Angels of Evil is the brutally compelling story of Renato Vallanzasca, a Milanese bank robber who became one of the most infamous men in Italy for the casualties of his crimes, prison escapes, kidnaps and cool charisma.  

One of Italy's most notorious criminals, the man is serving four life sentences for armed robbery and the murder of several police officers. The film has attracted fierce controversy after protests from the relatives of his victims.

Directed by Michele Placido and starring Kim Rossi Stuart as the charming and psychotic Vallanzasca, the film has the same visual energy and, snappy editing seen in fellow Italian crime drama Romanzo Criminale, which the duo also worked on, in 2005.

The opening hour of the film is a dizzying, over-stylised series of robberies, played more as a series of events, rather than an escalating progression of thieving ambition. Secondary characters are given little backstory or thought, and therefore garner little sympathy when gunned down in the pursuit of lira.

Thankfully in the second half, the film settles down as Rossi Stuart’s blend of masochistic menace and convincing seductiveness starts to grip.

Slowly realising the extent of his crimes, he also maintains enough charm to make one believe he can attract a legion of female admirers from behind prison bars. Vallanzasca even got married twice while in jail, the last time in 2005.

Rossi Stuart immerses himself into this role. He embodies Vallanzasca's legendary arrogance well - though at moments too well. Not that the criminal wasn't determined, but sometimes it's hard to understand just where his self-destructive streak comes from.

He has a set of ethics that he sticks to – he never rats on his colleagues or kills civilians – but it's a blurred moral code. There's no backstory as such, he just is a crook, and the film succeeds all the better for it.