**/**** Image B+ Sound A Extras B+
starring Claudio Amendola, Enrico Lo Verso, Carlo Cecchi, Ricky Memphis
screenplay by Graziano Diana and Simona Izzo
directed by Ricky Tognazzi
by Travis Mackenzie Hoover There's no way to put a fine point on this: La scorta is Backdraft with bodyguards. That is to say, it's one of those unsung-hero movies that: a) takes its subject very seriously; b) tries to give voice to a voiceless few; and c) fails to avoid every pitfall of the genre. The film is perhaps less heinous in its cinematic crimes than that Ron Howard schlockfest, but it's relentlessly mediocre, full of scenes that telegraph their significance and constantly reduce the characters to shorthand or macho clichés. Though La scorta does a good job of running down the outrageous risks faced by police bodyguards of judges, it doesn't bring their plight alive, choosing to make a gift of "white-knuckle tension" instead of dealing with the very real fear our heroes face. It's a smiley-faced version of pure, screaming terror–which, unfortunately, most people would probably prefer to something more free-form.
Inspired by the brutal real-life murder of mafia foe Judge Falcone, the film sort of examines what it takes to bring the mob to justice while being underfinanced and underpaid. Nobody entrusted with shuttling Judge Michele di Francesco (Carlo Cecchi) from his job to his besieged life is particularly enthused by the prospect: there aren't enough bullet-proof vests to go around, gas for the cars is severely rationed, and the pitiful paycheck isn't worth the risks involved. Unfortunately, since nobody behind this movie is exactly possessed by the information, it's generally used as verisimilitude for thriller gymnastics mechanically cranked out for physical jeopardy rather than any sort of psychological portrait. With the filmmakers refusing to invent a form to illustrate their circumstances, the harsh working conditions are blown off as genre trappings.
What do we get? The usual bickering. These bodyguards naturally put in long, boring hours punctuated by terror, but their stir-crazy infighting doesn't register as anything beyond convention, thus lone wolf Angelo Mandolese (Claudio Amendola) clashes with family man Andrea Corsale (Enrico Lo Verso) for predictable reasons. (Think Hoffman smoking in the elevator in All the President's Men.) There's also gratuitous use of the escorts' kids for pathos, not to mention some obvious sinister implications to their obsession with toy guns. La scorta resorts to the political thriller/melodrama playbook without adding any new pages, content as it is to give ready-made shape to a complex reality.
I don't doubt the sincerity of the filmmakers: this is the kind of earnest hand-wringer that could only be the work of people in awe of their subject matter. But director Ricky Tognazzi (son of the late Italian superstar Ugo) and writers Graziano Diana and Simona Izzo are simply inarticulate. Save for a devastating tracking shot at the end, Tognazzi is astonishingly conservative in his camera set-ups, while the scenarists give the Sgt. Rock goods. But they're all sincere–so much so that they fail to consider what they're being sincere towards, allowing their vague emotions to dictate the form. There's an excoriating film to be made about these men, but it's one that agitates for better funding, not one that leaves the matter to tragedy and pathos. While there are things that genre is good for, verisimilitude ain't one of them; the film is too steeped in tradition to be credible as an exposé.
THE DVD
La scorta arrives on DVD in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation that doesn't quite meet the high standards Blue Underground has set for itself. The image exhibits gatefloat, and too-bright whites and too-murky darks often play hell with the transfer. Detail is good, under the circumstances, but skin tones are often wonky as well. On the other hand, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is excellent, showcasing a creative use of the rear channels with razor-sharp clarity.
Extras include a feature-length commentary with director Tognazzi and producer Claudio Bonavento moderated by a particularly gushing William Lustig. Meanwhile, "Judging La scorta" (26 mins.) is a terrific retrospective featuring new interviews with Tognazzi, Bonivento, writers Diana and Izzo, actor Claudio Amendola, and DP Alessio Gelsini. It's a soup-to-nuts trip from the Judge Falcone murder to the intensive research and the fear that many of the cast and crew might be in danger. Nobody involved expected the low-budget production to sweep the David di Donatello Awards, for starters, and some feeble responses to criticism are also included. Rounding things out: the US and Italian trailers.
95 minutes; NR; 1.85:1 (16×9-enhanced); Italian DD 5.1, Italian Dolby Surround; English (optional) subtitles; DVD-9; Region-free; Blue Underground
