Joe Wright directs the first season of Mussolini: Son of the Century, and the result is a dense, demanding portrait of Italy’s rise to fascism through one man’s ambition. The series follows Benito Mussolini from the founding of the Fasci Italiani in 1919 to the assassination of Giacomo Matteotti in 1924 and his speech in Parliament on 3 January 1925. It is a grim, sometimes exhausting watch, but it is rarely dull.
Luca Marinelli plays Mussolini, and he is the engine that drives the whole machine. He shaves his head, gains 20 kilograms and spends two hours a day in hair and makeup. That dedication shows on screen. Wright calls him “the most naturally gifted actor I’ve ever met,” alongside Gary Oldman, who starred in Wright’s 2017 biopic Darkest Hour.
Trailer, via Sky TV.
Marinelli’s Mussolini
Marinelli’s performance is the reason the show works. He finds the charisma and the cruelty in the same man, often within the same scene. His Mussolini is not a cartoon villain but a man who believes his own propaganda, which makes his descent into violence feel less theatrical and more tragic.
The Supporting Cast
The rest of the ensemble is strong. Francesco Russo plays Cesare Rossi, and Barbara Chichiarelli plays Margherita Sarfatti. Benedetta Cimatti plays Rachele Mussolini, and Gaetano Bruno plays Matteotti, whose death sets the final act in motion. Gianmarco Vettori plays Dino Grandi, Maurizio Lombardi plays Emilio De Bono, Massimo De Lorenzo plays Alfredo Rocco, Fulvio Falzarano plays Giovanni Giolitti, and Amedeo Gullà plays Augusto Malacria.
The Weight of History
The series does not soften its subject. It shows the violence, the lies and the corruption that built Mussolini’s power. That honesty is both its strength and its cost. The show trusts its audience to sit with uncomfortable history, and it earns that trust.
Where It Falls Short
Not every episode lands. Some scenes drag, and the pacing slows in the middle stretch. The show’s ambition exceeds its runtime at times, and a few episodes feel like connective tissue between set pieces. The final stretch, leading to the speech, is stronger than the build-up that precedes it.
“the most naturally gifted actor I’ve ever met”
Final Word
Mussolini: Son of the Century is a demanding watch, but it is rarely boring. Marinelli’s performance anchors a production that wrestles with difficult history without flinching. It is not perfect, but it is essential viewing for anyone interested in the mechanics of authoritarian rise.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
