They Call Me Jeeg 2017

In the gritty underbelly of Rome’s Tor Bella Monaca district, a cunning thief named Enzo Ceccotti (no stranger to mischief) finds himself in a precarious predicament after pilfering a wristwatch. His escape from two hot-on-his-heels police officers is nothing short of ingenious, involving a daring leap into the Tiber River. But little does Enzo know, his nocturnal adventure will have far-reaching consequences. A chance encounter with radioactive waste, courtesy of a broken barrel beneath the river’s surface, leaves him feeling feverish and vomiting for hours on end. When he finally stirs, he awakens to find himself miraculously healed – but not without a persistent cough as a lingering reminder.

Enzo’s decision to peddle the pilfered timepiece to Sergio (a henchman working for the notorious psychopathic gangster Fabio Cannizzaro, aka “The Gipsy”) sets him on a collision course with danger. The pair embarks on a mission to extract cocaine from a pair of drug-smuggling brothers – a job that quickly turns awry when one of the mules meets his untimely demise due to an overdose. As chaos erupts, Sergio’s refusal to seek medical attention for the stricken brother sparks a chain reaction of violence, culminating in Enzo finding himself shot and sent tumbling off a construction site’s upper reaches – only to miraculously survive the ordeal.

As Enzo convalesces at home, he begins to notice a profound change within himself. His newfound strength, coupled with his remarkable ability to heal, soon becomes apparent as he effortlessly pilfers an entire ATM – an act that is inadvertently captured on security camera footage. The resulting viral sensation transforms Enzo into the subject of widespread fascination and fear, with the press dubbing him a “super-criminal” (though none are privy to his true identity). Meanwhile, Fabio Cannizzaro and his gang are in a state of panic as they realize that Sergio has failed to deliver the cocaine – a product purchased from Nunzia Lo Cosimo, a ruthless terrorist, and her camorra clan. With their reputation on the line, Gipsy and his cohorts invade Sergio’s residence, only to find themselves face-to-face with Alessia (Sergio’s psychologically troubled daughter), who has been immersing herself in the anime series Steel Jeeg as a coping mechanism. Enzo’s subsequent rescue of Alessia from Gipsy’s clutches is nothing short of heroic – and it’s not long before she begins to mistake him for none other than Hiroshi Shiba, the very hero of her beloved anime series.

As Enzo, a reclusive individual, escorts Alessia (her name not shared) to a residential care home where she had previously resided during her father’s imprisonment, he inadvertently sets off a chain of events. Unbeknownst to him, his actions would soon earn the ire of Gipsy, a rival gang leader. The catalyst for this escalating conflict was Enzo’s decision to pilfer valuables from an armored truck, mirroring the exact heist that Gipsy and his cohorts were planning to execute. This bold move not only increased Enzo’s infamy but also fueled Gipsy’s jealousy.

In the aftermath of these events, two police officers stumbled upon Alessia wandering aimlessly along a highway and subsequently brought her to Enzo’s doorstep. As they watched a Steel Jeeg episode together that evening, Alessia’s emotional defenses crumbled, revealing a traumatic past marked by sexual abuse. This poignant moment served as a turning point in their relationship, as Alessia’s vulnerability began to erode the walls surrounding Enzo’s heart.

Meanwhile, Gipsy’s gang was experiencing internal strife, with members questioning his leadership and authority. In a bid to assert dominance, Gipsy ordered his rottweilers to brutalize a rebellious gangster who dared suggest taking out a loan. However, this display of force only hastened the gang’s collapse. As Gipsy’s power waned, he was forced to seek aid from Marcellone, a Brazilian transsexual loanshark. This desperate move ultimately led to a violent confrontation with Nunzia and her gang, leaving only Gipsy and his adversary standing.

Enzo’s own emotional landscape was tumultuous as well. He initiated a physical encounter with Alessia, who passively submitted after requesting he slow down. The tension in the air was palpable as their argument ensued, culminating in Enzo’s revelation about her father’s demise. Devastated and enraged by this betrayal, Alessia fled on a tram. Enzo, driven by concern for her well-being, employed his superhuman strength to halt the vehicle and tender an apology, offering to accompany Alessia to pay respects at her father’s grave site. This dramatic display was witnessed by the tram’s passengers, who unwittingly captured Gipsy’s attention.

As Gipsy pieced together Enzo’s identity, he hatched a plan with his accomplice, Tazzina, to kidnap Alessia and coerce Enzo into revealing the source of his extraordinary abilities. Enzo led them to the Tiber quay, where Nunzia launched a surprise attack. In the ensuing chaos, Alessia was gravely injured and begged Enzo to use his powers for the greater good before her life slipped away. As she took her final breaths, Gipsy suffered multiple gunshot wounds before being reduced to ashes by Nunzia’s flamethrower. It seemed as though he had met his demise in the Tiber.

The next day, however, Gipsy emerged from the river, scarred and charred but imbued with superhuman abilities akin to Enzo’s. He ventured to Naples, where he recorded himself committing senseless violence against Nunzia and her gang. The stage was set for a merciless showdown between these two formidable foes.

As Enzo ventures through the desolate streets, his solitary path is interrupted by an extraordinary act of heroism: he rescues a woman and her daughter from the fiery wreckage of their car. The image of this devastating scene still seared in his mind, Enzo turns to the television for solace, only to be confronted with a chilling broadcast - Gipsy’s ominous threat to level the Stadio Olimpico hangs precariously over the city like a sword of Damocles. Driven by a sense of duty and a deepening unease, Enzo sets out to track down this ruthless figure. His quest ultimately leads him to a tense confrontation with Gipsy, whose sinister plans are foiled only when Enzo seizes the bomb and plunges into the Tiber River from the iconic Musica-Armando Trovajoli bridge - accompanied by the explosive force that claims Gipsy’s life. In the aftermath of this perilous ordeal, Enzo emerges as a celebrated hero, his reputation forever cemented in the annals of Roman history. As he surveys the Eternal City from the ancient Colosseum, now thought to be nothing more than a mere mortal, Enzo dons the Jeeg mask knitted with love by Alessia, a symbol of his unwavering commitment to shield Rome from harm and safeguard its people.