I was watching this movie in my Italian class several years ago and after watching both parts, I can confidently say this is a fine example of very exciting Italain television. To place this movie under "drama" would be correct, but i encourage anyone who would like to view action movies outside of the Hollywood origin to really consider this two-part series.
The story follows a team of Policemen lead by the man codenamed "Homer" who is played by Luca Zingaretti who recently appeared in the "Inspector Montalbano" series. When the team is asked for protection by 'Sinatra' who is played by Leo Gulotta who was seen in "cinema paradiso". Sinatra is to be escorted from Northern Italy to Sicily where he has promised to give in the location of the Mafia Godfather Don Parvitano. But during the journey, Sinatra seems to always lead the police into hostility and trouble.
Given the basic storyline, I must also say that there are many surprising twists of betrayal, death and loyalty. But one must really remain attentive to catch onto the separate stories surrounding each individual character.
The action scenes follow in a "spaghetti western" style: a lot of gunfire but nobody seems to get hit. But there is fantastic cinematic work behind these scenes and the general atmosphere of an action film is delivered successfully.
Overall, this is a fantastic television series that really grips even a non-italian speaking audience (if subtitles are on of coarse). If you come by "operazione odissea" on your television guide, I encourage you to really consider watching this well-made program.
