Romanzo criminale (Italian pronunciation: [roˈmandzo krimiˈnaːle]; "Criminal Novel") is an Italian-language crime drama film released in 2005, directed by Michele Placido.

[citation needed] It is based on Giancarlo De Cataldo's 2002 novel, which is in turn inspired by the true story of the Banda della Magliana.

The Magliana gang was one of the most powerful Italian criminal associations, dominating Rome's drug, gambling and other kinds of crime activities from the early 1970s until the death of Enrico De Pedis in 1992.

The gang's affiliates started their career kidnapping rich people, drug dealing (hashish, cocaine, heroin, etc.).

In 1970s Rome, four young delinquents, nicknamed Ice (Il Freddo), Lebanese (Libano), Dandi, and Grand, steal a car.

He has formed a gang with Dandi - they are Black (Il Nero), Bright Eye, Ricotta, Bufalo, Rat and Ciro and Aldo Buffoni.

As the gang divide up the money, Lebanese proposes to split 500 million lire between them, and use the remaining 2.5 billion to build a foothold in the criminal underworld of Rome, starting with drug dealing.