Year of the Gun (1991) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Red Brigades targeted Raybourne because they believed their secret plan to kidnap Aldo Moro had been leaked. After Alison King found Raybourne's manuscript about a fictional political kidnapping and showed it to Italo Bianchi, Bianchi secretly delivered it to a Red Brigades contact. The Brigades saw disturbing similarities between Raybourne's fictional plot and their real kidnapping plan, concluding that someone had exposed their operation. They began hunting Raybourne as a suspected informant.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Raybourne researching Red Brigade operations and writing a novel with a plot that mirrors their actual plan.

• red brigades
• david raybourne
• targeting
• leak
• aldo moro kidnapping

Yes, despite his mild demeanor and seemingly moderate left-leaning politics as a university lecturer, Italo Bianchi was secretly collaborating with the Red Brigades. He used his friendship with Raybourne to gain access to information and later betrayed him by delivering Raybourne's manuscript to a Red Brigades contact, directly contributing to Raybourne being marked for elimination.

Foreshadowing: Bianchi's political connections and access to activist circles hint at his deeper involvement throughout the film.

• italo bianchi
• red brigades
• betrayal
• double life
• collaborator

Lia was far more deeply embedded with the Red Brigades than Raybourne realized. While she presented herself as the estranged wife of an Italian industrialist, she was actually a participant in the terrorist organization. During the escape attempt, her true loyalties were revealed when the network around her exposed its connections to the Brigades, leading to Raybourne and Alison's capture.

Foreshadowing: Lia's ability to help them escape and her mysterious connections hint at her deeper involvement throughout the story.

• lia
• red brigades
• involvement
• betrayal
• capture

After the Aldo Moro kidnapping was completed, the Red Brigades' leadership accused Lia of leaking information and betraying the organization. They executed her by shooting her in front of Raybourne and Alison as punishment for what they perceived as her treachery, even though she was a committed member.

Foreshadowing: The Brigades' ruthless discipline and suspicion of leaks sets the tone for how they treat perceived betrayal.

• lia execution
• red brigades
• betrayal
• Aldo Moro
• murder

Aldo Moro, the former Italian Prime Minister, was kidnapped by the Red Brigades during the film while Raybourne, Alison, and Lia were being held captive. The film's postscript reveals that Moro was eventually found shot to death in the trunk of a car nearly two months after his kidnapping, matching the real historical outcome.

Foreshadowing: The political backdrop of the Red Brigades' campaign and the historical context of Moro's kidnapping establish this outcome early.

• aldo moro
• kidnapping
• death
• red brigades
• italian prime minister

After Alison King discovered Raybourne's manuscript about a fictional political kidnapping in his apartment, she became convinced it contained real information. She brought it to Italo Bianchi's attention, not knowing he was working with the Red Brigades. Bianchi forwarded the manuscript to the terrorist organization, who interpreted the fictional plot as evidence of a leak, putting Raybourne directly in danger.

Foreshadowing: Alison's ambition for a news story and her growing suspicion of Raybourne's research drive her to investigate his apartment.

• manuscript
• alison king
• danger
• red brigades
• leak
• italo bianchi

The Red Brigades killed Raybourne's boss Pierre Bernier at the newspaper office as a warning and to eliminate potential witnesses or contacts who might be helping Raybourne. The assassination occurred moments before Raybourne arrived, confirming to him that the Brigades were actively hunting him and had the capability to strike at his workplace.

Foreshadowing: Earlier threats and the Brigades' suspicion of leaks set the stage for violence against those connected to Raybourne.

• pierre bernier
• red brigades
• murder
• newspaper
• warning

Raybourne wrote a realistic but fictional novel about the Red Brigades kidnapping a central political figure. When his manuscript reached the actual Red Brigades through Bianchi, they were shocked by how closely his fictional plot mirrored their real operational plans for kidnapping Aldo Moro. This coincidence led them to believe their plans had been leaked to an outsider, making Raybourne a target.

Foreshadowing: Raybourne's research into Red Brigade operations and his detailed fictional plot plant the seeds for this dangerous misunderstanding.

• novel
• manuscript
• red brigades
• aldo moro
• kidnapping plot
• coincidence

After witnessing Lia's execution, Raybourne and Alison were kept alive because the Brigades forced Raybourne to publish their warning story and ordered Alison to photograph Lia's body as a message to potential traitors. Rather than being executed, Raybourne was used as a propaganda tool before eventually escaping or being released. He later turned his experience into a non-fiction book and gained notoriety through American television interviews.

Foreshadowing: The Brigades' need to use Raybourne as a warning to other potential informants explains why they kept him alive temporarily.

• david raybourne
• survival
• escape
• red brigades
• publication

Raybourne's book transformed from a fictional commercial novel about Red Brigade terrorism into a non-fiction account of his real experiences with the organization. After witnessing the kidnapping, murder, and execution firsthand, he was forced to publish the story as a warning from the Brigades. He later discussed the now-nonfiction book on American television, bringing international attention to his ordeal.

Foreshadowing: Raybourne's original goal of writing a commercially successful novel about the Red Brigades ironically became reality in the most dangerous way possible.

• book
• publication
• non-fiction
• david raybourne
• red brigades
• american tv