Movie Review: Uno Bianca

Based on a true story, Uno Bianca (2001) is a made for television movie about a inspector Valerio Maldesi, played by Kim Rossi Stuart, in coastal Rimini, Italy who becomes obsessed with finding who is in the white Uno gang after his superior is killed by them in a horrendous highway shoot out. Michele Soavi directs this mostly suspenseful film.

The White Uno gang robs at will and kills anyone who openly defies them, seemingly without fear of capture, always leaving a stolen white Fiat Uno behind. As Valerio and his partner Rocco, played by Dino Abbrescia, track down the villains, the crimes continue. They actually predict where and when a crime will take place, only to be stymied by their own job assignments.

The film details the political failings and limitations of the Italian police bureaucracy when trying to get things accomplished under pressure and without support. When they finally break the case, they are removed from it entirely by unsympathetic superiors. But, in the end, we all know that our hero will be needed to come to the fore and save the day.

I found the first half of the film a bit slow and to need some serious editing. Some moments of it kept me at the edge of my seat, but not as much as the second half of the film which was just riveting. There was no chemistry between Valerio and his wife, and that is important for the film. The remainder of the casting was great and the camera work was excellent.

This was a very enjoyable cop film, one of the better ones I’ve seen even though it is in Italian with English subtitles. Even if you don’t especially like the first disc, and find yourself saying “So what? This happens on Law & Order all the time.” Stay with it because you will like the second one much, much better. I give it

**** of five stars