The Last Night of Amore (L'ultima notte di Amore)

"The Last Night of Amore", sharply written and directed by Andrea Di Stefano, marks a brilliant return to the tense, gritty 'Poliziotteschi' crime thrillers that defined 1970s Italian cinema, meticulously updated for the neon-soaked streets of modern Milan. The film centers tightly on Franco Amore (the magnetic Pierfrancesco Favino), a deeply honorable, by-the-book police lieutenant who, throughout his 35-year career, proudly boasts that he has never once fired his weapon. However, on the very night before his highly anticipated retirement, Franco's flawless moral record is shattered. A seemingly harmless moonlighting gig protecting a diamond transport violently spirals into a bloody mess involving the local Chinese mafia, leaving his best friend and long-time partner dead.

Favino's towering performance perfectly shoulders the heartbreaking urgency and sheer panic of an inherently honest man whose sudden, questionable compromise opens the gates of hell. Di Stefano's slick direction breathes life into Milan at night, shooting on gorgeous 35mm film that captures the dizzying highway traffic and claustrophobic tension beautifully. "The Last Night of Amore" is an elegant, white-knuckle ride into moral ambiguity.