Diabolik Trilogy (2021-2023) Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Diabolik (2021) Plot: A master thief falls in love and partners with a woman who helps him from being executed after he’s caught.

Review: A masked, master thief who doesn’t hesitate in killing police or anyone who opposes his selfish agenda is known only as “Diabolik” throughout Italy. He’s infamous, and he’s become the obsession of Inspector Ginko (Valerio Mastandrea), who leads his squad of cops on an endless pursuit of the man who can’t be caught. Diabolik, sans mask (played by Luca Marinelli), carries on a one-sided relationship with a needy woman who has no clue who the man she lives with is a wanted master criminal with a lair underneath the house they share. Diabolik has tons of disguises (he’s sort of like Darkman and can switch faces with his perfect masks), and drives a stealthy Jaguar like a pro racer. His weakness is precious, priceless jewels (like The Pink Panther), and when Ginko lays a trap for Diabolik by colluding with a foxy blonde vixen named Eva Kent (Miriam Leone) who is in possession of a pink jewel (which is a fake), sure enough, Diabolik comes to collect it … not realizing he’s been bamboozled. But something happens in the process of him trying to steal the ring: He falls for Eva, who, in turn, is completely captivated by this dangerous man. He almost has supernatural powers of mind, body, and spirit (sort of like The Shadow), and she’s basically “his” from then on. But then something completely unexpected happens: The woman he’s been living with figures out that he’s Diabolik, and turns him into Ginko, who captures and unmasks him. Thrown into prison and given the death sentence, Diabolik is set to be executed (by guillotine), which means his only salvation lies in how and when Eva will come up with a plan to get him out of prison on the eve of his execution. It works: Diabolik is free! Then, the real plot begins as he and Eva set their minds to finding and stealing the real priceless jewel Eva was originally thought to possess … which means they’ll have to dodge Ginko, who is hot on their trail.

Well produced and designed from its comic book source, Diabolik is the reboot we didn’t know we needed (see also Danger: Diabolik from 1968), but at almost 140 minutes, the film is almost two full movies in one, overstaying its welcome. It’s not what I’d call “action-packed,” but it’s never really boring, and that being said, it feels like an overstuffed graphic novel with more dialogue and careful plotting than actual movement and intrigue. The cast and the filmmakers (the “Manetti Brothers,” Marco and Antonio) take this material very seriously, so the movie isn’t exactly “fun” in the way it could’ve been. It’s completely deadpan serious, with a morally ambiguous protagonist who is really quite “bad.” This is no superhero, no, but a villain, through and through. He deserves his infamous reputation, and this movie makes him relevant again.

Diabolik: Ginko Attacks (2022) Plot: Diabolik’s latest thievery lands him in the crosshairs of his nemesis Ginko.

Review: When he’s not on holiday with his girlfriend and accomplice Eva Kant (Miriam Leone), Diabolik (played this time by Giacomo Gianniotti who brings a different aesthetic to the screen than his predecessor) is planning the ultimate theft: A bejeweled crown from a heavily fortified museum. When that task is executed, complete with a grand exit (he gets away in a hang glider), his nemesis Inspector Ginko (Valerio Mastandrea) comes up with an ingenious plan: He arranges for a set of priceless jewels – which would complete the set that goes with the crown Diabolik has already stolen – to be used in a live performance in front of an audience, and the jewels will have a tracking device on them. When the masked Diabolik steals them all virtually in front of everyone, Ginko has a way to finally track the murderous thief (because he’s a killer too) down. But Ginko’s not as clever as Diabolik, and to top it off, the inspector has a major distraction when a beautiful duchess (played by the graceful Monica Bellucci) makes a big splash when she comes into town … with her priceless necklace, which Diabolik obviously must have as well. Thinking he can protect and keep the duchess safe from Diabolik, Ginko overestimates his powers because Diabolik will have what he sets his sights on!

A bit of a step down from the super stylish first entry, Ginko Attacks features much less of Diabolik and much more on Ginko and his police squad, who are clearly not the selling point of the film or the franchise. That said, it’s shorter (at a still lengthy 115 minutes) than the first film, and it’s got less of an edge this time around. Leading man Gianniotti is much more handsome and less threatening looking than Luca Marinelli, giving the film a more playful and romantic side, and if that was the intention, then that’s a plus. I felt that Marinelli was far more mysterious and dangerous (very much like The Shadow with his hooked nose), and so this entry was more family friendly. From the Manetti Brothers.

Diabolik: Who Are You? (2023) Plot: Diabolik and Inspector Ginko are captured together, and they have to work as a team to escape.

Review: While scoping out a possible major score, master thief and killer Diabolik (Giacomo Gianniotti) is clobbered over the head by a group of cutthroat lowlifes guarding the house he breaks into. In the exact same situation, Inspector Ginko (Valerio Mastandrea), who was doing some recon work in case his nemesis Diabolik arrived later, is also clobbered and tied up by the same group of men. Both villain and hero are chained to the floor in the basement while the cutthroats argue and decide their fate. Meanwhile, Diabolik’s girlfriend Eva Kant (Miriam Leone) has no idea where her man has gotten off to and scrambles to try to find his location, knowing for sure that he’s in distress. Also, on the other side of town, Ginko’s lover, a beautiful duchess (Monica Bellucci) knows exactly where the inspector is and seeks Kant’s help to rescue them both before they’re executed. While Diabolik and the inspector get to know each other a bit while chained up, Diabolik relates his origin story to the inspector, which explains exactly how he became … Diabolik!

A much simpler and pared down entry in the Diabolik trilogy, Who Are You? is very much a single-issue style comic book story (and indeed it is based on a single issue of the comic series), with a simple plot and very little action or suspense, focusing instead on character and backstory. Fans of the character will like it more than newcomers who might be expecting a big spectacle (who’ll be disappointed), and the Manetti Brothers directing team keep things very down to earth and grounded for this much smaller entry.

Kino Lorber has brought the Diabolik trilogy to a three-disc Blu-ray set, and it comes with a making of feature for the latter two films, a VFX breakdown, and trailers, plus a slipcover. If you, like me, enjoy the 1968 film or the source material, you’ll get a kick out of this classy trilogy. The three films aren’t ever what I’d call spectacular, but they’re formidable caper films, done on a modest scale.