Review of Comandante

"Comandante" tells the story of Italian commander Salvatore Todaro and his crew that were the protagonists of a great act of humanity during the beginning of WWII. The two biggest merits of the movie are the visual impact that is pretty good (especially the reconstruction of the Cappelletti submarine) and the performances. In particular Pierfrancesco Favino was exceptional and magnetic on screen, owning every scene he was in. Additionally the story narrated is interesting and very human, but on the contrary the storytelling itself was the weakest point of the movie. More in detail the narration is a bit flat especially in the second part, which should be the emotional core of the film. The first half was indeed pretty interesting to me, with a darker tone and mostly about how bad war is. Then, the second part, focuses on the humanity that great people are able to maintain even in extreme conditions. However the rhythm slows down too much and a sense of flatness kicks in. Indeed the second half, except for a few interesting scenes, was a bit too formulaic and impersonal.

Despite some issues, "Comandante" is still a good movie that narrates an interesting story. You won't probably go crazy about it, but it is surely a fine watch if you are either interested in its human side, in war movies or in Pierfrancesco Favino performance.