Loro Chi?

Con artist movies are one of cinema’s most classic formulas. Simply mentioning the genre arouses memories of The Sting, Catch Me If You Can or Oceans Eleven, each of which have cemented themselves in the minds of the movie-going public. Loro Chi?, the new Italian feature co-directed by Fabio Bonifacci and Francesco Miccichè, is the latest entry into the genre, devising a caper that is as funny as it is thrilling.
The film opens with Davide (Edoardo Leo), a handsome man in his mid-thirties, disguised as a waiter, entering the office of a book publisher. Davide locks the door, produces a gun and insists his novel, entitled Loro Chi?, will be read. Accepting Davide’s demands, as one would expect, the publisher then sits and Davide begins to read the novel aloud. From here on the film visualises the story Davide is narrating – an autobiographical tale about his life as a failed writer who, in need of money, works for a company that is producing a new miracle technology. Davide’s protagonist then falls pray to Marcello (Marco Giallini), who, though at first shy and oafish, he manages to steal all of Davide’s money, leading to him losing both his job and his girlfriend. Completely down and out, Davide, by a peculiar turn of events, becomes an apprentice to Marcello, aiding him in a series of increasingly lavish cons.
To put it simply, it is almost impossible not to enjoy Loro Chi?. As the extravagance builds with every job and the film loses any sense of reality, rather than considering the unfolding story preposterous, it invites the viewers to give themselves over to the absurdity of it all. This alone wouldn’t be enough to make a good film, but fortunately each element of Loro Chi? is constructed to a high calibre. The comedic moments nearly always deliver, the script is tight and compact, and the performances are slick. Although it hardly breaks any boundaries, this is really a non-issue for Loro Chi?, as it does exactly what it sets out to do: to be a funny, exciting and engrossing movie.
Thomas Unsted
Loro Chi? is released in selected cinemas on 4th March 2016.
Watch the Italian language trailer for Loro Chi? here:
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