Diabolik: Ginko Attacks!

There is something deliciously stubborn about the way the Manetti Bros. (Antonio and Marco) approach a comic book movie. In an era where every superhero flick feels the need to be "grounded" or, conversely, a multiversal sensory assault, Diabolik: Ginko Attacks! (2022) arrives like a sleek, silver-plated artifact from a parallel 1960s that never ended. It doesn’t just pay homage to the fumetti (Italian comics) created by the Giussani sisters; it lives inside their ink-washed panels. I watched this on a Tuesday night while my neighbor was apparently auditioning for a heavy metal band in the apartment above me, yet the film's cool, mod-jazz score still managed to win the acoustic war.

A Masterpiece of Mid-Century Mood

If you’re coming to this expecting the high-octane, shaky-cam chaos of a John Wick or the frantic editing of a modern Marvel entry, you might find yourself checking your watch within twenty minutes. The Manetti Bros. (who also gave us the stylish Song 'e Napule) have committed to a pacing that is as deliberate as a game of chess played by people who really, really like their suits. It is slow, methodical, and arguably the most expensive-looking museum exhibit ever committed to film.

The film picks up with our titular thief narrowly escaping a trap set by his eternal rival, Inspector Ginko. In the process, Diabolik leaves behind his partner-in-crime and lover, Eva Kant, played by the luminous Miriam Leone. Furious at the perceived betrayal, Eva does the unthinkable: she offers to help Ginko catch the man she once loved.

The visual language here is extraordinary. The production design by Mompracem doesn't just recreate the sixties; it romanticizes them to a degree that feels like a fever dream. Every rotary phone, every hidden lair button, and every curve of that iconic Jaguar E-Type is framed with a reverence that borders on the fetishistic. The film is essentially high-fashion ASMR with the occasional explosion.

The Man Behind the Mask (and the Woman Beside Him)

The biggest talking point for the Italian audience was the recasting of the lead. Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy) takes over the cowl from Luca Marinelli, and the shift is fascinating. While Marinelli brought a certain feral, unpredictable energy to the first film, Giacomo Gianniotti is basically a piece of very handsome furniture for the first half of the movie. He plays Diabolik as a cold, calculating machine—a man who is more mask than human. It works for the character, but it leaves a bit of an emotional vacuum that Miriam Leone is more than happy to fill.

Leone is the undisputed soul of this franchise. As Eva Kant, she manages to navigate the film’s campy roots and its deadly serious tone with a grace that is frankly staggering. Whether she’s plotting revenge or donning a disguise, she commands the screen in a way that makes you realize Diabolik would probably be caught within fifteen minutes if she wasn't around to manage the logistics.

Then we have Valerio Mastandrea as Inspector Ginko. He plays the role with such a weary, cigarette-stained dignity that you can’t help but root for him, even though you know the title on the poster isn't Ginko: Success at Last! The addition of Monica Bellucci (Malèna, Spectre) as Ginko’s secret flame, Altea, adds a layer of soap-opera melodrama that fits the fumetti vibe perfectly, even if her presence feels more like a guest appearance than a fully integrated subplot.

Gadgets, Traps, and the Art of the Heist

The action in Ginko Attacks! is less about martial arts and more about the "magic" of the heist. It’s about smoke bombs, trap doors, and those wonderfully absurd rubber masks that allow characters to look exactly like someone else until they peel their own face off in a dramatic reveal. There’s a sequence involving a stolen collection of jewelry that is staged with such geometric precision it reminded me of Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge.

What makes this film feel "contemporary" despite its retro skin is the way it handles its legacy. In an age of franchise fatigue, the Manetti Bros. aren't trying to build a cinematic universe that connects to fifteen other shows on a streaming service. They are making a trilogy that feels like a singular, handcrafted project. They even filmed this and the third installment back-to-back to ensure visual consistency—a move often reserved for massive blockbusters like Lord of the Rings or Avatar.

Interestingly, the film’s CGI is surprisingly sparse. The directors favor practical effects and real locations whenever possible, giving the action a tactile weight. When a car flips or a gas canister hiss-pops, it feels real in a way that $200 million movies often fail to achieve because they've smoothed out all the "imperfections" in post-production.

Diabolik: Ginko Attacks! is a specialized taste. It is a film for people who enjoy the texture of cinema as much as the plot—for those who want to sink into a chair and be transported to a world of European cool, shadows, and sapphire heists. It’s a bold rejection of the "faster is better" philosophy of modern action, and while it occasionally threatens to stall out in its own stillness, the sheer style of the thing kept me hooked. If you can find it on a platform that hasn't buried it under a mountain of algorithm-friendly fluff, it is well worth the excursion into the dark, stylish streets of Clerville.