Hands Over the City

Francesco Rosi's movie "Le mani sulla città" ("Hands Over the City" in English) is about a developer (Rod Steiger) whose building collapses, leading to political fallout. While it looks like a simple story of corruption in Naples, it could be anywhere on earth. Any time that someone skimps on something, the people are going to suffer. People who insist that there should be no government involvement in anything don't realize (or refuse to realize) that they might be the ones suffering.

If the movie has any downside, it's that we don't get to hear much from the people who suffered from the collapsed building. After the collapse, there are some scenes of protests, but most of the movie looks at the inner workings of the city government and how accusations fly in all directions.

Rod Steiger (speaking perfect Italian) is particularly interesting as the developer-turned-city councilman. The guy looks like he could be any working stiff, but he has all sorts of Machiavellian plans. The last scene shows the various buildings throughout Naples, forcing the viewer to wonder if the whole thing will soon start over. All in all, it's a really good movie.

PS: One scene inadvertently portends political crises to come in Italy. Towards the end of the movie, a character walks by a poster of Aldo Moro. Moro later got kidnapped and executed by the Red Brigades.