'The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire' is an essential title that you'll find on any list of giallo thrillers and one of the several 'animal in the title' cash ins released during this time period in the wake of Dario Argento's animal trilogy. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this movie is any good and despite featuring many of the typical giallo conventions, this 1971 thriller falls short due to its uneven pacing, a badly structured plot with too many holes to count & baffling editing choices that comes across as awkward at several points throughout.
The Plot - This has the distinction of being the only giallo flick set in Dublin, a young woman's corpse is found in the trunk of the Swiss Ambassador's car, an investigation is launched when the murders continue, but the Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring) claims diplomatic immunity. A former cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli) is brought in to find the killer.
There are a few positives about this movie despite the muddled script such as the interesting cinematography that really sets a murky tone to the movie & the decent acting performances of the key cast members such as Luigi Pistilli, Anton Diffring, Dagmar Lassander & Dominque Boschero who each delivers solid performances & the score by Stelvio Cipiriani adds a nice touch to the mood. But unlike most movies of this genre there isn't much tension especially in the murder scenes as they're either off-screen or when you do see them, the effects look very poor & that wouldn't matter too much if the story wasn't all over the place with several red herrings that more or less amounts to waste time more than engage you the viewer into the atmosphere.
Overall 'The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire' isn't one of the great giallo thrillers & only seek this out if you're a completist of the genre.
The Plot - This has the distinction of being the only giallo flick set in Dublin, a young woman's corpse is found in the trunk of the Swiss Ambassador's car, an investigation is launched when the murders continue, but the Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring) claims diplomatic immunity. A former cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli) is brought in to find the killer.
There are a few positives about this movie despite the muddled script such as the interesting cinematography that really sets a murky tone to the movie & the decent acting performances of the key cast members such as Luigi Pistilli, Anton Diffring, Dagmar Lassander & Dominque Boschero who each delivers solid performances & the score by Stelvio Cipiriani adds a nice touch to the mood. But unlike most movies of this genre there isn't much tension especially in the murder scenes as they're either off-screen or when you do see them, the effects look very poor & that wouldn't matter too much if the story wasn't all over the place with several red herrings that more or less amounts to waste time more than engage you the viewer into the atmosphere.
Overall 'The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire' isn't one of the great giallo thrillers & only seek this out if you're a completist of the genre.