TORONTO – Film audiences have seen Kevin Spacey play duplicitous and sometimes vile villains, from a serial killer and a criminal mastermind to a ruthless politician, adulterous husband and abusive talent agent. Whether he was an infamous killer on a murder spree in Seven or a bored suburban husband in American Beauty, Spacey’s distinct and often disturbing ability to embody the most depraved and morally corrupt personalities was his calling card as an actor. And notwithstanding an imposed hiatus from 2017 to the present [due to sexual misconduct allegations] Spacey’s commitment to playing the most unsavoury rogues on screen has led him to his latest film The Contract – in which he plays the Devil. 

The film, directed by Italian filmmaker Massimo Paolucci, wrapped filming in March this year but only recently premiered at the Cairo film festival last week. The film’s plot is “under wraps” according to its official IMDb page, although its Producers have described the film as having a similar storyline to Taylor Hackford’s The Devil’s Advocate (1997), a film that saw Al Pacino play Satan disguised as a legal shark. The Italian thriller was shot entirely in Lazio with scenes in Rome, Tivoli and Frascati – the home of one of Italy’s best white wines.

Except for the low budget feel and a witless tagline, the project [on paper at least] seems an interesting comeback for the blacklisted Spacey. But while the actor was cleared of all charges and found not guilty of sexual assault, his return to the big screen might be limited to foreign pictures with more modest budgets – as Hollywood isn’t quite prepared to resuscitate Spacey’s career.

The question then arises: why has Italy become the safe house for Hollywood’s outcasts? In the last year, Italian cinema has seen American Actors Kevin Spacey, James Franco and Johnny Depp star and direct in Italian productions and co-productions. To further the point, Spacey was honoured with Italy’s Nations Award for lifetime achievement, while Franco walked the red carpet at Rome where Depp Premiered his latest film “Modi”. All three men were at one point embroiled in law suits, and eventually found not guilty – save for Franco who settled with his accuser in 2021. So why have they all fled to Italy?

Aside from being a beautiful country to lay low in, perhaps these actors saw greater opportunity in a country that was offering an aggressive tax credit program for filmmakers. Like everyone else, they went where the action was. What the 40% rebate created was a hotbed for film production – at least during the last few years. Some might be uncomfortable with the welcome these men have received in Italy, while others like Michel Curatolo and Marco Fallanca (Nations Award organizers) have respected the not-guilty verdicts and the decision of the courts. “Kevin Spacey is a timeless monument in film and theatre history, who unquestionably deserves the chance to get his career back”. Time will tell if audiences agree.

The Contract poster and scene image courtesy of Anteprima Eventi Production e Managament 

Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix