[1] It is inspired by Italian politician Aldo Moro's kidnapping and murder by the Red Brigades (BR) terrorist group; the film presents a possible reconstruction of this story within a fictive conspiracy theory.

[2][3] On 16 March 1978, around 9 am, a BR commando stationed in Rome's via Fani opened fire on the escort of Moro, kidnapping him and killing the police agents Raffaele Iozzino, Oreste Leonardi, Domenico Ricci, Giulio Rivera, and Francesco Zizzi.

She recalled an episode when Moro, talking to his mother in front of the nursery, told her: "I can't leave [politics], because they will definitely kill me, but I have to delay the catastrophe that hangs over our country for these children.

[8] In his review for La Repubblica, Paolo D'Agostini wrote: "We all know that this film, on screens on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the macabre discovery in via Caetani, recalls the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro.

"[2][nb 3] In his review for Variety, Dennis Harvey wrote: "A somewhat old-fashioned political thriller complete with graying stars and emphasis on talk over action, 'Piazza of the Five Moons' offers reasonably engrossing intrigue as easy to forget as it is to watch.

Putting a fictive conspiracy-theory spin on Christian Democratic leader Aldo Moro's 1978 kidnapping and murder, drama toplines Donald Sutherland as a retired judge drawn to reopen the case and Giancarlo Giannini as his longtime bodyguard.

Outside Italy, where events remain a vivid memory, smoothly mounted item will find either quick, modest theatrical playoff or a direct track to ancillary.

"[3][nb 4] In his Palcoscenico review, Osvaldo Contenti wrote: "'Five Moons Square' is the effective demonstration that it is possible to tell important chapters of Italian history with a modern film language, full of suspense and action.

He doesn't lack courage, nor the means, but the profession and a fat wallet are not enough to transform history into film, and Martinelli remains anchored to the past as director of commercials, with the ability to find effective shots and the marginality of dialogues and environments.

"[12] He concluded: "The result is a film that adds nothing to the story of Moro's kidnapping, still full of secrets, leaving out any attempt at a civil complaint and instead aping the most popular television dramas.

"[12] In his review for Il mondo dei doppiatori [it], Fabio Stellato wrote: "Renzo Martinelli brings to the screen the not new and not far-fetched version according to which the death of Aldo Moro was the result of an international conspiracy which included, in addition to the Red Brigades, the Italian secret services, and the CIA, with the aim of preventing the Historic Compromise that Moro was to reach and that he would see PCI and DC in government together; at the time it was, in fact, unacceptable for a Communist party to be part of the government of a Western country.

"[8] He concluded: "Set in an evocative Siena, the film is, however, not unforgettable, and if the historical reconstruction is detailed and well done, the screenplay that serves as its backdrop is rather banal and a final coup de thèatre (far from unexpected) is not enough to redeem it.

"[10][nb 5] She concluded: "Finally, the film is actually divided into two parts — in the first we witness a scrupulous historical reconstruction of the kidnapping, studied and dissected by the magistrates down to the smallest detail, while in the second, decidedly more intriguing, the camera carefully follows all the moves of the witty Saracini, silently spying at the same time on the opponent's counterattack, as in a thrilling game of chess where, however, there is no real winner.

[13][nb 6] They described it as a "full-blown thriller, in short, with some gross digressions into the private (a flaw that was also partly the fault of the amazing JFK) and a heartfelt interpretation by Donald Sutherland.

[13] The opening credits indicate the collaboration as historical consultant of Flamigni, who was part of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Moro case and provided his interpretation for the reconstruction of the facts present in the film.