Public Disorder (original title: A.C.A.B. La Serie) is a six-episode Italian Netflix Original series drawn from Carlo Bonini’s controversial novel ACAB. Michele Alhaique directed the show, which came out on January 15, 2025. The series shows the raw experiences of Rome’s riot police dealing with their duties, use of force, and job impact. The show, modified for Netflix viewers worldwide, depicts the clash between social control and individual rights in society.
The story centers on Roma Unit 3, a riot squad facing upheaval after a protest turns violent, leaving their chief hurt and their conduct under review. Michele Nobili takes command and works to rebuild team confidence while facing his own challenges. Issues of right and wrong, dishonesty, and group commitment mix with the officers’ broken home lives, showing what it costs people to keep order during unrest.
The show mixes stark reality with stories that challenge easy answers. Public Disorder moves between street clashes and the mental strain on its characters. The plot stays centered on its people, avoiding clear heroes or villains, instead showing the complex reality of force used by institutions and individual weaknesses. The series looks at how police work affects personal values during social conflict.
The Thin Line Between Order and Chaos: Examining the Setting and Themes of Public Disorder
The story takes place in Rome’s turbulent streets, showing an elite riot police unit handling street demonstrations on the brink of violence. A fight breaks out in Val di Susa during rail construction protests, starting a chain of events full of conflict. Pietro, who leads the squad, suffers severe injuries in the protest, making things worse as people claim the police used too much force.
The squad must do their job keeping peace while facing blame for their methods. Rome’s streets create a background that matches the disorder and unclear right-wrong choices the officers face both on duty and at home.
The show examines police work’s difficult choices. The story looks at how much force police should use, what being loyal costs, and if using force keeps peace or makes things worse. The riot squad shows problems seen in many police units, where doing what’s right mixes with doing wrong. Each person in the squad has flaws and doubts, showing what happens when following orders goes against doing what feels right. The officers deal with mental stress from keeping order while groups fight about politics and beliefs.
The show speaks to current events, with protests happening worldwide and talks about changing how police work. Its story of bad behavior inside police departments and harm done by the system connects to real protests, like those against governments or supporting Black Lives Matter. The show stays away from easy solutions, showing instead how hard these social issues are.
Flawed Heroes and Moral Grayness: The Character-Driven Core of Public Disorder
Public Disorder’s characters show different sides of the series’ unclear morals. Marco Giallini plays Mazinga, the squad’s steady leader—a tough officer who thinks force solves problems, shaped by years of police work and distrust. People both respect and fear his command style, which often mixes protection with control.
Valentina Bellè plays Marta, the squad’s only female officer. A single mother with a difficult past, she brings a human touch to the rough team. She stays away from rough methods, showing care during riots. Marta stands up to male team members’ behaviors through steady work and clear beliefs.
Adriano Giannini’s character Michele Nobili tries to change things as the new leader. He wants new rules but faces old habits of team loyalty and hidden acts. The team fights his push for openness, and his family life makes his job harder. His character shows how good plans can fail against old ways.
Pierluigi Gigante plays Salvatore, who shows the team’s rough side. He uses threats and hits people, showing what happens when police get too much freedom. Still, Salvatore sometimes shows weakness, fitting the show’s way of making characters mixed, not pure good or bad.
The main characters grow and change throughout the show. Mazinga starts looking less strong as his choices weigh on him. Marta tries to be both a good mom and cop while dealing with team members who don’t like her. Michele starts doing wrong things trying to fix old problems. Salvatore gets worse from using too much force.
Marco Giallini holds back just enough playing Mazinga, making him scary yet human. Valentina Bellè makes Marta strong without shouting, standing out among angry teammates. Adriano Giannini shows Michele’s fight between wanting good things and doing bad ones. Pierluigi Gigante makes Salvatore scary but real.
Other actors help fill out the story. Each squad member shows how teams stick together even when doing wrong things.
Shadows of Morality: Themes and Complexities in Public Disorder
Public Disorder shows where right and wrong meet and mix. The riot police and protesters both have good points and bad acts. No one appears perfect or evil. Police try to keep peace but hit too hard, protesters want good changes but make messes.
Each person must choose: do they stay kind while pushing their beliefs? The squad works rough jobs during the day, then goes home to broken families at night, showing what happens to people stuck between right and wrong.
Team members stick together against outside eyes. The squad sees loyalty as needed to stay safe. This shows when they hide a bad beating they gave someone, leading police bosses to look into them. Such acts show the difference between what they think is right and what the law says. Michele, their new boss, tries to make things open while his team stays closed off.
The show points out bad habits in police groups. It shows how police work keeps rough acts going, putting team unity first. Old bosses like Mazinga learned these ways over time, making it hard for Michele to bring new ideas. The show talks about police who use force saying it keeps peace.
The officers’ home problems connect to their work choices. Marta raises her kid alone while doing police work, staying nice unlike her rough team. Michele can’t talk well with his daughter, just like he can’t fix his team’s old ways. These home stories show what working in bad systems does to people.
A Bleak Lens: Visual Style and Direction in Public Disorder
Public Disorder’s camera work matches its unclear right-wrong story, using raw filming to make scenes feel dark and tense. Dark colors fill the screen, showing the hard feelings the characters carry and how their work weighs them down.
Close-up shots in dark spaces make everything feel small and trapped—during street fights and inside police stations. This look puts viewers into the riot squad’s harsh world, where nothing ends cleanly, just mixed up between good and bad.
Michele Alhaique films riot scenes like real news footage. These parts don’t make fights look cool; they show mess and mixed-up morals during fights. Street fights burst out messy and scary, and the camera stays on what happens after—hurt people, scared faces, and mental marks. Alhaique keeps these scenes uncomfortable, making people see what street violence does.
Some dark scenes look too dark. Parts filmed in low light—meant to feel scary—come off too heavy and same-looking. Sometimes viewers can’t see what’s going on, and the dark scenes get tiring. This matches what the show says about life, but some people might stop watching if they can’t see enough of what happens.
A Deliberate Chaos: Pacing and Storytelling in Public Disorder
Public Disorder’s plot moves like the street fights it shows, switching between fast action and slow parts. The first show starts strong with street fights going bad. Middle shows drag a bit, filled with side stories that make the main plot less exciting.
The last show rushes to finish all its stories. Several small character stories replace one big story, making things feel broken up. This style fits real life but makes watching harder.
The show does well showing deep characters and keeping right-wrong choices unclear. Characters deal with hard choices and fight their own problems, making good drama. Many side stories start off good but stop short. Marta stays the only woman cop, but her story stays small. Michele wants new rules but his fight against old ways stays simple till the end.
A Flawed but Compelling Look at Power and Humanity: Strengths and Weaknesses of Public Disorder
Public Disorder shows what keeping order costs people and police groups. The actors make their roles feel real. Marco Giallini plays Mazinga with both strength and soft spots, Valentina Bellè makes Marta caring, and Adriano Giannini shows Michele’s inner fights.
The show depicts police work honestly—how the job breaks families, changes what people think is right, and hurts them inside. Nothing looks pretty or perfect; cops and street fighters both make mistakes and clash in messy ways.
The show tries big things but misses some marks. It starts strong, slows down too much, then ends too fast. Good stories start but stop short, like Marta being the only woman cop or Michele trying to fix old ways. The dark filming style fits the mood but gets boring, and might make people stop watching. Some plot turns feel old, and these problems keep the show from being its best.
The Review
Public Disorder
Public Disorder shows hard police work, mixed-up choices, and what happens to people stuck in bad police systems. Raw acting and deep stories let viewers see crooked cops up close. Some parts move too slow, good stories stop too soon, and dark scenes stay too dark. Still, the show tries big things and talks about today's problems, making people want to see what happens to each cop and street fighter.
PROS
- Nuanced and morally ambiguous characters.
- Strong performances, particularly from Marco Giallini and Valentina Bellè.
- Thoughtful exploration of systemic corruption and personal struggles.
CONS
- Uneven pacing, with a slower middle and rushed conclusion.
- Underdeveloped subplots and missed opportunities for deeper thematic exploration.
- Overly dark and monotonous visuals that can alienate viewers.
