Ho le mani legate! Misure disciplinari e funzionari di polizia nel cinema e nelle serie TV italiane

This essay focuses on the disciplinary measures applied to police officers in Italian crime cinema and TV series. Such measures are represented as narrative devices that show an anti-hero in conflict with society. From the point of view of the plot, the character takes on almost subversive conno- tations, positioning himself towards society as a potential creator of law. By analysing excerpts from films and TV series, the reasons why this legal creation is not realized are examined. Officers’ behavior rather indicates the critical potential of the detective genre, which departs from the perspective of amusement to offer insights into the relationship between the ethics of principles and responsibilities. The adoption of disciplinary measures offers the image of a legal system that seeks to stabilize social tensions. The offi- cers’ reinstatement into service is the culmination of a narrative plot and a reflexive mechanism that the law develops in order to redefine its bounda- ries by accepting a certain degree of discretion by the officer subjected to disciplinary measures.