Have you seen the photos of Billy Zane in the upcoming Waltzing with Brando movie? The man looks exactly like Marlon Brando in the mid ’70s. I do hope the film gets him nominated for a few awards. He’s always been great on the screen even when terrorizing Rose and Jack on a sinking Titanic. Seeing the Billy does Brando pics led me to wondering what Billy Zane has been up to recently. Turns out he’s made quite a few films over the years. He even went over to Italy to make Stay Calm.
Giorgio Martini is an Italian-American businessman with dual citizenship that allows him to be Minister of Culture for Italy. He’s unique in the he can understand Italian, but can’t speak it. This is good for his current position except Giorgio has bigger dreams. He wants to get elected to Parliament, takeover the party and shortly thereafter become Prime Minister. The inability to fully communicate is keeping him from achieving the first step since the voters don’t like him. That’s when he comes up with a great scheme to humanize himself. He’s going to be the victim of a kidnapping. He has his assistant Marco (To Rome with Love‘s Corrado Fortuna) install new security cameras inside his countryside Villa to capture the action. In order to make the kidnapping juicier and more scandalous, his assistant hires Pamela (Secret Life of John Paul II‘s Samantha Michela Capitoni) to play his mistress. His former employee Enrico (Hotel Meina‘s Francesco Meoni) is coming back as the kidnapper. The story will be that during their romantic weekend, a gunman with a pig mask invades the house and ties them up. The assistant will release the video footage to the press at the same time he calls the cops. Trouble starts since Pamela is not an actress so she’s not good at faking a relationship. Marco hires her because she has a lot of followers on a social media site. They’d be excited to know she’s having a fling with the Minister of Culture. But she’s not used to working with others which is frustrating Giorgio. Enrico also goes off script when he removes his pig mask in front of the security camera. He’s not going to be able to “escape” and never be identified. This appeal to the voters is going really wrong fast.
Stay Calm feels like a throwback to Italian cinema of the 60s and ’70s when a production would bring over an American actor to give an international flair. This was how John Saxon, Lee Van Cleef and Jack Palance ended up in Italy frequently during that era. Billy Zane is a bit more involved in the production of Stay Calm. He’s not only an executive producer, but adapted the script. He gives Giorgio an entitled goofiness to his narcissistic ways. He makes us think his character is in charge even when he’s floundering as badly as the other three in the villa. Even when his truths are revealed, we’re not sure if he isn’t also playing an angle. While this character would have been outlandish as a politician 30 years ago, Giorgio seems like the perfect candidate for the upcoming elections in Italy or America. Stay Calm is a four-character delight from the Italian countryside.
Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The resolution brings out the detail in the Italian villa. You’ll feel like you’re on vacation. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The levels will let you hear Billy Zane’s subtle performance. The movie is not subtitled.
No Bonus Features.
Dreamscape presents Stay Calm. Directed by Davide Dapporto. Screenplay by Nunzio Bertolami and Davide Dapporto. Starring Billy Zane, Corrado Fortuna, Samantha Michela Capitoni & Francesco Meoni. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: June 11, 2024.
