Gabriele "Lele" Marchilli was an Italian drug dealer and policeman from Rome. In 2008, Marchilli, a small-time drug dealer who was in debt with the Mafia Capitale, formed a loose and reluctant partnership with the Romani drug dealer Spadino Anacleti and the Ostia gangster Aureliano Adami to blackmail the influential priest Monsignor Theodosiou after he overdosed on drugs at an orgy Marchilli and Theodosiou's shared associate Sara Monaschi had Marchilli arrange as a favor, and this partnership led the three men to inadvertently become players in a greater real estate dispute involving the local mob boss Samurai and his Sicilian Mafia handlers, the Roman Catholic Church, corrupt politicians, and ambitious businesspeople.
Biography[]
Gabriele Marchilli was born in Rome, Italy, the only son of policeman Franco Marchilli. During his teenage years, he spent much of his time partying and womanizing, and he also sold pills in a gym owned by the Mafia Capitale boss Samurai, leading to trouble with the Mafia. One night, he was pulled out of a party by one of Samurai's henchmen, Saverio Guerri, who told Marchilli that he owned Samurai €20,000 for the transgression, even though Marchilli complained that he had only sold €500 worth of pills. Guerri proceeded to slap Marchilli across the face, causing his lip to bleed, and he warned Marchilli that he had 24 hours to give Samurai his due. The next day, a desperate Marchilli was called by an old associate and lover of his, the auditor Sara Monaschi, who told Marchilli that she needed him to hold a party that night, and that it was important; Marchilli, angry that Monaschi had not called him in three months, promised "the best blow and the best hookers" at the party, but insisted that it would be the last time he helped Monaschi.
The three men planning the blackmail
Marchilli obtained the cocaine from drug dealer Aureliano Adami after meeting him at a boxing ring and being forced to box with him, but, when Adami did not show up on time for the party that night, Marchilli called another drug dealer, Spadino Anacleti, to help provide the drugs. Aureliano showed up late (having murdered and buried Boris Anacleti) and nearly got into a fight with Spadino, as he hated Romanies, but the situation calmed down when the overdosing Monsignor Theodosiou collapsed upon leaving the orgy. Gabriele said that they could not call an ambulance, as Theodosiou was a priest, but Spadino decided that it would be profitable to blackmail Theodosiou for showing up at a sex party, as he reasoned that, the bigger priest he was, the more the blackmail would be worth. Aureliano took the prostitute Isabelle Mbamba's phone and discovered that she had made a sex tape with the intent of blackmailing Theodosiou herself, and he decided to use it for the blackmail; meanwhile, Gabriele called Sara and assured her that the overdose was not his fault. Ultimately, Marchilli settled Aureliano and Spadino's argument by suggesting that they team up to blackmail the Monsignor, and each of them would take a third; Marchilli assured a skeptical Aureliano that the priest was important, and that he could tell him all about who he was.
Marchilli meeting Monaschi in her car
The next day, while trying on a suit with his father for his graduation party, Gabriele was called by Samurai, and, as his father paid for the suit, Gabriele told Samurai that he would have the €20,000 for him by 6:00 PM that evening. That afternoon, Sara had Gabriele meet him in her car, where she accused him of messing up the whole party, and suggested that he may have been involved in the sex tape blackmail plot as a means of getting back at her. Marchilli, who did not care for the accusations, almost left the car before Monaschi dragged him back in. Marchilli asked if Monaschi really believed he would betray her, but Monaschi said that he had organized the party and the people involved. She then told Marchilli that he had to help her fix the mess, and Monaschi said that the blackmailer was young with dark shaved hair, and that he looked like a thug. Marchilli lied and said that there were several men who looked like that, but Monaschi angrily asked if Marchilli didn't know who was at the party. She also said that there was a black girl in the sex tape, and, when Monaschi asked Marchilli who the girl was Marchilli angrily retorted, "One of the many!" Monaschi said that she wanted Marchilli to find the girl, as she was involved for sure, and, when Marchilli said that Monaschi still hadn't paid him, Monaschi ordered Marchilli to find the girl. As Marchilli left the car, Monaschi again yelled for him to find the girl.
The blackmailers meeting to discuss Sara Monaschi's interference
Marchilli then called his fellow blackmailers and had them meet with him in person, and he revealed that the priest had talked, and that a woman from "the Rome that matters" - who had told him to organize the party - wanted him to find the black girl. Aureliano said that he would take care of the hooker, but he said that the priest needed to know that the blackmailers were not playing. Aureliano suggested that they put a small clip of the video online without showing the priest's face, just to scare him. Anacleti then asked since when Aureliano had been in charge, and said that he did not want to take orders. Aureliano smiled and told Marchilli, "We found the only gypsy who knows how to think!" Aureliano then told Gabriele to come with him, while Anacleti returned to his fiancee.
Aureliano presenting the gun to Lele
Aureliano then drove Gabriele to confront the prostitute at her apartment building, and they were given her room number by another African immigrant prostitute. In the hallway, Aureliano produced a gun and told a reluctant Gabriele that he would have to kill the prostitute to silence her, but, when Gabriele refused to grab the gun, Aureliano calmly told Aureliano to stay in the hallway so that he would be an accomplice in the prostitute's murder if Aureliano was every caught. Gabriele proceeded to wait outside as Aureliano headed into the apartment with the handgun, and Aureliano warned Gabriele that, if he found that Gabriele was not outside the room when he came back, Gabriele would be deep in trouble with him. Aureliano came back after a few minutes, telling Gabriele that he had taken care of the situation, surprising Gabriele, who then left with him.
The blackmailers meeting outside the hospital
Gabriele then called Sara and told her that the prostitute was nowhere to be found, causing a panicked Sara to say that Gabriele had to find her. At 4:00 PM, Aureliano, Gabriele, and Spadino met up to collect the blackmail money from the priest, and Spadino and Aureliano made fun of Gabriele for being quiet, with Aureliano saying that it must be indigestion; Gabriele said that he just wanted to get the blackmail over with. Spadino then left the vehicle, but not before Aureliano said that he didn't trust him with the money because he was a gypsy, leading to Spadino flipping Aureliano off before he walked off to make the exchange. Gabriele privately expressed his revulsion for Aureliano and Spadino's "game"-like lifestyles as professional criminals, but Aureliano joked, "It's better to have fun when you work, bro." At the same time, Aureliano and Gabriele were surprised to see a woman meet with Spadino on the park bench, and Gabriele told Aureliano that she was Sara, the woman who had him organize the party. Sara handed Spadino a packet of money, but Spadino was amused that she had only given him a tenth of the amount. While Spadino offered to view it as payment in advance, Sara said that it was the entire payment, and that it was all that the priest had. Spadino said that Sara should go back to the priest and warn him that, if he did not pay the full amount, his face would end up all over the place. Sara retorted that, if Spadino put the tape online, the police would find him in five minutes. Spadino then got up and warned Sara that the situation did not end there, but Sara declared, "I say it does." Spadino then returned to the car, threw the money into the front seat, and, when Aureliano asked what the €30,000 meant, Spadino explained that Sara said that she had given him all the priest had.
Guerri taking Marchilli's money
An angered Aureliano proceeded to cock his gun, tuck it into his back pocket, exit the car, pop up his hood, and briskly walk into the hospital, causing Gabriele to worry where he was going. Aureliano found out from a nun in the Monsignor's hospital room that the Monsignor had left an hour earlier, and he and the others drove back to their original meeting spot, where Aureliano grew pessimistic about their chances, dismissing Gabriele's reminder that they still had the video, as the priest had gone missing. Aureliano and Spadino proceeded to split and drive off in their own cars, causing Gabriele to panic. That evening, Gabriele gave Guerri his share of the blackmail money, €10,000, but an infuriated Guerri slapped Marchilli, put a gun in his mouth, and warned him to come back the next day with €20,000 more for being unable to pay the full €20,000 the first time.
Samurai offering Gabriele a tissue
As Marchilli staggered away and heaved, an elderly man (unbeknownst to Gabriele, Samurai himself) approached Gabriele and offered him a tissue. Marchilli wiped his mouth with the tissue and assured the man that he was fine, and he then ran off. Samurai then asked Guerri who the boy was, and Guerri said that he was one of the many who had to pay Samurai back.
Gabriele talking to Sara at her apartment
Gabriele then headed over to Sara's apartment, where Sara told Gabriele that nothing had changed, and that she hadn't been at her apartment for three months either. She then asked what Gabriele wanted to talk to her about, and he revealed that he couldn't find the girl. Sara revealed that she had taken care of the situation by paying the blackmailers, albeit not the amount they wanted. Gabriele then asked if the priest was still in the hospital, and Sara revealed that the priest had been discharged, and that he was okay again. Sara revealed to Gabriele that she would see the priest in an hour at the commission, and she remembered that she still had to pay Gabriele. Gabriele commented that Sara was beautiful, and she apologized for yelling at him that morning. She then kissed him on the cheek and left, telling him to shut the door as he left. As soon as Sara left, Gabriele called Spadino and told him not to put the sex tape online yet, as he knew where the priest was. With Gabriele's help, Aureliano and Spadino were able to track the priest down to his apartment and kidnap him, intending on having the priest ask the Vatican Bank for €300,000. Gabriele joined the two at Aureliano's club, where they detained the priest.
Gabriele, Spadino, and Aureliano hanging out at the club
The three then hung out in the room next door, where Spadino humorously danced and said that the music was great. Aureliano then jokingly asked Gabriele if Spadino's moves made him want to dance, and the three shared some laughs before Spadino proposed that they toast to their success. Aureliano said that he still had things to do, and he walked out, but Spadino had Gabriele grab a pair of glasses, and the two had drinks together.
Aureliano walking out of Isabelle's apartment with Gabriele
The next morning, Gabriele met with Aureliano outside of the prostitute Isabelle's apartment, where Aureliano had spent the night with her, having not only not killed her, but also struck up a relationship. Gabriele said that he was glad that Aureliano hadn't killed the girl, and Aureliano said that it would have been a waste, causing the two of them to smile as they walked off.
Aureliano attacking Spadino
Aureliano and Gabriele then drove to meet Spadino at his club, hoping to check in on the priest. When Aureliano asked how the priest was doing, Spadino said that he had to set him free. Aureliano was enraged, and Spadino explained that Samurai visited him that morning. While Aureliano stormed out, Gabriele asked what Samurai said, and Spadino said that Samurai knew that they had kidnapped the priest and were blackmailing him. When Gabriele asked if Samurai knew about himself and Aureliano, Spadino angrily said that Samurai knew nothing about them. Aureliano then returned and said that Spadino should have talked to him before doing anything, and he then insulted Gabriele as "a cop's son" and Spadino as a "gypsy scumbag" who was like his brother, except that Manfredi was a "man". The two proceeded to fight, with Aureliano choking Spadino, and Spadino daring Aureliano to kill him. Gabriele helped to break up the fight, and Aureliano told Spadino that he never wanted to see him again. An angry Spadino then shouted and swept the cups from the bar's counter while Gabriele watched.
Gabriele then stood outside, thought for a moment, and, when Spadino exited the club and asked why Gabriele was still there, Gabriele asked Spadino if he had €30,000. Spadino simply cursed Gabriele before driving off, leaving Gabriele to take a cab home. Gabriele also attempted to persuade Sara to help him, but she said that she didn't have the money. That night, Saverio Guerri rammed Gabriele's car and attempted to kill him for his debt, but Gabriele succeeded in driviginf off to safety. Later that night, Gabriele was contacted by Spadino to help Aureliano escape from an assassination attempt, and he accompanied him to Isabelle Mbamba's apartment and asked why Aureliano was a target. Aureliano didn't tell him, but he agreed to help Gabriele after Gabriele told him about his €30,000 debt, as Gabriele had saved his life; he also asked him to arrange a one-on-one meeting between him and Spadino. Spadino told Gabriele that he was busy, but would call Aureliano later. Gabriele then returned to Aureliano, who told him that he would clean out the Monsignor's apartment in order to help Gabriele pay the debt. Aureliano's father Tullio Adami interrupted their conversation and told them to move from the living room to Aureliano's bedroom, as Samurai and Livia walked in for a meeting; Samurai noticed Gabriele, his debtor, talking with Aureliano.
Aureliano and Gabriele then went to the Monsignor's apartment to rob it. Gabriele distracted the doorman while posing as a postgraduate student researching doormen's views on new bylaws, only to be taken aside by Saverio and brought to meet Samurai while Aureliano robbed the Monsignor's apartment. Samurai told Gabriele that he didn't need Gabriele's money anymore, but instead told him that he would have to kill Aureliano's father; if Gabriele refused, Samurai would kill his father instead. Saverio then gave Gabriele a gun and told him to "enjoy", before walking off. Gabriele then met with Monaschi, who offered her help with the debt, only for Gabriele to reveal that the debt was settled, and that he didn't need her help. He then returned to Aureliano, who berated him for abandoning him, and he showed him the priest's looted belongings. Aureliano's father Tullio then walked in, and Tullio was very grateful for Gabriele saving his son, and he told him that they would talk later. Aureliano said that his father wouldn't bother them, as he was off to his weekly hook-up with his prostitute, as he had been doing for years. Aureliano then told Gabriele to go off and do what he had to do to settle the debt, and Gabriele left. On his way out, Gabriele met Aureliano's sister Livia Adami for the first time, and Livia was grateful for Gabriele rescuing her brother, whom she said was the person she cared most about in the world. She also said that she found their friendship unusual, as Aureliano didn't have many friends, and it was interesting for Aureliano to be friends with a policeman's son; Livia then said that it was nice to meet Gabriele, who entered his car and followed Tullio.
Gabriele laying beside Tullio Adami's body
Gabriele called Samurai and told him that Tullio had just left his home, but claimed that he had lost him; Saverio warned him that he would kill his father like an animal if Gabriele did not kill Tullio. Gabriele tracked down Tullio, and he called his father and told him that he had gone to a friend's graduation party, covering for his absence. He then approached Tullio as he was leaving with his mistress, accidentally shooting his mistress in the chest before pursuing Tullio. He tripped, allowing Tullio to charge at him. Gabriele shot Tullio three times in the chest, killing him. The next morning, Gabriele watched the news coverage of the discovery of Tullio's body. His father noticed that Gabriele seemed distressed, but Gabriele said that he didn't get much sleep due to the party, and his father left, oblivious of his son's actions.
Marchilli was then taken by Guerri to meet with Samurai, and he met Samurai at his horse racing track as a puzzled Monaschi left. Samurai asked if all was well, and the whereabouts of the gun, and Gabriele said that the gun was at the bottom of the sea. Gabriele then asked if his debt was settled, and, while Samurai said that they were good, he told Gabriele that he still needed him, and that Gabriele owed his life to Samurai still having use for him. Samurai ordered Gabriele to serve as his eyes and ears in the Adami clan, and he then let Marchilli leave. Aureliano then had Gabriele meet with him, and Gabriele gave Aureliano his condolences and found out that Aureliano held the Gypsies to be responsible. Gabriele said that he would be there for Aureliano, and he then left. Gabriele then went to Sara's house, where she questioned him as to why he was with Samurai. Gabriele said that Samurai was the man he had been in debt to, and, when he asked Sara why she was with Samurai, she said that it was nothing important. The two then proceeded to sleep together.
Later that night, Gabriele was confronted by his father, who said that Gabriele's friend Lucio, whom Gabriele always claimed to be studying with, hadn't seen him in two weeks. He then asked how many other lies Gabriele had told him, as the car was wrecked, Gabriele always came home late, and many strange things were happening around Rome; when Gabriele said that he chose to not be like his father, his father asked what Gabriele had chosen to be, and he said that he was the biggest failure of his life, before walking out.
The trio agreeing to work together
Aureliano then summoned Gabriele and Spadino to meet up with him on the beach at Ostia, where he said that they should pick up where they left off with "Friar F**k" and take over the Ostia beachfront for themselves, both the Adami clan's portion and the Church's portion. Aureliano said that each of them would be able to spit in the face of certain people: Adami at Samurai, Spadino at his brother, and Gabriele at whomever he wanted to get back at. He warned them that politicians, priests, and Samurai would come after them, but the three agreed to work together, each saying, "Totally."
Monaschi conspiring with the youngsters
Gabriele surprised Monaschi the next day by taking her to meet Adami and Anacleti, whom Monaschi recognized as the blackmailers of Theodosiou. Monaschi grew enraged that Gabriele had been in league with them all along, and she slapped him and attempted to leave, before Adami drew a gun. He demanded that she use her power to persuade Monsignor Theodosiou and the Vatican Bank to sell the Ostia beachfront property to them, and Gabriele attempted to persuade her that it would be the only way to keep the beachfront out of Samurai's hands. Monaschi initially refused, and, while Gabriele drove her home, she pulled the emergency brake and stormed out of the car after Gabriele said that both of them used people and discarded them once they were useless. However, Monaschi gave the offer some thought and persuaded her husband that they could give half of their near-bankrupt company's shares to the three young men in exchange for them warding off Samurai as Monaschi secured the beachfront property for her husband's company. Monaschi returned to the trio and told them that she would acquire the beachfront property for her husband's company, and that she would make the trio partners, with 50% of the shares; Anacleti negotiated an increase to 60% to make it easier to split among the three. Monaschi then warned the youngsters that Samurai also wanted the land, and Adami grew uneasy, saying that he believed that Monaschi wanted them to kill Samurai. Adami decided to renegotiate, demanding 75% of the company's shares, as well as Theodosiou's location, so that she would not sell out the trio to Samurai. Adami decided that Marchilli would go with Monaschi to sign the papers, while Adami and Anacleti would go to get the priest.
Marchilli and Monaschi saw to the signing over of the company shares, before Adami and Anacleti called them and told them that Theodosiou wanted to speak with Sara. The two drove to the abbey where the Monsignor was staying, and Sara went alone to confront the priest atop the abbey's tower as the three youngsters waited below. They were surprised to see the priest fall to his death from the tower, and they became immediately aware that the priest's death complicated their plans.