This ridiculously well-made Giallo stars Franco Nero as an alcoholic journalist drawn into a series of murder of which he himself is a suspect! We initially start with a new years eve party where we are introduced to many of our main characters and their complicated relationships: Nero and his on-off girlfriend, a disabled woman and her distant husband, a lady, her new lover, and jealous ex.
One of the party goers is attacked in a tunnel with an iron bar which is witnessed by a race car driver and his hooker girlfriend, and it's while Franco Nero is investigating this that the crippled lady is strangled and thrown down a flight of stairs. A glove with one finger missing seems to indicate a killer is around and we haven't seen that last of them...
There's an amazing atmosphere about this film due to the cinematography and the general tone of what your watching. Most of the film is shot in room where harsh light shines through blinds or folks stand in front of bright light sources. The only colours on display are white, grey, black and green, and there's a fair amount of use of Chiaroscuro. There's also a bizarre focus on spiral staircases, and the atonal Ennio Morricone soundtrack adds to the paranoia.
As per usual, Franco Nero is beyond belief in his role, being a drunk with a chip on his shoulder, but the biggest surprise for me was when the killer decided to focus on a small child as his latest victim, which led to some very tense scenes as the child tried to protect the house from intruders while his mum was listening on the phone, a helpless distance away.
Great film, this one.
One of the party goers is attacked in a tunnel with an iron bar which is witnessed by a race car driver and his hooker girlfriend, and it's while Franco Nero is investigating this that the crippled lady is strangled and thrown down a flight of stairs. A glove with one finger missing seems to indicate a killer is around and we haven't seen that last of them...
There's an amazing atmosphere about this film due to the cinematography and the general tone of what your watching. Most of the film is shot in room where harsh light shines through blinds or folks stand in front of bright light sources. The only colours on display are white, grey, black and green, and there's a fair amount of use of Chiaroscuro. There's also a bizarre focus on spiral staircases, and the atonal Ennio Morricone soundtrack adds to the paranoia.
As per usual, Franco Nero is beyond belief in his role, being a drunk with a chip on his shoulder, but the biggest surprise for me was when the killer decided to focus on a small child as his latest victim, which led to some very tense scenes as the child tried to protect the house from intruders while his mum was listening on the phone, a helpless distance away.
Great film, this one.