to be a huge star.
I would see this film again and have given it a #10.