La scorta (1993)

An honest Judge, with marriage problems, volunteers for a job, in a corrupt area of Sicily, the previous holder of this job having been assasinated along with his Escort. The new Judge, and... See full summary »

Director:

Ricky Tognazzi

Writers:

Graziano Diana (story), Simona Izzo (story),

Stars:

Claudio Amendola, Enrico Lo Verso, Carlo Cecchi

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claudio Amendola	...	Angelo Mandolesi
Enrico Lo Verso	...	Andrea Corsale
Carlo Cecchi	...	Judge Michele de Francesco
Ricky Memphis	...	Fabio Muzzi
Tony Sperandeo	...	Raffaele Frasca
Lorenza Indovina	...	Lia Corsale
Ugo Conti	...	Nicola
Rita Savagnone	...	Angelo's Mother
Giovanni Alamia	...	Nino Carabba
Francesca d'Aloja	...	Anna Spano
Giovanni Pallavicino	...	Padre Virzi
Giacinto Ferro	...	M.P. Nestore Bonura
Guia Jelo	...	Rosalia Carabba
Benedetto Raneli	...	President Caruso
Francesco Siciliano	...	Policeman Marchetti

Storyline

An honest Judge, with marriage problems, volunteers for a job, in a corrupt area of Sicily, the previous holder of this job having been assasinated along with his Escort. The new Judge, and his Escort (which now contains a friend of the previous Escort)attempt to discover whose palms were greased to allow a local 'Water Monopoly' to develop, while avoiding assaination attempts. Apparently based on true events !!!

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Plot Keywords:

sicily | mafia | assassination | carabinieri | police | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

8 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bodyguards

Box Office

Gross:

$147,394 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Claudio Bonivento Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Lo schermo a tre punte (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92"
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

Realistically tense

Angelo and Corsale are two of a team of escorts for a Judge in Sicily. They replace a Judge who was murdered with his escorts by the mob. As Judge De Francesco continues his predecessor's investigations the escorts are put under increasing pressure as the threat from the mob become greater.

This film is an excellent look at two things, one is the macho world of escorts and the stress that they are under. The second is the world of corruption and organised crime in Sicily. The two lead escorts are of different worlds - Angelo is more aggressive while Corsale is a family man who is more precise and organised. The men are not the focus of the story and they don't bounce off each other in the way they would in a Hollywood movie - they have conflict but it is not of the major sort and isn't merely a plot driver. The most exciting element of their work is the fact that they have to be on edge constantly - a parked car on their escort route leads to a dramatic build up in case it's an ambush - they constantly need to be on guard and expect an attack at any time.

This constant tension is well put across and you find yourself expecting action through the whole film. When the violence does come it is sudden and unexpected - just as it would be in real life. The tension is fed by Ennio Moricone's pumping urgent score that plays for many of the escort scenes and makes a film low on action seem absolutely action packed!

The lead performances are mixed - Claudio Amendola is a little of a caricature as Angelo, but Enrico Lo Verso is good as Corsale. Carlo Cecchi is also good as Judge De Francesco who must cope with the fact that his job puts his life in daily danger.

Overall a dramatic little film that looks at the risks related to the job of being an escort, but also leaves you with a downbeat conclusion about the effect that the mafia has on life in Sicily as the full extent of the corruption is made clear.