Having previously collaborated on the script for ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, Dario Argento stepped behind the camera for the first time on this thriller, which he also wrote. (There is however debate on where he "borrowed" the plot from.) Nonetheless, Argento, arguably, may not have made a better film than this Hitchcock-like crime mystery.
Much like the inciting incident in his later horror/thriller DEEP RED, here, an innocent man witnesses a crime and is drawn into the investigation to discover the truth. The man is Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE), an American writer, who moved to Italy to become inspired, but has been unable to write since arriving. He's ready to move back to the States with his girlfriend Julia (Suzy Kendall, TO SIR, WITH LOVE) when he witnesses a struggle between Monica Ranieri (Eva Renzi, LOVE, VAMPIRE STYLE) and a black trenchcoat-wearing man, which leaves Monica stabbed in the stomach as the man in black flees.
Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno, HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN) is assigned the case and first looks at Sam as a suspect and then as an ally. Soon enough, Sam becomes obsessed with the crime, following up each lead he finds. However, each move he makes, the more danger him and Julia are put in. Sam continues to run the attack over in his mind again and again, because something about it bugs him, yet he can't pinpoint what that is. Macabre paintings and a bird with crystal plumage will play key roles in unraveling the mystery.
This conflict fuels, his desire to uncover the truth, is what drives the narrative. The plot seems to be dealing us a lot of red herrings, but it all comes together in the end with a conclusion that challenges conventions. Along the way, Argento creates a great deal of tension with well-timed editing and amazing scene construction. The initial crime scene is haunting as Sam just gets a glimpse than must watch helplessly behind a plane of glass as Monica may be bleeding to death. Often what makes a scene scary is the information we know that the characters do not know. For Hitchcock fans, the coda humorously pays homage to the ending of PSYCHO.
Once all is revealed, the story makes us think about what we would do under similar circumstances. This murder mystery puts simple characters in danger and finds universal feelings and desires to craft an ingenious thriller that sucks the viewer in and never allows them to look away.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
