Emanuel Bevilacqua

Inspired by real events in the Rome of the late 1970s, early 1980s which are chronicled in the evocatively-titled book The Clockwork Orange Gang, Scent of the Night marked Caligari's comeback with a bang. His belated and much-awaited follow-up to Toxic Love polarized and baffled critics and audiences alike, who seemingly couldn't cope with his reboot of the poliziottesco (Italo cop movie) from the 1970s. A real shame, because Caligari elevates a fast-moving thriller about the violent street-and-home-robbery career of a former policeman and his gang-mates to a poignant social-political metaphor. Featuring an iconic performance by Valerio Mastrandrea and interspersed with cinéphile homages ranging from Melville to Bresson, Scent of the Night is the ultimate Italian cult movie of the 1990s. A politically incorrect indictment of a time when the seeds of the vapid hedonism of the Berlusconi age were sown.

To make ends meet, three old friends think up a "vintage criminal tour" around the locations where the gangsters were acting during the 80s. Due to an unpredictable trick of fate, they are suddenly thrown back into the 80s and find themselves face-to-face with the real members of the gang. Nevertheless, their trip back in time might just be the perfect opportunity for redemption.