Review of The Goodbye Kiss

I am surprised to find such negative comments. The film is one of the best noir films ever made in Italy. Alessio Boni is, as usual, perfect (he was great in La meglio gioventù, but here his performance is outstanding). The director added some ideas that are not in the novel, but the added element fit the plot perfectly. All in all, it's as good as Carlotto's slim novel, and that is probably the best book Carlotto ever wrote. I reckon both Soavi and Boni understood that the trick was the way the protagonist was portrayed: a poisonous snake with a charming appearance. An apparently nice guy who is actually a nasty thug, only interested in money, power--also with a sadistic streak. Not the usual character in Italian cinema, but they managed to make it believable. The final scene, with the protagonist watching the girl's agony is absolutely perfect. There you fully realize what sort of a man he really is. And then you begin to wonder what sort of a world is that which accepts him so readily... which is probably the real point that both the novel and the film want to make.