Salvo

A moody Mafioso movie, this debut from Italian writing-directing duo Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza stumbles and stutters. Indebted to classic crime films like Le Samourai, Salvo stars Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri as the almost silent, ruthless titular assassin for the Sicilian mafia. The film’s opening sees him coldly dispose of several rival killers, the camera only occasionally focusing on his eyes, which scan the landscape for victims. As he stalks his prey, we follow behind, as if gazing over his shoulder. This murdering machine no longer feels fully human.

Our anti-hero eventually finds himself at the home of Rita (Sara Serraiocco), blind sister of one of Salvo’s victims. While he creeps around, subtle sound effects tell us that Rita is slowly becoming aware of his presence. The young woman tries to keep calm and concoct an escape. The two characters’ quickening breathing, pounding hearts and creaking footsteps intertwine, adding up to an incredibly tense scene.

The moment speaks to the technical prowess of the directors, who enjoy playing with POV shots and light and sound. However, the slow pace eventually becomes a drag, as does the lack of dialogue or exposition. The movie is very pretty – but what does it have to say?