Adagio

In the film’s closing moments Cammello finally decides to act. After refusing to involve his own family any further, he drives the terrified sixteen‑year‑old Manuel toward the nearest train station, hoping a quick departure will keep the boy out of the corrupt police’s reach. The city’s raging fire has halted the scheduled train, leaving the platform empty and the streets in chaos. While Cammello is waiting, Vasco and his accomplice Bruno arrive, having tracked Manuel through a hidden listening device.

Cammello watches the showdown unfold from the shadows. When Vasco pulls out his weapon and aims at the boy, Cammello springs into the fray, firing his own gun. Bruno falls instantly, and Vasco, already wounded in the neck, collapses as the bullet finally stops his relentless pursuit. With the two officers dead, the immediate threat to Manuel evaporates. The police later escort the shaken teenager to a precinct, where he learns that the scandal‑plagued minister—caught in the compromising footage that set the whole plot in motion—has resigned.

The deaths of the three aging underworld figures—Cammello, Daytona and their former comrades—serve as a bleak yet poetic finale. Their violent ends are portrayed as a final, desperate attempt to shield a new generation from the rot that consumed them. In a quiet, resonant gesture, Manuel hands his favorite headphones to the son of the man who tried to kill him, a silent act of mercy that hints at the possibility of breaking the cycle of vengeance. The burning city, the blackouts, and the lingering ash all underscore the end of an era, while Manuel’s survival suggests that hope, however fragile, can still flicker amid the darkness.

Last Updated: September 17, 2025 at 06:51