Il mercante di pietre (2006)

A thesis picture: is Western Europe turning a blind eye to the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism? Professor Alceo Bandini believes so. He writes and lectures to a few students at a Roman ... See full summary »

Director:

Renzo Martinelli

Writers:

Corrado Calabrò (novel), Corrado Calabrò (screenplay)

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Jane March, Jordi Mollà

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	The Merchant
Jane March	...	Leda
Jordi Mollà	...	Alceo (as Jordi Molla)
F. Murray Abraham	...	Shahid
Paco Reconti	...	Valerio Vergotto
Bruno Bilotta	...	Libero
Lucilla Agosti	...	Lydia
Dhafer L'Abidine	...	1st Egyptian (as Dhaffer Labidine)
Eddy Lemare	...	2nd Egyptian
Federica Martinelli	...	Rita
Eleonora Martinelli	...	The Merchant Assistant
Riccardo Forte	...	Doc. Casellato
Alena Ivanov	...	Russian Woman
Maria Grazia Adamo	...	Female Student
Jonis Bashir	...	1st Somali

Storyline

A thesis picture: is Western Europe turning a blind eye to the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism? Professor Alceo Bandini believes so. He writes and lectures to a few students at a Roman university; he's also a victim of a terrorist attack in Kenya where he lost both legs. On a short holiday in Cappadoccia with his wife Leda, they meet Shahid, an enigmatic cleric, and Ludovico Vicedomini, a forceful gem merchant. Back in Rome, Ludovico attempts the seduction of Leda while Alceo is suspicious of his new acquaintances' politics. The police counter-terrorists discount Alceo's fears: he's paranoid and jealous, they believe. What is going on?

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist attack | cop killed by muslim terrorist | extremist muslim | dysfunctional marriage | extramarital affair | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 2006 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Stone Merchant

Filming Locations:

Cappadoccia, Turkey

Box Office

Budget:

€10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Box TV,Creative Partners International,Martinelli Film Company International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A politically misguided file

I have never rated a movie before on a site like this, but was moved to do so because the film is so bad. You will see from the comments on here that some people rate this film highly (which is a surprise to me) while others rate it very low. In other words it is polarising. This is because of its political content about terrorism committed by Islamic fundamentalists. I am not someone who would minimise the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalists and a good film on the subject can be made. But this is not it. The dialogue is wooden and obvious. The acting from most actors, particularly the lead male is full of false-pathos and some of the scenes are at turn painfully obvious or laughably implausible - the worst by far is the scene with the maimed 'hero' trying to evade his hit-man killers with a rescue scene where he is saved approximately 2 minutes after making a call to his rescuer (was he waiting outside in the car?). However the two worst things about the film are the cinematography (the ferry scene is reminiscent of 'Thunderbirds') and inaccurate stereotypes about Islam. This is a scaremongering film of the worst ilk and worse still misunderstands its main subject matter. Best to avoid.