As a huge fan of Italian Gialli, I am rarely disappointed when seeing a particular Giallo for the first time, but I regret to say that this was the case with Antonio Bido's "Il Gatto Dagli Occhi Di Giada" aka. "Watch Me When I Kill" / "The Cat With The Jade Eyes" (1977). Maybe it was that I expected too much, because a fellow Giallo-buff had recommended this film to me as particularly great. However, I really didn't see a lot of qualities to make this film particularly recommendable, other than a brilliant score, some grisly murders, nice settings and an elegant (but in no way outstanding) photography. As opposed to most Gialli (even many of the weaker ones) "Watch Me When I Kill" isn't terribly suspenseful, I regret to say that it even gets boring throughout the middle parts. It isn't style that is the problem here. The film does feature the Genre-typical murders from the killer's perspective, and they are very well-made. The film is quite beautifully shot in nice locations in Rome. And, as stated above, the utterly fantastic score is doubtlessly the film's greatest aspect. However, none of the characters are likable or even interesting, and that makes it very hard to care about whether they're killed or not. When a pharmacist is murdered by an unknown killer, a young dancer (Paola Tedesco) hears the killer's voice. Soon thereafter, she is also being stalked by the culprit, at which point her detective boyfriend (Corrado Pani) begins to investigate... The murders are grisly, but, especially for a late 70s Giallo, not very gory, and the film doesn't feature any sleaze. The mystery is not predictable, but, apart from some genuinely creepy moments, the film still isn't very suspenseful. I would not say that "Watch Me When I Kill" is a bad film as such, but, as far as I am concerned, it is a weak one by the usually high standards of the wonderful Italian Giallo. It has its redeeming qualities, the greatest of which is doubtlessly the brilliant score. However, I do not understand how some people can compare this to Gialli by Argento or Sergio Martino. I haven't seen Bido's other Giallo, "Solamente Nero" (1978) so far, but I do expect it to be better than this one. "Watch Me When I Kill" is worth watching for my fellow Giallo-fans, but, in my humble opinion, it's in no way very memorable or recommendable.
Review of Watch Me When I Kill
