Last Night of Amore

A police film that takes place over a single night in Milan. Franco Amore is a lieutenant with thirty-five years of service. His retirement day has come; at home his wife and friends are preparing a surprise party. The phone rings. The scene: shots were fired during a robbery, and one of the dead is the partner Franco worked with for years. As the night goes on it becomes clear that the matter includes Franco. Before retiring he accepted a job: providing security for an acquaintance. He did not ask exactly what it was. That is where the tension lies: the man wants to close his career clean, and the one decision he made in his last week undoes everything. The narrative runs close to real time across the night; Milan's motorways, tunnels and city lights make up its visual texture. Pierfrancesco Favino plays Franco. Andrea Di Stefano directed. It was shown in Berlin and nominated for awards in Italy. A tight example for anyone who likes Italian crime cinema and thrillers set across one night. For a viewer expecting fast action, the film builds its tension through talk and waiting.