If this Italian drama were any less well told, it would come off as a pure union propaganda piece. Instead, it is a worthy film for the director who made the acclaimed film Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion. In any manufacturing situation, it simply doesn't pay to be the fastest and hardest working person on the assembly line. In the first place, you probably can't keep up the pace you've set. In the second place, you make all your co-workers a) look bad and b) have to work harder; they will not thank you for this. Appearances to the contrary, it's a really stupid thing to do. However, Lulu Massa (Gian Maria Volonte) doesn't understand this simple principle, and he enjoys the pay bonuses he gets from management -- until he has to leave work to recuperate from an accident in which he lost a finger. During that time, he visits a colleague who shows him not only the error of his own ways, but the horror of his whole working situation. When he goes back to work, Massa tries to organize a union. At first, he is just as unpopular with his co-workers as before, but he is persistent.~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide