The film focuses on the life of a group of riot control force policemen, the Celerini, and their life in Rome "cleansing" stadiums of Ultras, public demonstrations, evictions and everyday family life. A new recruit, Adriano Costantini, joins the squad for its "high-paying" salary, which he needs to support his mother. The two of them live in a small apartment from which they'll soon be evicted and, even though they had been assigned a public housing, that has been abusively occupied by an immigrant family and is therefore uninhabitable. Adriano is prone to violence and often prefers the use of force even in situations where it is unnecessary, additionally fueled by the anger he feels over his mother's situation. Mazinga is the leader of the squad and father of a rebellious teenager who starts to hang out with a neo-fascist group and is embarrassed by his father's job. Mazinga gets stabbed during a confrontation at the stadium and loses control of one of his legs, prompting a manhunt for the culprit from his colleagues.
Negro, another member of the group, is going through a difficult divorce and is denied visitations with his daughter. Cobra is the most dedicated member of the team. He believes in protecting his "brothers" in arms above anything else, no matter the errors they may have committed. He believes in the job he's doing but sometimes the lines between protecting his fellow policemen and respecting the law get blurred. He may be one of the most violent members of the squad, also facing trial for beating a supporter during a football match. The life of those four men unravel throughout the movie, while in the background the tensions between the police force, the Ultras, the immigrants and the fascists reaches its peak.
Cast
Pierfrancesco Favino: Cobra, group frontman
Filippo Nigro: Negro
Marco Giallini: Mazinga, an injured policeman
: Carletto, former agent
: Adriano
Roberta Spagnuolo: Maria
: Mustafà
Nick Nicolosi: school headmaster
Alessandro Procoli: Mosque leader
Alessandro Sanguigni: Cameo
Production
The film was the debut feature from director Stefano Sollima, who had previously directed the TV crime series Romanzo criminale - La serie.
Variety called it "slick, with a driving rhythm and plenty of action", but was troubled by the way it celebrated sadism and vigilantism. Cinealliance likewise found it powerful, with an intelligent and story effective direction, and despite fascist overtones. Filmosphere gave it 3.5/5.
