Sergio Rubini Movies

This late-period entry into the cycle of Italian crime films is a prototypical example of the form. Italian action star Luc Merenda stars as Dario Mauri, a Milanese cop who is transferred to Naples. He immediately sets his sights on bringing down crime boss Laurenzi (Claudio Gora), with begrudging assistance from his wisecracking new partner, Capece (Enzo Cannavale). Laurenzi also has other problems to deal with: one of his drug shipments has been stolen and attempts to get it back reveal traitors in his midst. A Man Called Magnum is unique in the Italian crime subgenre for two reasons. The first is that it was directed by Michele Massimo Tarantini, who dabbled in action but was better known for directing sex comedies. The other reason is that mixes in a surprising amount of comedy, usually involving the character of Capece, for this usually grim subgenre. This unusual blend of action and humor was given a domestic release on DVD by NoShame Films in 2005. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Their father (Barry Morse) is a wealthy, world-renowned painter, and he brought the three siblings (two sons and a daughter) up in lavish style. The three children have had a falling out over the years, as much due to their differing lifestyles as anything else. Gregorio (Carlo Verdone) is a radio disk jockey, freewheeling and not very conventional. Vanni (Sergio Rubini) is a very stiff-necked concert pianist, the soul of propriety. Finally, Livia (Francesca Neri) is used to being the center of attention and the toast of all men's eyes - which she hardly is for her brothers. In this domestic comedy, when these three individualist's father goes missing, they unite to find him and begin to work out their differences in a more amicable way than before. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Marco is a stuffy young man, but he loves his ne'er-do-well brother. When he doesn't hear from him for some time, he begins to search for him and finds that he has disappeared from sight. He looks up his brother's equally unconventional girlfriend and enlists her aid in the search. Along the way, they meet plenty of unusual people, and the strait-laced brother slowly loosens up. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A rivalry between two men in love with the same woman turns into a battle of wills in this psychological thriller from Italy. Pietro Lulli (Sergio Rubini) is a former sculptor and art instructor who has gained a degree of power and fame as an art critic. As Pietro attends the opening of a group show with his trophy girlfriend Gloria (Vittoria Puccini), who used to be his student, they both take note of the latest work by Adrian Scala (Riccardo Scamarcio), and Gloria is impressed enough with both the artist and his creations to spend the night with him. Several months later, Adrian and Gloria are a couple, and when they happen to meet Pietro on the street, the critic shows no signs of jealousy and seems eager to mentor the young artist. While Adrian appreciates Pietro's kind words, he soon becomes uncomfortable with the critic's unsolicited advice, and eventually tells Pietro that he doesn't need his help with his career already on the upswing. But Adrian soon realizes that Pietro isn't about to walk out of his life that easily. Colpo d'Occhio (aka At A Glance) also stars Richard Sammell and Paola Barale. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This film's title clearly reflects the two films that most inspired it: The Mummy and Dawn of the Dead. The plot involves a group of jet-setting fashion models and photographers who choose the tomb of an evil and sadistic pharaoh named "Seferaman" as the setting for their Egyptian-themed magazine shoot. Since these characters are also phenomenally stupid, it's only a matter of time before someone's disturbing the hot-tempered pharaoh's beauty rest, prompting the mummy and his cannibal companions to rise from their dusty graves and tear the infidel defilers to shreds. Good camerawork, voracious gore effects, and the chaotic mummies-in-the-streets finale recall some of the better Italian zombie epics -- but this resemblance unfortunately extends to the typically threadbare plot, which requires each and every character to plow headfirst into situations that almost guarantee death or dismemberment. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this bizarre and darkly comic fantasy, Antonio (Sergio Rubini) is a man who was born with unusually large incisors; his freakishly huge teeth make him an outcast from his peers as a child, and he attempts more than once to break off the offending choppers. The emotionally fragile Antonio was further devastated at the age of 12 when his mother (Anouk Grinberg) died, and as a man, he's become obsessive and controlling in his relationships with women. Antonio is convinced that his girlfriend Mara (Anita Caprioli) has been unfaithful to him -- with her dentist (Tom Novembre), of course. After Antonio confronts Mara in a moment of anger, she responds with rage, and strikes him in the face with a large ashtray, breaking off one of his teeth. Antonio now must travel across the land, going from dentist to dentist in search of someone who can make a crown that will suit his extra-large smile. Denti was shown in competition at the 2000 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Italian comedy star Sergio Rubini is top-billed in this story about a country bumpkin making his way in the big city, Central European style. Nelu is a intellectually challenged man from a small village in Romania. He heads to the big city of Bucharest to seek his fortune when his grandfather dies, leaving his family in need of financial assistance. In time, Nelu finds a job as an assistant to an undertaker, but his slow climb up the economic ladder becomes more complicated when his father dies while visiting him in the city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This entry in the Italian crime film cycle of the '70s presents an interesting take on the format. Emergency Squad seems unusually postmodern for its time because it places an equal amount of dramatic focus on its hero and its villain. The hero part is fulfilled by Ravelli (Tomas Milian), a cop consumed with the desire to get revenge on the crook who shot his wife to death during a robbery. The crook in question is Marseilles (Gastone Moschin), who is trying to assemble funds for his own retirement. As the revenge scenario moves toward the inevitable confrontation, Emergency Squad retains interest because it paints both leads in a complex fashion -- Ravelli's obsessive quest makes him as scary as he is sympathetic and the seemingly icy Marseilles reveals some surprisingly vulnerable sides to his character. Emergency Squad was the first of several Italian crime films for director Stelvio Massi, and star Tomas Milian would also become a mainstay of this genre. In 2005, Emergency Squad received a domestic DVD release from Mondo Macabro. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

In 1978, Italian politics were thrown into turmoil when the Christian Democratic president Aldo Moro was executed. This gripping political drama is based on American journalist Robert Katz's non-fiction book Days of Wrath and documents the convoluted chain of events that lead to Moro's death. Moro was the first politico to bring his country's political factions together in 40 years. His ordeal begins shortly after he is elected. He is en route to church with his five body guards when they are ambushed by radical communist terrorists, the Red Brigade. They quickly execute the body guards and spirit Moro to a hidden "people's prison' where he is interrogated. Neither Moro's Christian Democrats nor the newly reinstated Communists will deal or in any way acknowledge the Red Brigade. They do however engage in a massive search for the missing Moro. But the search is poorly organized and ineffectual. Meanwhile Moro is allowed to send letters to the government. He suggests that the Vatican be called in to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the terrorists, but the Vatican refuses. Instead, they make a formal plea for Moro's unconditional freedom. The government does little or nothing to help the president and Moro realizes that the organization he helped create has abandoned him. In desperation, he becomes sharply critical of the government that continues to stall while the Red Brigade becomes increasingly frustrated and impatient. Eventually they decide to kill Moro and later stuff his body in a red Renault which they parked between the Christian Democrat and the Communist headquarters. The Moro Affair or Il Caso Moro as it was known in Italy, was extremely popular in it's native country, but it also sparked considerable controversy for as the case unfolds, nagging doubts and holes arise that infer that perhaps the government had more of a hand in the assassination than the Red Brigade. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Porzia, a beautiful and feisty aristocrat leaves her convent school when her wealthy, blue-blooded fiancé sends a small military regiment to bring her home for their wedding. Handsome Captain Palagano has been particularly charged with keeping the virginal lass safe and intact. The journey across the picturesque country starts off peacefully enough, but when brigands attack, only the girl and Bartolo, a humble coachman, are left alive. Determined to get her home, he and she make the rest of the trip on horseback. Though rude in manner and uneducated, Bartolo proves to be a loyal and courageous ally who sees Porzia through many adventures. This beautifully rendered costume drama offers chaste adventure and fun suitable for the entire family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Francesca Archibugi directed this Italian drama set in Rome where 14-year-old Siddhartha (Niccolo Senni) is forced to deal with his heroin-addicted mother Silvia (Valeria Golina). He occasionally gets a visit from his filmmaker father Massimo (Sergio Rubini), who left them years earlier. Silvia is involved with lawyer Roberto (Stefano Dionisi), and they have a child, four-year-old Domitilla (Francesca di Giovanni). She lives with her father but sometimes stays with Silvia and Siddhartha. One day Domitilla pricks her finger on a used needle belonging to her mother. Using the Internet to seek advice, Siddhartha is told to have Domitella tested for hepatitis and AIDS. Desperate, he sets forth but is soon stymied and frustrated by a medical bureaucracy. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

When the efforts of a Philosophy teacher from the Italian Region of Puglia and his two brothers to sell an old family farm are stalled by their boorish and aggressive step-brother, the family's dark past is soon dragged into the harsh light of the presence in director Sergio Rubini's simmering family drama. Luigi moved to Milan years ago to escape the tyranny of his brutish father. Though Luigi and his two brothers are currently attempting to negotiate the sale of an old farm that has fallen to disrepair, their loutish, womanizing, half-brother Aldo seems to be doing everything in his power to sink the potentially lucrative deal. Eventually deciding to take the matter into his own hands, former childhood hellion Luigi returns to Puglia only to find that little has changed in his explosively dysfunctional family. When the brothers are acquitted of a homicide and heated accusations begin to fly among family members, Luigi launches a furtive investigation into the case that finds him putting his relationships with his family, and his wife, under the microscope for closer inspection. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide