Film Reviews

Roberto Succo

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Aymeric Chauffert
• Details: Fra / 124 mins / (No Cert)

Based on Pascale Froment's book Je Te Tue. Histoire Vraie De Roberto Succo, Assassin Sans Raison, which itself was based on a true story, Roberto Succo tells the story of an Italian serial killer who terrorized the South of France in the 1980s. Aliberti plays the title character, who also trades under the alias of Kurt. Having killed his parents some years previous, Succo assumes a new identity when he goes to France and picks up a teenage girl, Lea (Le Besco) in a bar. A strange relationship develops between the pair, with of course, Lea unaware of Kurt's real identity or history. He has difficulties suppressing his homicidal rages however, and it isn't long before Kurt sets out to satisfy them.Grim, dark and occasionally overbearing, Robert Succo is less a traditional serial killer film than a bleak character study. Apparently sticking quite closely to the real events of the case, the director, Cedric Kahn, offers a chilling depiction of evil, which is made even more frightening by his reluctance to try and explain its reasons for existence. Superior performances and a distinct lack of conventional shock, horror tactics makes Roberto Succo a powerful piece of work.

Review by Garreth Murphy