In 1916, as the call to arms sweeps across a tense Rome, Oreste Jacovacci, Alberto Sordi, and Giovanni Busacca, Vittorio Gassman, cross paths in a military district facing the looming specter of conscription. Oreste,
a schemer who tries to buy his way out, misleads the earnest Giovanni with a fateful promise of help in exchange for money. The two meet again on a train bound for the front, and though their temperaments are worlds apart, a fragile bond begins to form. What keeps them together is not shared ideals or noble causes, but a shared fear and a stubborn will to navigate the war without drawing too much danger toward themselves. Over the course of their days in training, the heat of combat, and the rare moments of leave, they drift from skepticism to a wary understanding, each one probing the other’s instincts and limits while the war looms around them.
The battlefield becomes their crucible. They survive the grueling routines of training and the brutal churn of combat, all while witnessing the devastating defeat at Caporetto—a blow that reshapes their outlook and the dangerous calculus of their days. After this catastrophe, they are reassigned as relay runners, a role described as among the most perilous and physically taxing, because they are deemed the least efficient members of the troop. Yet in this assignment, they still cling to the instinct to stay alive, even as the war presses in from every side.
One evening, after completing their mission, they find respite in the stable of an outpost not far from the front line. A sudden Austrian advance sweeps them into enemy territory, and in a moment of fear and improvisation they swap into the coats of the Austro-Hungarian army, hoping to slip through the net of danger. They are captured, accused of espionage, and condemned to be shot. Faced with mortal fear, Oreste blurts out that they possess crucial information about the Italian counterattack on the Piave River, hoping to bargain for mercy. Yet the contempt and overbearing arrogance of the Austrian officer—and a biting joke that belittles Italians—ignite a fierce pride in both men, steering them toward a stubborn resolve to protect their own secrets rather than betray their country.
In the tense hours that follow, Giovanni openly taunts the Austrian officer, while Oreste clings to the integrity of their discovery and the possibility of a greater plan beyond their own survival. The moment of truth arrives with the realization that their sacrifice may already be sealed by the misjudgments of their captors. Oreste is shot, and Giovanni’s fate hangs in the balance as the battle rages on. The Italian counteroffensive eventually leads to a reconquest of the position, and the film closes on a somber note: their captain, Bernard Blier, remains unaware of the pair’s ultimate act of courage, commenting on their escape as if it were a simple, lucky exit rather than a selfless act of sacrifice.
Throughout the story, the two men move from wary pragmatists to reluctant heroes, their relationship underscored by a quiet solidarity that grows in the shadow of war. The narrative immerses the viewer in the texture of wartime Italy—the claustrophobic routines, the perilous misadventures, and the ethical tremors that accompany moments of fear, loyalty, and dignity. The outcome is not built on grand gestures or declarations of glory, but on the steadiness of two soldiers who choose to protect a larger secret and, in doing so, reveal a deeper depth of character when tested by the brutal logic of war.
