Angels of Evil

Stop me if you’ve heard this one…Impulsive, dashing and impossibly charismatic crim recounts his sordid story from a grotty prison cell, a tale of daring heists, jailbreaks, petty rivalries, media manipulation and the scant possibility of redemption. Michele Placido, director of the similarly honed ‘Romanzo Criminale’ (2005), takes another lively incursion into Scorseseville with this brisk true-crime saga about the violent life and times of Italian outlaw Renato Vallanzasca (Kim Rossi Stuart). Lots of time has clearly been spent clipping handlebar moustaches, ironing oversized shirt collars and plundering stocks of paisley-print clothing to get that ’70s feel, but it too often feels like you’ve stumbled into an ironic Euro-disco populated by hirsute actors going through the macho motions. Still, terrible orch-rock soundtrack aside, it makes for an engrossing if hollow romp.