They Call Me Jeeg
| They Call Me Jeeg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gabriele Mainetti |
| Written by | Nicola Guaglianone Menotti |
| Produced by | Gabriele Mainetti |
| Starring | Claudio Santamaria Luca Marinelli Ilenia Pastorelli |
| Cinematography | Michele D'Attanasio |
| Music by | Michele Braga Gabriele Mainetti |
Production companies | Goon Films, Rai Cinema |
| Distributed by | Lucky Red (Italy) Uncork’d Entertainment (USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian / Romanesco dialect |
| Budget | €1.7 million |
| Box office | €5.713.331[1] |
They Call Me Jeeg (Italian: Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot) is a 2015 Italian superhero film directed by Gabriele Mainetti and starring Claudio Santamaria in the lead role.[2][3] The plot concerns a lonely misanthropic crook named Enzo, who gets superhuman strength after being affected by radioactive waste in the Tiber waters.
The film is a tribute to the anime and manga series Steel Jeeg (Jeeg robot d'acciaio in Italy, where it is very popular) by Gō Nagai, from which takes up some thematics;[4] the title is an in-joke based on the Alessia character who believes that the hero of the anime, Hiroshi Shiba, exists in the real world, and she mistakes Enzo for him.[4] The title is also a reference to the spaghetti western film They Call Me Trinity.
It received largely positive critical reviews and was nominated for several film industry awards, including seventeen David di Donatello, winning eight. The film was also selected as the Italian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[5]
After a successful run in Italian theaters in 2016, the movie got a limited release in the US starting March 17, 2017 by Uncork’d Entertainment,[6][7] while as of July 2017 it is available on Netflix.
Plot
In a contemporary Rome stricken by a series of terrorist attacks, Enzo Ceccotti is a thief who lives in Rome's slum Tor Bella Monaca. One day, he is chased by two policemen for stealing a wristwatch, and in order to escape from their, he jumps into the Tiber. When Enzo tries to get out, he comes into contact with a radioactive waste after he accidentally breaks a barrel under the river level. Spending a night of fever, vomiting and cold chills, he wakes up in the morning as healed, despite persistent coughing.
At this point, Enzo decides to sell the clock to Sergio, who works for Fabio Cannizzaro, known as "The Gipsy", a crazy gangster with hunger for fame and a psychopathic predilection for violence. Sergio ends up taking him on a job which is supposed to involve extracting cocaine from inside a pair of extra-community brothers. Passing from Sergio's home, Enzo meets his daughter Alessia, a mentally handicapped girl who escapes reality by continuously watching the Steel Jeeg anime and relating everything to it. Arrived with drug smugglers on the top of a building under construction, one of them dies for overdose due to the breakup of a cocaine-containing egg in his stomach. After Sergio's refusal to take him to hospital, the other one grab his gun and shoot their. Sergio, before dying, is able to kill him, while Enzo falls from the building, but he incredibly survives.
At home, Enzo uncovers to have acquired exceptional strength, reason for his healing ability. That night, he steals an entire ATM and is filmed by a security camera; the surveillance video goes viral and Enzo is nicknamed as a super-criminal by press, although no one knows his true identity. Meanwhile, Gipsy discovers that Sergio has not returned with the cocaine yet, which the gang bought from a camorra clan led by female boss Nunzia Lo Cosimo, the true author of the attacks in the city. Gipsy must get the cocaine back or pay Nunzia off, so he and his gang invade Sergio’s place but only find his daughter Alessia. Enzo comes to her rescue by crushing Gipsy’s posse, and Alessia mistakes him for Hiroshi Shiba, the hero of Steel Jeeg.
Enzo, who has a brave and closed character and wants to lives in solitude, leads Alessia to a retirement home, where she was when her father was in prison. Later, finding information written on a piece of paper hidden in Sergio's eyewear, Enzo robs the valuable content of a truck, the same that Gipsy and his gang are about to assault in order to repay the Parthenopean clan. This increases the celebrity status of the mystery super-criminal, making also Gipsy jealous. Shortly thereafter, two agents of law enforcement bring Alessia to Enzo, as they found her wandering in the highway, and decides to host her. At the night, as they are watching a Steel Jeeg episode, Alessia burst into a hysterical crisis, revealing to Enzo that she had suffered sexual abuse in the past.
Gipsy's gang begins to crumble as his best friend turns to a shrapnel to have the money for pay Nunzia, but Gipsy makes him kill by his rottweilers. Once gone to the usurer, a Brazilian transsexual called "Marcellone", he is attacked by Nunzia and his gang; in the ensuing clash, only Gipsy and Nunzia survive.
Alessia and Enzo are getting closer: they have a sexual relation in a dressing room, which revives Alessia's past trauma, so she escapes from Enzo, who also reveals her father's death. Alessia gets in a tram, but Enzo, fallen in love with her, stops it with his superhuman strength, apologizing and taking Alessia away with him. This is filmed by the passengers, and the videos are seen by Gipsy, who discovers the identity of the famous super-criminal. He and his assistant Tazzina, after their men were killed by Nunzia, kidnap Alessia for known by Enzo how he obtained his powers. Enzo is forced to take him to the Tiber quay, but in that moment Nunzia comes with his gang. In the clash, Alessia is shot dead, after asking Enzo to use his powers for good. Gipsy is burned alive by Nunzia with a flamethrower and apparently dies in the Tiber waters. The next day, he emerges live from the river, scarred and burned but with superpowers like Enzo. He goes to Naples and kills Nunzia and all her gang, filming himself and spreading the video on the web.
After Alessia's death, while wandering alone, Enzo assists to a road accident involving a woman and her daughter, and is able to save them from flames. Later, Enzo sees at the television a Gipsy message, who wants to put a bomb in the Stadio Olimpico. Enzo reaches him, and the two engage in a battle; unable to turn off the bomb, Enzo takes over it and throws himself into the Tiber from the Musica-Armando Trovajoli bridge with Gipsy, who is killed in the explosion.
Enzo, now considered dead and exalted as a hero, observes Rome from the Colosseum and, determined to protect the city, wears the Jeeg mask that Alessia had knitted.
Cast
- Claudio Santamaria as Enzo Ceccotti / "Jeeg"
- Luca Marinelli as Fabio Cannizzaro / The Gipsy
- Ilenia Pastorelli as Alessia
- Stefano Ambrogi as Sergio
- Maurizio Tesei as Biondo
- Francesco Formichetti as Sperma
- Daniele Trombetti as Tazzina
- Antonia Truppo as Nunzia
- Gianluca Di Gennaro as Antonio
- Salvatore Esposito as Vincenzo
Reception
They Call Me Jeeg received positive reviews from critics, who praised the Santamaria, Marinelli, and Pastorelli's performances, the screenplay, and the "township" setting.[8] MoviePlayer gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a triumph of pure cinema, writing, acting, ability to stage and productive obstinacy".[9] Film critic Massimo Bertarelli (it) called it "a masterpiece, to watch at all costs [...] full of fun", praising Santamaria, Marinelli, and Pastorelli's performances.[10] Jay Weissberg from Variety praised the film, calling it "surprisingly gritty and thoroughly enjoyable".[2] After its US release, the film received a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on nine reviews (6 "Fresh" and 3 "Rotten"), with an average rating of 6.8/10.[11]
Awards
| Year | Award/Festival | Category | Winner/Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | International Rome Film Festival | BNL People's Choice Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Nominated |
| 2016 | 61th David di Donatello[12] | Best New Director | Gabriele Mainetti | Won |
| Best Producer | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nicola Guaglianone, Menotti | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Ilenia Pastorelli | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Claudio Santamaria | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Antonia Truppo | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Luca Marinelli | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Michele D'Attanasio | Nominated | ||
| Best Score | Gabriele Mainetti, Michele Braga | Nominated | ||
| Best Sets and Decorations | Massimiliano Sturiale | Nominated | ||
| Best Costumes | Mary Montalto | Nominated | ||
| Best Make-Up | Giulio Pezza | Nominated | ||
| Best Hair Design | Angela Vannella | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Andrea Maguolo | Won | ||
| Best Sound | Valentino Giannì | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Chromatica | Nominated | ||
| Mercedes-Benz Future Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | ||
| Bari International Film Festival | Ettore Scola Award for Best New Director | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Amsterdam Imagine Film Festival | Silver Scream Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Best Film Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Nominated | |
| 71th Nastri d'Argento[13] | Best New Director | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Best Producer | Gabriele Mainetti, Goon Films and Rai Cinema | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Claudio Santamaria | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Luca Marinelli | Won | ||
| Best Script | Nicola Guaglianone e Menotti | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Michele D'Attanasio | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenography | Massimiliano Sturiale | Nominated | ||
| Best Costumes | Mary Montalto | Nominated | ||
| Best Score | Gabriele Mainetti and Michele Braga | Nominated | ||
| Hamilton behind the camera Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | ||
| 56th Italian Golden Globes | Best Film | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Best First Feature | Gabriele Mainetti | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Claudio Santamaria | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Ilenia Pastorelli | Nominated | ||
| Italian Contemporary Film Festival[14] | Toronto Film Critics Association's Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Giffoni Film Festival[15] | Giffoni Experience Award | Claudio Santamaria | Won | |
| Ischia Film Festival[16][17] | Italian Worldwide Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| 73rd Venice International Film Festival[18][19] | Starlight Award for Best Directorial Debut | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | |
| Starlight Award for Best Actor | Claudio Santamaria | Won | ||
| Kinèo and RAI Com Award for Best Italian foreign release | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | ||
| Kinèo and Best Movie Award | Gabriele Mainetti | Won | ||
| Kinèo Award for Best Actor | Claudio Santamaria | Won |
Legacy
A comic book based on the film, produced by Lucky Red and La Gazzetta dello Sport, was published in 2016. The comic book is written by Roberto Recchioni, drawn by Giorgio Pontrelli and Stefano Simeone, and with the cover arts by Giacomo Bevilacqua, Leo Ortolani and Zerocalcare, and it takes place after the events of the movie.[20]
See also
References
- ^ "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ a b Jay Weissberg (November 5, 2015). "Film Review: 'They Call Me Jeeg'". Variety. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Franco Montini (17 October 2015). "Al Festival del Cinema Santamaria il supereroe 'Jeeg Robot'". La Repubblica. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Jeeg Robot: il mito degli Anime che ha ispirato il primo supereroe italiano". February 21, 2016.
- ^ Redazione (26 September 2016). "Oscars: I migranti di 'Fuocoammare' in corsa per gli Oscar". La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Patrick Frater (10 May 2016). "Uncork'd Makes Switch From Genre to Foreign-Language Distribution". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ https://www.laemmle.com/films/index/42042/2017-03-18?modal&replace#get-tickets
- ^ "5 buoni motivi per andare a vedere al cinema "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot"". March 6, 2016.
- ^ MyMovies - They Call Me Jeeg
- ^ Massimo Bertarelli (March 6, 2016). "I film in uscita visti da Bertarelli: "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot? Piccolo capolavoro, da vedere a tutti i costi"".
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_call_me_jeeg/
- ^ http://www.daviddidonatello.it/vincitori/vincitori-premi-david-di-donatello.php
- ^ "Opere prime e seconde - Il premio Ettore Scola a Gabriele Mainetti". bifest.it. April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ "ICFF TORONTO - Premiati Cardilnale, Bova e Iervolino - CinemaItaliano.info". www.cinemaitaliano.info. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Claudio Santamaria al Giffoni 2016, successo in "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot". Un sequel?". 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Ischia Global Fest".
- ^ http://www.globalist.it/culture/articolo/203051/l-039-italian-worldwide-award-2016-va-a-scamarcio-e-mainetti.html
- ^ "Ecco i premiati Kineo 2016! - Kineo".
- ^ "Starlight Cinema Award, tutti i premiati".
- ^ "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot: ora è anche fumetto!". Best Movie. January 26, 2016.
