High Style, Mixed Execution in This Noir Comic Trilogy

Read Time:6 Minute, 17 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Diabolik Trilogy (Blu-ray)
Diabolik –
Diabolik: Ginko Attacks (Diabolik – Ginko all'attacco!) –
Diabolik: Who Are You? (Diabolik: Chi sei?) –

Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery
Year Released: 2021 / 2022 / 2023, Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2025
Runtime: 2h 19m / 1h 56m / 2h 4m
Director(s): Marco Manetti, Antonio Manetti
Writer(s): Angela Giussani, Luciana Giussani, Marco Manetti, Antonio Manetti
Cast: Luca Marinelli, Giacomo Gianniotti, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, Monica Bellucci, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Alessio Lapice, Linda Caridi, Claudia Gerini, Serena Rossi
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.kinolorber.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: THE DIABOLIK TRILOGY from the Manetti Brothers is a bold, three-film return to one of Italy’s most enduring pop culture icons, adapting the long-running comic created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. Spanning three years and two actors in the title role, this Kino Lorber collection brings together DIABOLIK (2021) and DIABOLIK: GINKO ATTACKS! (2022), and DIABOLIK: WHO ARE YOU? (2023) in a single package that embraces the source material’s style while testing the patience of audiences expecting modern comic-book pacing. It’s a set that’s at its best when it leans into its sleek production design and the magnetic presence of Miriam Leone’s Eva Kant, but not every chapter delivers with the same precision.

Diabolik (2021)
The opening film reintroduces audiences to Clerville in the late 1960s, where the elusive master thief Diabolik (Luca Marinelli) sets his sights on Eva Kant’s (Leone) prized pink diamond. What begins as a high-stakes theft turns into a romantic alliance, as Inspector Ginko (Valerio Mastandrea) closes in. The Manetti Brothers deliberately avoid the camp of Mario Bava’s DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968) in favor of a slower, noir-infused narrative, borrowing visual cues from giallo cinema and serials. Marinelli’s Diabolik is icy and calculating, but the real spark comes from Leone’s performance — equal parts glamorous and cunning. The film is stylish, with meticulously recreated period detail, though its measured pacing will divide viewers. For those locked into its wavelength, the mix of comic-panel composition and throwback sensibility is intoxicating; for others, it’s an overlong setup that needs tighter editing.

Diabolik: Ginko Attacks! (2022)
The sequel changes more than the storyline. Giacomo Gianniotti takes over the lead role, shifting Diabolik’s persona from the cold detachment of Marinelli’s version to a more approachable presence — though ironically, the script sidelines him for much of the runtime. This chapter shifts focus to Inspector Ginko, giving Mastandrea more room but also exposing the limits of the character’s appeal. Leone remains a highlight, but her screen time competes with Monica Bellucci’s introduction as Altea, a casting choice that adds star power but delivers mixed results. The production design remains meticulous, from the '60s cars to the bold costume design, but the plot feels flatter, recycling a lot from the first film without matching its intrigue. While the action is brisker and the runtime shorter, the sense of novelty has faded, leaving a competent but less engaging entry.

Diabolik: Who Are You? (2023)
The final film attempts to reinvigorate the series with an origin story. Diabolik and Ginko, captured by a criminal gang, are forced to share a cell, leading to flashbacks that reveal the thief’s past. It’s a structural gamble — blending claustrophobic present-day tension with expansive, sometimes melodramatic backstory — and it works better in concept than execution. Gianniotti settles more comfortably into the role, but the shift in focus again leans heavily on supporting characters, with Leone and Bellucci taking parallel rescue missions. The 1970s setting allows for a subtle change in visual tone, incorporating poliziottesco grit into the series’s already retro aesthetic. While it offers the most character depth of the trilogy, it also highlights the unevenness in narrative drive across the films.

Viewed back-to-back, the trilogy offers a fascinating case study in consistency and adaptation. Across all three films, the Manetti Brothers remain committed to honoring the comics’ roots, featuring elaborate disguises, meticulous heists, and a morally ambiguous antihero who operates according to his code. The production design and period detail are uniformly excellent, giving the series a tactile authenticity rare in modern comic adaptations. Yet the shift in lead actors midstream disrupts continuity, and the choice to frequently push Diabolik to the margins of his own story undermines the central appeal of a master thief narrative.

Leone’s Eva Kant emerges as the true throughline, her intelligence and agency preventing her from becoming a mere sidekick. Mastandrea’s Ginko, while consistent, is a more polarizing figure — admirably persistent but sometimes too restrained to anchor the screen. Bellucci’s late arrival adds curiosity value, though her performances are uneven and at times feel more like stylistic flourishes than fully integrated character work.

The set delivers each film with sharp transfers that preserve the saturated colors, intricate set textures, and stylized lighting that define the trilogy’s look. Extras, such as behind-the-scenes featurettes and VFX breakdowns, provide insight into the meticulous construction of this cinematic world, from recreating the comics’ visual motifs to the seamless integration of practical and digital effects.

This is a collection for a specific audience — those who appreciate the artistry of a faithful adaptation that values mood and design over relentless action. If you come for fast cuts and wall-to-wall spectacle, you may find the pacing indulgent. But for fans of European crime cinema, meticulous retro production, and a willingness to take comic book filmmaking in a different direction, the trilogy is a distinctive, if uneven, package.

The individual ratings tell the story: a strong start (Diabolik – 3.5), a sophomore slump (Ginko Attacks! – 2.5), and a partial recovery (Who Are You? – 3). Taken together, it’s an ambitious but imperfect homage to one of Italy’s most notorious fictional criminals — a stylish experiment that’s worth seeing, even if it never quite achieves the elegance of its antihero.

Product Extras:
The Making of Diabolik: Ginko Attacks!
The Making of Diabolik: Who Are You?
VFX Breakdown
Trailers

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[photo courtesy of KINO LORBER]

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