A fairly typical entry in the giallo genre, largely overlooked due to the slow pacing and lack of gore which may be off-putting to some genre fans. This is a film which concentrates on the whodunit aspect of the genre rather than the exploitative levels of sex and violence that most other films from the period explore, and as such is an understated film. However, it's a brilliantly made one, beautifully shot with a fine colour palette and director Luigi Bazzoni handles the scene setting and camera set-ups very well. Great use is made of wide open spaces and spacious apartment sets and the cinematography is excellent all round.
There's a lack of action to be sure and the death scenes, normally highlights of such films, leave a lot to be desired and barely register. Even so the BBFC found something to cut out, here eliminating a brief throat-slitting that will obviously cause every viewer caught unawares to go out in the street and recreate the violence on a homeless man. The nastiest death involves a crippled woman being strangled and thrown over a balcony but that's as unpleasant as it gets.
Franco Nero stars as the leading character, a journalist who becomes caught up in the crimes and finds himself to be a suspect (yes, it's the old 'wronged man' theme popping up again, predictably enough). Nero is as good here as he ever was and totally convinces as the weary, washed-up alcoholic reporter, and as a bonus he gets to use his own voice for the dubbing also. Solid supporting turns come from the likes of Wolfgang Preiss and Edmund Purdom, although it's the beautiful Italian ladies who make the real impression here - the fragile Rossella Falk, the lusty Ira Von Furstenberg, the gorgeous Silvia Monti; they all shine as prospective victims for the killer.
The script is careful to keep the identity of the murderer a secret to the very, very end, but there are plenty of red herrings and suspects (including a trio of perverts who enjoy watching young couples copulating, a Peeping Tom and the ever-shifty Edmund Purdom) to keep you guessing all the way through. Watch this film for the visuals alone; otherwise it's very run-of-the-mill stuff, but the artistry used to compose the shots and camera-work alone make it one to be watched.
There's a lack of action to be sure and the death scenes, normally highlights of such films, leave a lot to be desired and barely register. Even so the BBFC found something to cut out, here eliminating a brief throat-slitting that will obviously cause every viewer caught unawares to go out in the street and recreate the violence on a homeless man. The nastiest death involves a crippled woman being strangled and thrown over a balcony but that's as unpleasant as it gets.
Franco Nero stars as the leading character, a journalist who becomes caught up in the crimes and finds himself to be a suspect (yes, it's the old 'wronged man' theme popping up again, predictably enough). Nero is as good here as he ever was and totally convinces as the weary, washed-up alcoholic reporter, and as a bonus he gets to use his own voice for the dubbing also. Solid supporting turns come from the likes of Wolfgang Preiss and Edmund Purdom, although it's the beautiful Italian ladies who make the real impression here - the fragile Rossella Falk, the lusty Ira Von Furstenberg, the gorgeous Silvia Monti; they all shine as prospective victims for the killer.
The script is careful to keep the identity of the murderer a secret to the very, very end, but there are plenty of red herrings and suspects (including a trio of perverts who enjoy watching young couples copulating, a Peeping Tom and the ever-shifty Edmund Purdom) to keep you guessing all the way through. Watch this film for the visuals alone; otherwise it's very run-of-the-mill stuff, but the artistry used to compose the shots and camera-work alone make it one to be watched.