‘The Big Fake’: A canvas left half-painted

“I’m for whoever helps me live well,” declares Toni, strolling through the Eternal City’s shadowy alleys, brush in hand and dreaming of masterpieces, while neatly summing up the film’s moral compass, or lack of one. Set against the chaos of 1970s’ Rome during the turbulent Years of Lead, ‘The Big Fake’ reflects on Toni’s journey from a wide-eyed painter chasing recognition to a man whose forged art and identities blur the line between truth and opportunism.

The film loosely draws from real-life forgery scandals, dressing its true-crime backbone with disco beats, neon-lit clubs and plenty of betrayal. While the period setting looks stylish, the storytelling beneath the surface feels shallow, with flashy visuals often doing more work than the script itself.

Aspiring painter Antonio (Toni) Chichiarelli (Pietro Castellitto) rolls into Rome with pals Vittorio (Andrea Arcangeli) and Fabione (Pierluigi Gigante), chasing artistic glory amid the city’s chaos. His true gift? Forgeries so flawless they fool experts. He nails Modigliani replicas and cheque signatures with precision. Enter glamorous art dealer Donata (Giulia Michelini), who spots his fakes, sparks a steamy romance and ropes him into peddling high-end copies to shady buyers.

Cash flows and Toni opens a gallery. But Donata connects him to slick criminal Balbo (Edoardo Pesce), who enlists Toni for passport fakes and heists. During the Red Brigades’ kidnapping of PM Aldo Moro, Toni forges propaganda documents for Fabione’s crew.

Balbo hooks him with “The Tailor”, a power broker demanding sensitive political papers. Mayhem mounts, Balbo crashes dead, Fabione vanishes, thugs smash Toni’s hands to cripple his art. Pregnant Donata wavers as Toni robs a warehouse (framing radicals), hides Moro’s explosive memoir with Vittorio for leverage, and plots escape. Betrayals follow as Vittorio sells out for Church ambition and Donata bails amid infidelity.

Toni’s ambition and appetite for easy success push him deeper into a dangerous maze of crime, power and moral compromise, making escape increasingly difficult.

Performance-wise, Castellitto brings energy and confidence to the role of Toni, but the character itself is not written with enough depth to sustain the film. Castellitto is convincing in moments of arrogance and vulnerability, yet Toni’s emotional journey feels underdeveloped. Michelini slays as Donata. She begins as a promising presence, projecting authority and intrigue, but gradually fades into a supporting role, more functional than meaningful. Her exit hits hard, yet we’re not gutted because we never buy their bond.

The supporting cast does competent work, particularly Toni’s two friends, but their ideological conflicts and personal struggles are introduced with potential and largely sidelined. The performances are rarely the problem, it is the script’s inability to fully explore its characters that holds everything back.

Lodovichi’s direction looks glossy and confident on the outside, but story-wise, it is a bit of a mess. The film nails the 1970s’ Rome aesthetic, but expects it to carry the entire narrative on its shoulders. The pacing has commitment issues. It fast-forwards through major plot moments and hits pause on scenes that don’t really matter.

The political backdrop, which could have added serious tension, mostly hangs around like a decorative prop.

Tonally, the film can’t decide what it wants to be, bouncing between crime thriller, political drama and character study. The constant vibe shifts make it hard to emotionally lock in.

‘The Big Fake’ fakes brilliance that is visually slick but emotionally counterfeit. Stream if you’re into the Italy vibes, but it will leave you forging your own satisfaction elsewhere.