(Plot spoilers ahead.) Violence erupts in a shepherd's field in the Italian region of Calabria. Several men are shot and killed. Later the entire family of the men responsible for the slaughter is itself brutally wiped out in a revenge massacre, except for the young Vito, hiding under the mattress of a bed. He spends the rest of the movie evading his family's murderers, who need to get him out of the way.Vito realizes his own family was part of a kidnapping crime involving a young boy (son of wealthy Sienese parents). The two murderous and murdered crime families had clashed over the issue. The kidnapped child has been killed, but the surviving criminals still want to collect the ransom, asserting that the child is alive. Vito runs away, on foot, by train and truck, any way he can, seeks sanctuary with a relative in Rome (and his girlfriend), until he too is killed. He is questioned by the police, sent to a safe haven, apprehended by a gang member, escapes, continues his noble quest to seek the parents of the slain boy, to tell them what happened, to return to them the ransom money he had found, to tell them not to pay a ransom because their son is dead. At heart he is engaged in a quest to seek new loving replacement parents, to become a substitute son to "replace" the son the Sienese couple has lost. He finds the family's home, with information found in the kidnapped child's bookbag. He barges into the house. The lost child's mother (Francesca Neri) finds this young intruder, takes a liking to the lad, going so far as tenderly bathing the boy and outfitting him with her missing son's clothes. The father (Jacques Perrin) refuses to believe his boy is dead, and negotiates with those still seeking the ransom. This final confrontation between father and criminals causes Vito to be nearly killed…but because of him the villains are subsequently snuffed out by the police in a final violent shootout.Vito dreams of a world where all can live in harmony, children are safe, and blood feuds are unknown. Would that were so. This is a beautifully made film with moments of great excitement and tension and sudden bursts of extreme violence and slaughter that look like out-takes from Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch." Nevertheless, there is a tenderness at the core of the film, which is often very lyrical, sometimes excessively so in long-winded dreamy evocations that pop up from time to time…and at the ending. In short, it's a good thriller, with a humane dimension, on a relatively rare topic, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and its record of child-kidnappings.Performances are uniformly convincing with the remarkable Manuel Colao as the sweetly poetic and shrewdly cautious youngster. Jacques Perrin and Francesca Neri as the kidnapped kid's parents are perfect, and Federico Pacifici is frightening as the deranged scarfaced killer. The direction by Carlo Carlei, whose first film this was, is top-notch. I used to show this film to high school students of Italian, despite the R-rating (for violence) and it invariably went over very well with the teen audiences. It is of interest to note that the 2003 Italian film "I'm Not Scared" ("Io non ho paura") by Gabriele Salvatores, has a story with a number of similarities to this one.

Corsa means race. And this is one of epic dimensions. It is interesting to point out that Carlo Carlei, the director, was in his first effort at the time.As a director myself, I find some of the many runs of Vito a bit over the top. But, at the same time, I must admit that the scarcity of dialogue and the stupor in Vito's attitude is alluring and simply unnerving.This is a film that uses in a very effective way the dramatic and cinematic expression of Panavision. This format is completely accepted as the de facto standard for any major release. But the complexities of using this format in a story that will be told through the eyes of a child is not easy.The superb landscapes and contrasts that make this film as visually stunning and as dark as it is is not a small achievement for a first film. Actually, it's quite unbelievable this is a first directorial job.The natural settings and lighting give, to some scenes, a beautiful psychological break within all the violence and desperation the main character experiences.But, above all, this film is effective. It takes the audience completely off-balance and never lets it go. It's gripping. Even with some really redundant scenes and not so believable twists. But we have to remember that for some dramatic purposes, these twists are a valid resource.Music becomes almost a character in a very unobtrusive form, and I like the sparse passages of really weird and doom-reminding sounds.The language is beautiful, even when the boy and his family speak with a very tight lilt -true to their land. I only object to the incredibly bad voice-over of the only french actor, it's a voice that is as unconvincing as if the man was talking with Hugh Grant's voice.Even when all the slo-mo scenes are masterfully planned and shot, the violence is overwhelming. I wouldn't be that explicit, but -then again, this leads the audience to the unexpected with such a speed that it is pretty justified.All in all, La Corsa... is a riveting film. Manuel Colao's performance and beauty are all the more enticing within such a dark subject matter.

If you are looking for a movie that has a great story, well done acting,fantastic direction and a score that will give you goosebumps when you hear it, look no further Flight of the Innocent is a Masterpiece of pure action and excitement.I have just finished viewing this movie for the fifth time and I am still not bored with it. I am writing this review now since I have just found out that it has finally been released on DVD, which now is probably the best chance to view this movie better at home.I have this movie on video bought years ago when it came out and the movie although now 10 years old has not aged a bit. One reviewer asked where the boy got hold of the address, without give any details away about the plot,I would like to point out that the address was written on the boy's bag.Like I stated before, I have seen this movie more than once and the movie has no plot holes at all. The movie is quite violent especially the shootings, but also a very intelligent one that grabs the viewer from the very start and never lets go.Take note of this movie and if you see it at your local DVD store give it a rent. You will not be disappointed. 10/10

This film was a bit too Disneyesque for me. The requisite beautiful child, equipped with intellect, wisdom, incredible luck---everything but a dog. With three years of school, he reads remarkably well. Fresh from a Sicilian olive orchard, he's street wise enough to have Rome eating out of his hand. He's the only target that's too small for the bad guys to hit unerringly with every shot. To make matters worse, befouled with needlessly explicit violence, which kicks it out of the Disney Channel, straight into Action-Max.