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Machine to Kill Bad People
1h 24m • Drama, Comedy, Fantasy • 1952

A photographer gains the power to punish evil-but soon his moral certainty begins to unravel.

In a small Italian village, a self-righteous photographer is granted a mysterious power: by photographing images of wrongdoers, he can eliminate them. At first, he targets the corrupt and powerful-but as his sense of justice warps, so too does his morality. Rossellini blends fantasy and satire in a sharp fable about power, virtue and hypocrisy.

12 Questions with Dr. Alfio Leotta Associate Professor of Film at Victoria University.

RIALTO RECOMMENDS: Playful yet pointed, this offbeat Rossellini gem is a witty, cautionary tale about power and the thin line between justice and self-righteousness.

Cast

Gennaro Pisano (Celestino Esposito), Marilyn Buferd (Ragazza americana/American Tourist), William Tubbs (Padre della ragazza americana • American Tourist)

Writer

Sergio Amidei

Languages

Italian, English

Country

Italy

Studio

Co-production Office

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