A frustrated journalist, divorced from his wife and living with a shy teenager son, exploits the murders of a mysterious serial killer to make his way in the world of the press.
But the movie is not simply as the subject suggests, and its genre is undefined: a thriller lacking suspense, a wanna-be criticism of the Italian society of the time and a disturbing dark comedy sometimes bordering on farce (difficult to say if the resolution and the final scene are bitter, shocking, absurd or just ridiculous).
The movie is deeply affected by Dario Argento, and not only for the brutal murders: the director makes free use of some of Argento's typical features, such as the far-fetched dialogues, the sudden, scary apparition of a puppet ("Deep Red") and a crime scene in which the victim is believed to be the murderer, and vice-versa ("The Bird with the Crystal Plumage").
Some say that, for the cynical representation of the world of the media, if it weren't for the hair and the colors, it could be a present-day movie. It's wrong. It's a typical '70s movie, so politically incorrect that it could never be shot nowadays. Dorelli's acting is way over the top, that adds to the puzzling and grotesque effect.
But the movie is not simply as the subject suggests, and its genre is undefined: a thriller lacking suspense, a wanna-be criticism of the Italian society of the time and a disturbing dark comedy sometimes bordering on farce (difficult to say if the resolution and the final scene are bitter, shocking, absurd or just ridiculous).
The movie is deeply affected by Dario Argento, and not only for the brutal murders: the director makes free use of some of Argento's typical features, such as the far-fetched dialogues, the sudden, scary apparition of a puppet ("Deep Red") and a crime scene in which the victim is believed to be the murderer, and vice-versa ("The Bird with the Crystal Plumage").
Some say that, for the cynical representation of the world of the media, if it weren't for the hair and the colors, it could be a present-day movie. It's wrong. It's a typical '70s movie, so politically incorrect that it could never be shot nowadays. Dorelli's acting is way over the top, that adds to the puzzling and grotesque effect.