Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Robbing Mussolini (2022) movie poster

Timeline

Robbing Mussolini (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2022 · 99 mins · Italian
Echo score 65
Directed by
Renato De Maria
Starring
Matilda De Angelis, Tommaso Ragno, Filippo Timi, Isabella Ferrari, Pietro Castellitto, Maurizio Lombardi
Budget
$12M

In the final days of World War II, a resourceful bootlegger and his singer girlfriend lead a diverse group on a perilous mission. Their target is a significant treasure hidden within Mussolini’s headquarters. Facing considerable risk, the team must navigate treacherous circumstances to successfully pull off the daring heist and secure the valuable loot.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

Robbing Mussolini Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Robbing Mussolini (2022) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Intercepted orders spark a plan to steal fascist loot

    In the closing days of World War II, Isola, Marcello, and Amedeo intercept the fascists' coded message ordering the evacuation of a vast stash of looted treasures to Switzerland. Realizing the chance to strike, they decide to steal the treasure hidden in Milan's Black Zone within a week. To cover the operation, they recruit Hessa, anarchist Molotov, and former racer Fabbri to join the heist.

    When
    1945, late
    Where
    Milan, Italy
  2. Isola is spotted with Yvonne by Borsalino

    Isola is spotted leaving a date with Yvonne by Achille Borsalino and his aide Leonida, who warn him to stay away from her. The warning heightens tensions between Isola and the fascists and sets the stage for confrontation.

    When
    1945, date night
    Where
    Milan, Italy
  3. Yvonne steals the stamp to enter the Black Zone

    To access the Black Zone, Yvonne steals Borsalino's personal stamp, a move Isola's plan relies on. The theft is presented as a key step to enable the crew to slip into the secure quarter under cover of darkness. The act tightens the timetable for the impending raid.

    When
    1945, night
    Where
    Yvonne's club, Milan
  4. Club confrontation and escape

    During a club performance, Yvonne collapses, and Isola dashes to her side. Borsalino and Leonida confront him, triggering a gunfight that allows Isola, Yvonne, and Fabbri to slip away into the shadows. The escape marks the first direct clash with the fascists in the plan.

    When
    1945, night
    Where
    Yvonne's club, Milan
  5. Pregnancy revelation at the hideout

    At Isola's hideout, Yvonne reveals that she is pregnant with his child, raising the stakes of their dangerous collaboration. The news deepens their bond but also compounds the peril if they are captured. The revelation intensifies the urgency of their next moves.

    When
    1945, shortly after escape
    Where
    Isola's hideout
  6. Nora's spying and blackmail escalates

    Nora exposes that she has been spying on Yvonne and Isola's group, and she blackmails Isola into handing over half of the loot to her. She also demands that the actual heist be staged within 24 hours, accelerating their timeline. The looming deadline compounds the group's tensions.

    When
    within 24 hours
    Where
    Nora's residence/headquarters in Milan
  7. Black Zone infiltration and chaos

    The team infiltrates the Black Zone at night, with Hessa triggering a false air raid and Molotov rigging explosives for chaos. The plan unravels as Isola, disguised as a prisoner, is halted by wary guards and the alarm sounds early. In the chaos, Molotov is mortally wounded but detonates the charges, allowing Isola and the others to escape with the loot aboard a truck.

    When
    Night of the heist
    Where
    Black Zone, Milan
  8. Yvonne captured; Borsalino killed

    During the turmoil, Yvonne is captured by Borsalino, who is alerted to the heist. Nora then bludgeons Borsalino to death, removing a major obstacle and sealing Yvonne's fate for the moment.

    When
    During the heist
    Where
    Near the Black Zone
  9. Nora's double-cross and standoff

    Nora double-crosses Isola, demanding the entire loot in exchange for Yvonne. A tense Mexican standoff ensues, and Isola reluctantly backs down, but Nora reneges and takes Yvonne away with the loot still in her grasp.

    When
    Immediately after standoff
    Where
    Rendezvous point in Milan
  10. Partisans rescue the group

    A squad of partisans arrives and engages in a firefight, rescuing Isola's group from their pursuers. In the resulting chaos, Nora and Leonida escape aboard the truck with Yvonne and the stolen loot.

    When
    After standoff
    Where
    Outskirts of Milan
  11. Racecar chase toward the Alps

    Fabbri finds a racecar nearby and joins Isola in chasing the fleeing truck toward the Alps. The high-speed pursuit adds a new layer of danger as the landscape shifts from city to mountains. The race underscores the desperation of their escape.

    When
    Following rescue
    Where
    Road toward the Alps
  12. Final chase and the lake plunge

    Isola attacks Leonida's escort vehicle while the pursuit continues along the mountain roads. Fabbri outflanks the truck and shoots the driver, sending the vehicle careening into a lake. Isola and Yvonne emerge from the water, battered but alive, as the chase reaches its climax.

    When
    Pursuit to the Alps
    Where
    Alpine roads, near a lake
  13. Endgame: surrender announced

    A radio broadcast proclaims the surrender of Axis forces in Italy as Isola and Yvonne surface from the water, signaling a fragile peace after their perilous ordeal. The moment offers a bittersweet closure to their immediate struggles, even as uncertainties linger.

    When
    1945, surrender announced
    Where
    Lake, Alps region
  14. Mid-credits: Nora's survival

    In a mid-credits scene, Nora is shown to have survived and is hiding in a forest, suggesting that the conflict—and the intrigue around the loot—may continue off-screen. The scene leaves her fate unresolved and hints at looming trouble for the surviving characters.

    When
    Post-war aftermath
    Where
    Forest exterior

Last updated: May 08, 2026 at 12:19

Was this helpful?

Timeline questions answered

Robbing Mussolini Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Robbing Mussolini (2022): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Nora betray Isola and take the loot?

Nora was secretly spying on Isola and Yvonne's group the entire time. After revealing her surveillance, she blackmails Isola into giving her half the fascist loot and demands the heist be staged within 24 hours. At the rendezvous, she double-crosses him entirely, demanding the full loot in exchange for Yvonne. When Isola reluctantly complies, Nora reneges anyway and takes both Yvonne and the treasure, leaving Isola's team to be executed.

Foreshadowing: Nora's sudden arrival at Isola's hideout with her demands hints at her hidden agenda from the start.

  • nora betrayal
  • loot
  • blackmail
  • double-cross
  • heist
Q2

How does Molotov die during the heist?

During the Black Zone infiltration, Isola's disguise as a prisoner triggers an early alarm. In the ensuing chaos, Molotov is mortally wounded by guards. Despite his fatal injuries, he manages to detonate the explosives he had rigged throughout the complex, creating the distraction that allows Isola and the remaining allies to seize the loot and escape aboard a truck.

Foreshadowing: Molotov's earlier rigging of explosives for chaos foreshadows his sacrifice using those same charges.

  • molotov death
  • explosion
  • black zone
  • sacrifice
  • heist
Q3

Why does Yvonne get captured during the raid?

While Isola and his team execute the heist in the Black Zone, Yvonne is captured by Borsalino, who has been alerted to the ongoing raid. This capture becomes the leverage Nora uses against Isola during the subsequent double-cross at the rendezvous point.

Foreshadowing: Earlier warnings from Borsalino to stay away from Yvonne foreshadow this moment of vulnerability.

  • yvonne captured
  • borsalino
  • raid
  • leverage
  • hostage
Q4

Why does Nora kill Borsalino?

Nora bludgeons Borsalino to death while he is distracted during the heist chaos. With Borsalino killed, Nora removes a major fascist obstacle and gains control of the situation, allowing her to capture Yvonne and later execute her betrayal of Isola without competition from the fascist minister.

Foreshadowing: Nora's willingness to blackmail and manipulate suggests she would remove anyone who stood in her way.

  • borsalino killed
  • nora
  • fascist minister
  • murder
  • power grab
Q5

How does the team infiltrate the Black Zone?

Isola relies on Borsalino's personal stamp, stolen by Yvonne, to grant access to the fortified quarter. The team executes the infiltration at night, with Hessa orchestrating a false air raid as cover and Molotov rigging the complex with explosives. Isola disguises himself as a prisoner to get past guards.

Foreshadowing: Yvonne's theft of the stamp earlier is directly used to enable the infiltration.

  • black zone
  • infiltration
  • stamp
  • air raid
  • heist plan
Q6

What's the significance of Yvonne's pregnancy?

After the club escape, Yvonne reveals she is pregnant with Isola's child at his hideout. This revelation raises the personal stakes dramatically, giving Isola an urgent reason to complete the heist successfully and escape fascist Italy. The pregnancy adds emotional weight to the danger surrounding Yvonne's subsequent capture.

Foreshadowing: The pregnancy revelation directly increases the motivation for Isola to risk everything in the heist.

  • yvonne pregnancy
  • isola
  • child
  • stakes
  • motivation
Q7

How do the partisans help Isola's group?

After Nora's double-cross and during the tense Mexican standoff, a squad of partisans arrives and engages in a gun battle with Nora and Leonida's men. The partisans rescue Isola's surviving group from execution, creating the opportunity for the final chase. However, Nora and Leonida escape in the truck with Yvonne and the loot during the confusion.

Foreshadowing: The presence of partisan resistance in WWII Milan sets up this rescue possibility.

  • partisans
  • rescue
  • gunfight
  • escape
  • isola group
Q8

How does Fabbri use the racecar in the final chase?

Following the partisan rescue, Fabbri discovers a racecar nearby and uses it to pursue the fleeing truck carrying Yvonne and the loot. Fabbri outflanks the truck on the mountain roads and shoots the driver, causing the vehicle to crash into a lake. The racecar enables the high-speed pursuit that culminates in the climactic lake plunge.

Foreshadowing: Fabbri being introduced as a former racecar driver foreshadows his role in the final chase.

  • fabbri
  • racecar
  • chase
  • truck
  • lake
  • alps
Q9

What happens at the lake during the final chase?

As Fabbri shoots the truck driver, the vehicle crashes into a lake. Isola and Yvonne emerge from the water, battered but alive, just as a radio broadcast announces Italy's Axis surrender. The moment provides both survival and the war's end, though the treasure and Nora's fate remain uncertain.

Foreshadowing: The chase toward the Alps builds toward this watery climax.

  • lake
  • crash
  • surrender
  • axis
  • isola
  • yvonne
Q10

What does the mid-credits scene reveal about Nora?

In the mid-credits scene, Nora is shown to have survived the lake crash and is hiding in a forest. This establishes that she escaped consequences and remains a potential threat, leaving the fates of the surviving characters unresolved and hinting at possible future conflict.

Foreshadowing: Nora's survival mirrors her earlier escapes and opportunistic nature.

  • nora
  • mid-credits
  • survival
  • forest
  • sequel hook

Movie threads

More Movies Like Robbing Mussolini, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Robbing Mussolini tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

WWII heist thrillers like Robbing Mussolini

Daring missions and treasure hunts set against the backdrop of global conflict. If you enjoyed the high-stakes treasure hunt in Robbing Mussolini, you'll love these other World War II heist movies. Discover similar stories of daring missions, resistance fighters, and chaotic operations against fascist regimes.

  • tense
  • adventurous
  • risky
  • urgent
  • gritty
  • historical
  • Tone: tense, adventurous, gritty
  • Pacing: fast, urgent
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow a group of specialists or unlikely allies who must plan and execute a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. The narrative is driven by the high risk of capture or death, often featuring last-minute plan changes, internal betrayals, and explosive confrontations with opposing forces.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared setting of WWII, the core heist narrative structure, and the blend of historical drama with tense action sequences. The movies share a sense of urgency, moral ambiguity, and high personal stakes set against a world at war.

Bittersweet heist movies like Robbing Mussolini

Crews who succeed in their mission but pay a personal price for victory. Fans of Robbing Mussolini's emotional conclusion will appreciate these other heist films with bittersweet endings. Explore stories where crews succeed in their missions but face personal sacrifices and complex victories that leave lasting impacts.

  • bittersweet
  • tense
  • emotional
  • risky
  • urgent
  • character-driven
  • Tone: tense, bittersweet, emotional
  • Pacing: fast, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a team through the planning and execution of a complex heist, building camaraderie and tension. However, the climax typically involves the loss of team members or the dissolution of relationships, resulting in an ending where material success is shadowed by emotional cost and moral ambiguity.

Why they belong together: These films share a specific emotional arc where triumphant achievement is undercut by personal loss. They blend the excitement of a heist with deeper character drama, creating endings that are more complex and emotionally resonant than standard crime capers.

Every angle

Robbing Mussolini (2022) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Robbing Mussolini in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app