loosely based on

by Luca Fazzo and Piero Colaprico

Lo spietato narrates the rise and fall of Saverio Morabito, criminal by calling and boss-turned-informant, in his own best interests, during the golden years of the Calabrian mafia - the ‘ndrangheta - in Milan. A dark comedy portraying the adventures of a yuppie gangster, willing to do anything to conquer the world. His way.

"I got the idea for the film years ago, after reading the book Manager Calibro 9 by Luca Fazzo and Piero Colaprico, a story that combined three elements I saw as a unique opportunity for me to express my own love of film. First, it was a crime story with the classic plot, the rise and fall of a gangster who really was one of a kind. Second, it was set in Milan in the heady years of the 1980s, which I knew well; it was my generation. Third, the comic tone of the tale of a character who just can’t take anyone seriously, starting with himself." [Renato De Maria]

Renato De Maria (Varese, 1958) studied political science and philosophy at college. In 1982, he won the award for best video production at the Festival Cinemagiovani in Turin. For the following three years, he alternated between independent film productions, video installations in art galleries, and collaborating with Rai Television. In 1990, he founded the production company Monochrome, for which he wrote, directed and produced a number of films. From 1993 to 1995, he ran the Pilastro Film Workshop he created for young people in Bologna’s neighborhood of the same name. De Maria made his feature directorial debut in 1996 with Hotel paura. In 2000, he directed the TV series Distretto di polizia. Two years later, fame arrived with his film Paz!, which won five Silver Ribbons, one Globo d’Oro and two Ciak d’Oro. His 2009 film The Front Line premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, while his 2014 film La vita oscena and the 2015 Italian Gangsters were selected for the Venice Film Festival.