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Review

Pubescent, angel-faced boys rove the streets of a decaying Naples terrorizing all with their petty crimes, drug dealing and prostitution in this lurid Pixote-influenced "exposé" on urban hopelessness. Twelve-year-old Vito, living with abusive relatives after his father wipes out his family in a murderous rampage, joins up with a band of future juvenile delinquents. Sent to prison after a busted drug deal, he slips further away when he is raped by fellow prisoners and returns to the streets a hardened hooligan, indifferent to emotion and love. Violent and chilling, the film's over-the-top vision of a society submerged in poverty and numbed by senseless crime features a cast made up largely of non-professionals, infusing the film with moments of realism. But unlike Pixote, we never get to know much about young Vito nor are we shocked by his vicious anti-social behavior. It's too serious to be cheesy exploitation, too awkward to be effective drama. (Italian with English subtitles)