Roberto Succo (2000) - Synopsis

Roberto Succo (2000) - synopsis imageThe movie opens with the gruesome discovery of a multiple homicide and then jumps ahead five years. We don't learn right away what the connection is but we can guess it has something to do with Kurt (Stefano Casseti). He meets Lea (Isild Le Besco) in a bar and they become friends and then lovers. They go for car rides, walk along the beach and her infatuation with Kurt fits the path of losing her virginity because of his intentions and stated feelings of being in love. Lea is a beautiful bashful girl who changes rapidly to stripping her clothes to make love with Kurt. She becomes devoted to him but over time, comes to realize that he is cracked, as in crazy.

When Kurt is out of town, a series of crimes occur, some violent and some not. He robs people and usually releases his hostages without physical harm. Inspector Thomas (Patrick Dell'Isola) starts to piece together a pattern of crimes which appears linked to the same person.

As Kurt becomes increasingly violent, a composite drawing is made and turned into a wanted poster that Lea sees. Kurt also meets other young women in bars such as Cathy (Leyla Sassi) with her sister and a friend who he picks up. He gets into a fight that ends in a shooting one night and it only gets worse the next day. Kurt tells them he's Dutch but Cathy as well as Lea and others think that he sounds Italian. When Lea tells the authorities that Kurt may have committed murders in Italy (which she probably did not believe because he's told so many lies), the police then understand that they could be dealing with an insane person who in the past has never been on their radar screen.

Building to an inevitable crash landing, Kurt carjacks a hostage who is a very cool headed schoolteacher (Viviana Aliberti)--she explains that she deals with kids. The car chase that ensued is the best I can recall, as it was exciting, realistic and terrifying. The fact that humor could exist in such a situation may be the most terrifying of all.