AllMovie

This raw Italian political melodrama investigates the underbelly of Rome in the early '70s, exposing drugs, crime and sexual scandal. Many of the characters and episodes are based on incidents which made Italian newspaper headlines in that period. Throughout, it implies that one important behind-the-scenes personage ("number one") is pulling the strings of the characters. The film's tone of outrage clearly differentiates it from a more easygoing film exploring the similar nightlife of 1960s Rome, La Dolce Vita.