Gabriele Mainetti’s They Call Me Jeeg (2016) is a cinematic anomaly a superhero film that trades capes for grimy Roman alleyways and mythic grandeur for raw, human fragility. This Italian indie marvel reimagines the genre through a lens of social realism, blending the fantastical with the visceral. Mainetti’s direction is the film’s beating heart, deftly balancing comic-book exuberance with a grounded portrait of Rome’s underbelly. His vision transforms Enzo Ceccotti, a small-time crook turned reluctant hero, into a symbol of redemption forged in urban decay. The screenplay, co-written by Mainetti and Nicola Guaglianone, is a masterclass in economy, weaving a tight narrative that leans heavily on character over spectacle. Enzo’s arc from self-serving loner to protector avoids predictable hero tropes, instead embracing a morally ambiguous evolution that feels painfully authentic.

Claudio Santamaria’s performance as Enzo is a revelation, his weathered face and slumped posture embodying a man burdened by circumstance. His chemistry with Alessia, played with unhinged vulnerability by Ilenia Pastorelli, crackles with oddball tenderness, grounding the film’s fantastical elements in emotional truth. Their relationship, built on shared trauma and a mutual obsession with the anime Jeeg Robot, is the film’s emotional core, though it occasionally strains under Alessia’s exaggerated quirks. Luca Marinelli’s villainous Zingaro steals scenes with a flamboyant, unhinged intensity, but his cartoonish excess can feel tonally dissonant, a rare misstep in Mainetti’s otherwise disciplined direction.

Cinematographer Michele D’Attanasio paints Rome as a character in itself its graffiti-streaked suburbs and neon-lit nights pulse with gritty vitality. The camera’s intimacy, often lingering on Enzo’s haunted expressions or the city’s decaying edges, contrasts sharply with the genre’s usual gloss, making every superhuman feat feel tactile and consequential. The score, a blend of original compositions and retro needle-drops, amplifies the film’s emotional swings, though its reliance on pop anthems occasionally overshadows subtler moments.

If the film falters, it’s in its pacing, which stumbles in the second act as it juggles Enzo’s transformation with Zingaro’s escalating menace. Yet, this minor flaw hardly dims the film’s brilliance. They Call Me Jeeg is a bold redefinition of the superhero narrative, proving that power, when rooted in human struggle and a vividly realized locale, can resonate far beyond the multiplex.