The Octopus 5 - The Heart of The Problem

Superintendent Corrado Cattani is dead. After his lover, the beautiful judge Silvia Conti, recovers somewhat from the shock over his death, she decides to take vengeance and carry on his long standing battle against the Mafia. She vows to put the unscrupulous businessman Espinosa, upon whom she lays the blame for the killing of Cattani, behind bars. Tano, who killed his wife, is already in prison; Silvia offers him mitigation if he testifies against the Mafia and Espinosa, but Tano remains silent. When Mimmo, the son of the influential Mafia-family Linori, is murdered in Sicily by an American, Masino, Silvia follows the killer all the way to the U.S., where his tracks disperse. Silvia has no idea that at the same time the former Italian policeman Davide Licata, who had to flee from the Mafia to New York for fear about the safety of his wife and son, is infil-trating the Linori family disguised as a domestic servant in order to prove their participation in international drug-trafficking. Back to Italy Silvia learns from Quadri and Trevi, two former colleagues of Cattani, that there has to be a connection between Giovanni Linori and Espinosa. At the same time Linori reports the disappearance of his son Mimmo to Silvia. Neither Silvia nor Linori are aware that Linori's collaborator Corvo is actually working for Espinosa, upon whose orders Mimmo was murdered in order to gain his position in the Linori's company "Italtecnosud". Espinosa wants to carry out large-scale drug deals with Africa through this firm. Giovanni Linori frees Tano from prison. In return Tano is to help him take his revenge on Corvo. Giovanni Linori feels that his family is in danger because of him taking his revenge on Corvo. He therefore plans to take them all on a boating trip on his yacht. However, they are caught in an ambush by their servant Filo. Giovanni, the head of the family, dies. Just before his death he tells his family to retreat to his villa in the Bavarian Alps. Owing to the fact that Davide was present at Linori's killing and was otherwise seen time and again together with Mafia-men, Silvia suspects him of murder. She is unaware that in the meantime he has been put on to Saverio's scent by the latter's own brother, the traitor Filo. He was involved in the attack on a police squad twenty years before, in which nearly all the policemen were murdered. Davide was one of the few survivors. After the death of Linori, his youngest son Andrea is now head of the family. He wants revenge for his father's death and Tano is meant to help him. According to a plot devised by Tano, Andrea is to pretend not to know that Corvo is responsible for the murder of Mimmo and Giovanni, pretence cooperation is to arise between Corvo and Andrea. Meanwhile Silvia has had Davide arrested, but he saves her life from a murder attempt at the police-station, almost convincing her that he is on her side. When he is then confronted with his ex-wife Marta and his son Stefano, now twenty years old, who confirm his identity, there is nothing more to stop Silvia and Davide from working together. Silvia supports Davide in his search for Saverio, whose brother Filo was murdered not long ago on Andrea's orders. He eventually finds Saverio, who now calls himself Brother Gillo, in a remote monastery and persuades him to break his vows to testify against the Mafia. The monk actually admits being involved in the attack on Davide's squad twenty years before. His mission had been to murder the killers of the policemen. He had been hired by a rich and distinguished man whom he would certainly recognize - but for the sake of him being blind. However, Saverio feels able to recognize the man's voice even after twenty years. Meanwhile Tano has visited his schizophrenic sister Maria. He had entrusted her with documents long ago, which could become dangerous for the Mafia. Tano contacts Espinosa, to whom the secret documents could be incriminating. He suggests Espinosa to cooperate: because Andrea, now chairman of "Italtecnosud", follows his advice, Tano offers guarantee that all the drug-deals with Africa proceed correctly. In return he demands a free hand in his own doings. Espinosa agrees. Silvia succeeds in having Masino, Mimmo's murderer, extradited form the U.S.A. Upon setting foot in Italy, however, he is assassinated by a minor, hired by Andrea Linori. Revenge for this killing is taken when the attempted kidnapping of the Linori-family fails and Ninni, Andrea's and his wife Gloria's little son, is murdered. Silvia Conti then receives incriminating evidence - anonymously sent to her by Tano Cariddi. This enables her to arrest several of "Italtecnosud's" corrupt top executives. Corvo too is hand-cuffed and taken away as was Tano's intention. While this is happening, Silvia and Davide discover a link between "Italtecnosud" and the Waxman bank in Luxemburg. In fact the money from state subsidies given to "Italtecnosud" for building a harbour is being transfered via the Waxman bank to be used in drug-deals. Just as Silvia is trying to motivate Puparo, who is living in Bavaria in seclusion with Lorella, who still believes he is her father, to testify against the Mafia, Corvo's men open fire on them. In the nick of time they manage to escape to the Linori villa, a refuge known to Puparo, where they find Linori's "life-assurance": an undeveloped film. Puparo knows that Lorella is in danger as long as she is with him, so he sends her away with Silvia and Davide. Whilst taking off in a helicopter the three of them are forced to watch helplessly as Puparo races his car into a tank full of fuel... In Luxemburg the policemen Quadri and Trevi find out that the Waxman bank is very exclusive. Lorella offers Puparo's inheritance to Davide, not wanting to touch the money because it is dirty Mafia-loot. Using the money, Davide opens an account at the Waxman bank and becomes holder of a safe-deposit box. Thus Trevi, a computer specialist, can obtain access to "Italtecnosud's" safe-deposit, where he finds what he expected: documents on the company's illegal trans-actions. Owing to the tough investigating, the dangers they shared and now the success, Silvia and Davide have become closer. Nevertheless Espinosa is still at large, now having had his go-between Corvo murdered at his son's wedding because Corvo had become inconvenient. And since the press has got wind of "Italtecnosud's" illegal transactions, Espinosa wants to divert the public's attention: Tano's schizophrenic sister Maria is to detonate a bomb in a busy train station... Back to Italy Davide learns, to his own horror, that Andrea has kidnapped his ex-wife Marta and his son Stefano, and made them reveal his real identity. Davide's attempt to free his family fails, he is captured. However, Andrea's wife, Gloria, who diapproves of her husband's dealings, helps Davide, Marta and Stefano escape. Shortly afterwards, Tano kills Andrea. At last Silvia has a valuable clue: the film found in the villa shows Giovanni Linori and Espinosa. Davide picks up Saverio at the monastery and confronts him with Espinosa: Saverio identifies Espinosa without a shadow of a doubt as the man who hired him twenty years ago. Espinosa, beside himself with rage, yells at Silvia that he also had Corrado Cattani murdered. Espinosa is arrested, the drug trafficking via "Italtecnosud" is stopped. On hearing that all is over, Tano informs Silvia that his sister Maria is already at the station with a bomb. In a dramatic race against time Davide rushes the device through the panicking crowd. Seconds later it explodes outside, a blood-bath is averted.