A Man for Burning

The great Gian Maria Volonté, in his first starring role, plays Salvatore, a militant Sicilian trade union leader who urges the peasants and workers of his homeland to confront the Mafia masters who exploit them. Salvatore's character is deeply flawed: arrogant and egotistical to the point of megalomania, and seemingly intent on martyrdom, he is the antithesis of the simple and pure popular hero of neorealist films. His uncompromising radicalism alienates him from those he seeks to liberate, and leads ultimately to his demise.