Combining a gritty feel for the tense loyalties of underworld alliances with a flair for period detail, Michele Placido's absorbing gangster epic CRIME NOVEL, based on Giancarlo De Cataldo's novel of the same name, rides full steam through Italy's years of terrorism, and offers a gangster's-eye view of recent Italian history that represents the flip side of THE BEST OF YOUTH, a film that was not coincidentally also scripted by screenwriters Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia.
A criminal known as 'The Lebanese' has a dream: to conquer the underworld of Rome. To carry out this feat without precedent he puts together a ruthless and highly organized gang. Their progress and changes in leadership take place over twenty-five years, from the 1970's into the '90's, and are inseparably intertwined with the dark history of modern Italy: terrorism, kidnappings and corruption at the highest levels of government. Throughout these years Police Lieutenant Scialoia sticks to the gang's trail, trying to bring them to justice.
CRIME NOVEL was nominated for a Golden Bear at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival 2006 and won several awards at the David Di Donatello (Italian Academy) Awards 2006 including Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Photography, Best Editing, Best Art Director, Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects.