Daniel Nieto is a former Marseille robber who was rampant in the 1970s. But, having aroused the interest of the police, his success was forced to flee to Italy. There he continued his activity and, very quickly, he met a band that officiated at the rank of industry beyond the Alps: kidnappings and kidnappings for the purpose of ransom. During the day it is the honest shopkeepers who lead the “dolce vita”. At night they prepare kidnappings of industrialists or stars, who see their lives go “from heaven to hell in five seconds”.
With them Daniel, who “learned to speak Italian in the cinema”, will commit five kidnappings. The last will be that of Giovanna Amati, daughter of a director. Listening to him, the action was poorly prepared: what should have been a matter of 48 hours lasted … 75 days! First of all, it is a question of “putting a price on life”. For the girl it will be 10 billion lire (38 million euros at the current exchange rate), of which they will never see the color. The victim, chained by the ankle, is placed in a “cage”, a cramped box that is completely soundproofed. Day and night, Nieto observes her, brings her to eat, helps her wash. Stockholm syndrome? She will want to sleep with him many times – but without them being “in love”, she points out – and she will also try to protect him from the police once he is released. Lost time: arrested, he will spend ten years in prison. He today he tells all this almost without hindsight, as if it had happened to someone else. Seven episodes as compelling as they are disturbing.
