Giovanni Esposito Movies

Directed by Aldo Baglio, La Leggenda di Al, John e Jack (The Legend of Al, John and Jack) follows a trio of klutzy mobsters fumbling through the Italian crime underworld in the late '50s. The film begins at a drive-in movie where Al (Aldo Baglio), John (Giovanni Storti), and Jack (Giacomo Poretti) have rewired a car speaker in hopes of catching incriminating evidence on a fellow gangster's plans. Things go awry, however, when Al gets short-term amnesia from an inadvertent electrical shock. His compatriots take it upon themselves to re-inform him of his role in the accidental murder of one of their boss' old friends. In order to avoid death themselves, the three inept mobsters must concoct a plan to earn his forgiveness and prove their loyalty. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Horst Fantazzini was a thief who became famous in Italy for a long series of bank robberies where he made a point of never hurting his victims and behaving with as much courtesy as the situation allowed. When he was handed a 20-year prison sentence after finally being caught by the police, Fantazzini discovered life behind bars didn't agree with him, and, in 1973, he attempted to break out. This real-life escape plot provides the basis for the comedy/drama Ormai E Fatta!/Outlaw. Stefano Accosi plays the anarchist Fantazzini, who manages to sneak a gun into Piemonte, a progressive prison where he's being housed. However, Fantazzini turns out to be better at robbing banks than breaking out of jail. He ends up wounding three guards without ever getting outside, and finally takes two other guards hostage and barricades himself in an office at the jail, hoping to ransom his way out. Fantazzini's hostages, two men from Southern Italy who are new to the North and don't much care for it, are no happier in their surroundings than Horst is, and in his negotiations Fantazzini finds himself dealing with two polar opposites, a prison director who emphasizes lenience and trust, and a senior corrections officer who believes in swift, dramatic action. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this anthology film with five episodes about modern-day Naples, director Antonio Capuano updates Vittorio De Sica's The Gold of Naples (1954): In Seven Part Scopa a young card-player gambles against local butchers; in Charlie and Jerry two sax players minus instruments entertain at a wedding by reviving old routines of Eduardo De Filippo and Toto); The Wedding tells the story of impoverished newlyweds; Fred follows Argentine tourists in Pompei; and in Richard Gere an aspiring actor has a vision of his hero. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide