They Call Me Jeeg
A tribute to Steel Jeeg and spaghetti westerns.
They Call Me Jeeg (Italian: Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot) is a 2015 Italian superhero film directed by Gabriele Mainetti and starring Claudio Santamaria. The film follows Enzo Ceccotti, a lonely misanthropic crook who gains superhuman strength after exposure to radioactive waste in the Tiber River. It is a tribute to the manga and anime series Steel Jeeg by Gō Nagai and received largely positive critical reviews.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Gabriele Mainetti
- Writer
- Nicola Guaglianone / Menotti
- Starring
- Claudio Santamaria / Luca Marinelli
- Music
- Michele Braga / Gabriele Mainetti
- Cinematography
- Michele D'Attanasio
- Editing
- Federico Conforti / Andrea Maguolo
- Studio
- Goon Films, Rai Cinema
- Distributor
- [http: · www.luckyred.it Lucky Red] (Italy) / [http: · www.uncorkedentertainment.com Uncork'd Entertainment] (U.S.)
- Released
- 17 October 2015 · Rome Film Festival
- Runtime
- 112 minutes
- Country
- Italy
- Language
- Italian / Romanesco dialect
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot centers on Enzo Ceccotti, a thief living in the slum Tor Bella Monaca in Rome. After stealing a wristwatch and escaping police by jumping into the Tiber, he accidentally breaks a barrel of radioactive waste, gaining superhuman strength. He later rescues Alessia, a psychologically damaged woman who mistakes him for the anime hero Hiroshi Shiba, and becomes embroiled in a conflict with the psychopathic gangster Fabio Cannizzaro, known as 'The Gipsy'.
Reader's Guide
They Call Me Jeeg is significant as a modern Italian superhero film that blends gritty realism with anime and spaghetti western influences. Its title is an in-joke referencing both the anime character Alessia believes in and the spaghetti western They Call Me Trinity. The film was one of seven on a shortlist for the Italian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, though Fuocoammare was chosen instead. It received an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews and won eight David di Donatello awards. A comic book continuation, written by Roberto Recchioni and drawn by Giorgio Pontrelli and Stefano Simeone, was published in 2016.
Did You Know?
- The film's title is a reference to both the anime Steel Jeeg and the spaghetti western They Call Me Trinity.
- Enzo gains superhuman strength after being exposed to radioactive waste in the Tiber River.
- A comic book based on the film, taking place after the movie's events, was published in 2016.
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