Claudio Carvalho In the countryside of Italy, there is a feud between two families of kidnappers and the boy Vito (Manuel Colao) escapes from the slaughter of his family by the other family hiding under his bed. Before dying, his father advises him to warn his older brother that is hidden in a cave. When Vito arrives there, he finds his brother and a boy called Simone that had been kidnapped by his family dead. He finds a backpack with Simone's address in Rome and he decides to travel to Rome to meet his cousin Orlando (Lucio Zagaria) to flee from the killers that are hunting him down. Orlando gives a pack to Vito to keep for him and he puts in the backpack. Soon Orlando is murdered by the killers and Vito decides to seek out Vito's parents. When he meets them, the disturbed mother Marta Rienzi (Francesca Neri) wants to keep Vito with them, while her husband Davide Rienzi (Jacques Perrin) does not believe in him and decides to pay the ransom to retrieve his son. "La corsa dell'innocente" is a great Italian thriller based on a dark period of Italian history when there were abductions of wealthy people and even politicians. Through the long journey of an innocent orphan victim of a war between two families of kidnappers, the director Carlo Carlei exposes the drama of a family that had the only son kidnapped by a gang. In addition to the great story and performances, the film shows beautiful landscapes and monuments in Italy together with a wonderful music score. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Vôo do Inocente" ("The Flight of the Innocent")

Carlos Martinez Escalona Corsa means race. And this is one of epic dimensions. It is interesting to point out that Carlo Carlei, the director, was in his first effort at the time.As a director myself, I find some of the many runs of Vito a bit over the top. But, at the same time, I must admit that the scarcity of dialogue and the stupor in Vito's attitude is alluring and simply unnerving.This is a film that uses in a very effective way the dramatic and cinematic expression of Panavision. This format is completely accepted as the de facto standard for any major release. But the complexities of using this format in a story that will be told through the eyes of a child is not easy.The superb landscapes and contrasts that make this film as visually stunning and as dark as it is is not a small achievement for a first film. Actually, it's quite unbelievable this is a first directorial job.The natural settings and lighting give, to some scenes, a beautiful psychological break within all the violence and desperation the main character experiences.But, above all, this film is effective. It takes the audience completely off-balance and never lets it go. It's gripping. Even with some really redundant scenes and not so believable twists. But we have to remember that for some dramatic purposes, these twists are a valid resource.Music becomes almost a character in a very unobtrusive form, and I like the sparse passages of really weird and doom-reminding sounds.The language is beautiful, even when the boy and his family speak with a very tight lilt -true to their land. I only object to the incredibly bad voice-over of the only french actor, it's a voice that is as unconvincing as if the man was talking with Hugh Grant's voice.Even when all the slo-mo scenes are masterfully planned and shot, the violence is overwhelming. I wouldn't be that explicit, but -then again, this leads the audience to the unexpected with such a speed that it is pretty justified.All in all, La Corsa... is a riveting film. Manuel Colao's performance and beauty are all the more enticing within such a dark subject matter.

Robert Grima If you are looking for a movie that has a great story, well done acting,fantastic direction and a score that will give you goosebumps when you hear it, look no further Flight of the Innocent is a Masterpiece of pure action and excitement.I have just finished viewing this movie for the fifth time and I am still not bored with it. I am writing this review now since I have just found out that it has finally been released on DVD, which now is probably the best chance to view this movie better at home.I have this movie on video bought years ago when it came out and the movie although now 10 years old has not aged a bit. One reviewer asked where the boy got hold of the address, without give any details away about the plot,I would like to point out that the address was written on the boy's bag.Like I stated before, I have seen this movie more than once and the movie has no plot holes at all. The movie is quite violent especially the shootings, but also a very intelligent one that grabs the viewer from the very start and never lets go.Take note of this movie and if you see it at your local DVD store give it a rent. You will not be disappointed. 10/10

eelpie Jtur has a fair point, you could add that the picture never shows how young Vito obtains the address of his goal---but this is a parable, not a New Realism movie with peasants employed as actors. The most striking feature of this highly cinematic picture is that for the whole 101 minutes it has little dialogue. You could write the lines on a couple of pages. It cuts to the chase in the first 30 seconds, and never stops. At the climactic moment, when the young hero bursts into speech for the first time, putting his own life on the line and thereby redeeming his whole murdered criminal family, it has marvellous dramatic, emotional and philosophical impact, nobly underlined by the literary epitaph. Somehow, I can't see the Disney organisation taking on a big issue and dramatically working out its theme in this way. Flight of the Innocent is so well structured. Every 10 minutes, there is a plot point, and it certainly has no "sagging centre"---an exceptional achievement in any picture. The boy just runs and runs and runs, until he is in the arms of---well, don't let's spoil the story, because this is a passionate statement about a genuine horror of southern Italian life, and well worth seeing.