The Man from Rome is a 2023 mystery crime thriller about Vatican intelligence operative investigating a Spanish church that “kills to defend itself”.
Directed by Sergio Dow (Imágenes del Pacífico, Rambao, On Wheels, Botero, Bahia Mansa, Hemingway the Hunter of Death) from a screenplay co-written in collaboration with Adrian Bol, Gretchen Cowan, Carolina López-Rodriguez, Sheila Willis, and Luis Zelkowicz. Based on a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
The movie stars Richard Armitage, Amaia Salamanca, Paul Guilfoyle, Paul Freeman, Rodolfo Sancho, Franco Nero, Fionnula Flanagan, Carlos Cuevas, Alicia Borrachero, Víctor Mallarino, Will Keen, Féodor Atkine, Unax Ugalde, Simón Andreu and Jorge Sanz.
Plot synopsis:
A computer hacker penetrates the Vatican’s security and sends an urgent anonymous plea to the pope. Handsome Father Quart, of the church’s Institute of External Affairs, an arm of the Vatican intelligence, is dispatched to investigate. The message of the hacker concerns a crumbling 17th-century Baroque church in the heart of Seville that apparently “kills to defend itself”…
Reviews:
“From the outset, it is shocking to see a priest with clerical collars fighting with skill and forcefulness against heartless criminals, with a protagonist, Lorenzo Quart, who would be the closest thing to an ecclesial James Bond […] Overall, despite some dysfunctions that are probably unavoidable in a fiction like this, which mixes the reality of the Catholic Church with the fantasy of an imaginary Vatican spy service, is successful and can be viewed with pleasure…” Criticalia [translated from Spanish]
“On the one hand, far too much is revealed at the beginning, which means the puzzle is over. There just isn’t enough stuff to worry about. For an action film, however, the corresponding scenes are too powerless. Director and co-writer Sergio Dow fails to really build on those relevant moments in a thrill-seeking sense. And so there is a lack of convincing arguments why you should definitely look at this.” Film Rezensionen [translated from German]
Release:
In the US, The Man from Rome will be released by Screen Media Films in select locations and on VOD in summer 2023.
Original title:
La Piel del Tambor (“The Skin of the Drum”)
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Richard Armitage … Quart
Amaia Salamanca … Macarena Bruner
Paul Guilfoyle … Monseñor Paolo Spada
Paul Freeman … Padre Príamo Ferro
Rodolfo Sancho … Pencho Gavira
Franco Nero … The Pope
Fionnula Flanagan … Duquesa Cruz Bruner
Carlos Cuevas … Padre Cooey
Alicia Borrachero … Gris Marsala
Víctor Mallarino … Comisionado Navajo
Will Keen … Arzobispo Corvo
Féodor Atkine … Cardenal Iwaszkiewicz
Unax Ugalde … Padre Arregui
Simón Andreu … Octavio Machuca
Jorge Sanz … Fazil
