A crime drama traces young men's escalating violence and a veteran investigator's search for its unsettling motive.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Routine Before Ruin
Three friends work at a data center by day. After work, they begin seeking release through random violence.
Key Events
Data Center Routine — Three young men work at a data center during the day.
Location: Data center
After Work Release — The friends leave work and seek ways to release their frustration.
Location: Outside the data center
Violence Begins — The group begins committing random acts of savage violence.
Location: City streets
Football Riot — The young men help spark a riot at a football game.
Location: Football stadium
Riot Escalation — Their destructive behavior expands from disorder into broader criminal conduct.
Location: Football stadium
Violence Without Limits
The group progresses from a football riot to vehicle theft, rape, and murder. Each crime marks a more disturbing rejection of social restraint.
Key Events
Vehicle Theft — The group steals a vehicle as its violence becomes more deliberate.
Location: City street
Criminal Escalation — Vehicle theft marks a progression from public disorder toward serious crime.
Location: City streets
Sexual Violence — The crimes escalate to rape, demonstrating a severe loss of restraint.
Location: Unspecified urban setting
Murder — The violent spree culminates in murder.
Location: Unspecified urban setting
The Motive Question
Police interpret the crime wave as politically motivated. A veteran investigator instead suspects boredom and disaffection with civilized society.
Key Events
Crime Wave Emerges — Authorities recognize a recent spate of serious crimes.
Location: Police investigation setting
Political Motive Theory — The police become convinced that the crimes are politically motivated.
Location: Police investigation setting
A Darker Explanation — A veteran investigator suspects the violence has a more terrifyingly ordinary cause.
Location: Police investigation setting
Boredom As Motive — The suspected motive is boredom and disaffection with civilized society.
Location: Police investigation setting
The Psychological Hunt
The central offender continues escalating while the veteran investigator closes in. Their psychological cat-and-mouse game builds toward direct conflict.
Key Events
Investigator Focuses — The veteran investigator narrows attention toward the increasingly violent young man.
Location: Urban investigation setting
Behavior Escalates — The central offender continues escalating his behavior despite the investigation.
Location: City streets
Cat And Mouse — A psychological game of cat and mouse develops between offender and investigator.
Location: Urban setting
Psychological Pressure — The opposing sides exert psychological pressure as the pursuit intensifies.
Location: Urban investigation setting
Pursuit Converges — The investigation and the offender's escalating conduct move toward direct confrontation.
Location: Unspecified urban setting
A Shocking Collision
The pursuit culminates in a final confrontation. The ending is presented as shocking rather than comforting or triumphant.
Key Events
Final Confrontation — The psychological conflict reaches a shocking final confrontation.
Location: Unspecified final setting
Shocking Aftermath — The final confrontation leaves the story with a shocking conclusion.
Location: Unspecified final setting
Story Breakdown
Data Center Routine — The young men begin within an ordinary working environment before turning toward destructive release.
Daytime Employment — Three friends work at a data center during the day.
After Work Frustration — They seek to blow off steam after leaving work.
First Violent Outburst — Their initial acts transform private disaffection into public disorder.
Football Riot — The group sparks a riot at a football game.
Public Disorder — Their behavior moves beyond ordinary frustration into savage violence.
Criminal Escalation — The crimes become progressively more serious and destructive.
Vehicle Theft — The group steals a vehicle during its violent spree.
Murderous Violence — The escalation reaches rape and murder.
Police Interpretation — Authorities attempt to explain the sudden crime wave through competing interpretations.
Political Motive — The police believe the crimes are politically motivated.
Ordinary Nihilism — A veteran investigator suspects boredom and social disaffection instead.
Investigator Pursuit — The veteran investigator concentrates on the increasingly dangerous offender.
Behavioral Focus — The investigation follows the offender's escalating behavior.
Psychological Pressure — The pursuit develops into a psychological game of cat and mouse.
Final Collision — The opposing forces converge in a disturbing final encounter.
Rising Confrontation — The investigation and violence move toward direct conflict.
Shocking Conclusion — The story ends with a shocking final confrontation.
By day, Ovidio (Joe Dallesandro) and his two friends work at a data center. After work, they blow off steam by committing random acts of savage violence, swiftly graduating from sparking a riot at a football game to vehicle theft, rape, and murder. The police are convinced this recent spate of crimes is politically motivated, but world-weary veteran Commissario Santaga (Enrico Maria Salerno) suspects a far more terrifying explanation: that these young men are motivated by nothing more than boredom and disaffection at civilized society. As Ovidio's behavior escalates, a psychological game of cat-and-mouse ensues between the two adversaries, building towards a shocking final confrontation.
