Coventry
Joined Nov 2002
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Although I don't really like the combo of violent action and slapstick toilet humor, I must say I'm enjoying these Bruno Corbucci/Tomas Milian collaborations. Even more so, I think they are getting better! "Squadro Antitruffa" was better than "Squadra Antifurto", so that raises my hope for the eight (!) sequels yet to come.
In the previous film, the flamboyant and unorthodox Nico Giraldi (Milian) worked at the anti-theft squad, but now he's promoted to the anti-fraud department. He spends his days chasing after local small-time swindlers, until the British insurance investigator Robert Clayton arrives in Rome with a massive case. The two must work together to uncover the culprits and details of a giant fraud network that caused the prestigious British bank Lloyd of London to go bankrupt.
"Antitruffa" has more action and violent deaths than "Antifurto", the pacing is faster, and the script is a lot cleverer and more convoluted. Most importantly, there's a lot less juvenile and vulgar comedy. Sure, there are still dumb thugs that betray their hiding place by breaking wind and that sort of silly stuff, but at least the slapstick isn't incorporated in the (car)chases or random sub plots anymore. Oh, and Milian also doesn't parade around in his bright red underpants this time! Thomas Milian and the fantastic British actor David Hemmings form a wonderful pair. Especially the scenes taking place in San Francisco, where they rip off stores in imaginative ways to catch the attention of the local mafia, are very entertaining.
In the previous film, the flamboyant and unorthodox Nico Giraldi (Milian) worked at the anti-theft squad, but now he's promoted to the anti-fraud department. He spends his days chasing after local small-time swindlers, until the British insurance investigator Robert Clayton arrives in Rome with a massive case. The two must work together to uncover the culprits and details of a giant fraud network that caused the prestigious British bank Lloyd of London to go bankrupt.
"Antitruffa" has more action and violent deaths than "Antifurto", the pacing is faster, and the script is a lot cleverer and more convoluted. Most importantly, there's a lot less juvenile and vulgar comedy. Sure, there are still dumb thugs that betray their hiding place by breaking wind and that sort of silly stuff, but at least the slapstick isn't incorporated in the (car)chases or random sub plots anymore. Oh, and Milian also doesn't parade around in his bright red underpants this time! Thomas Milian and the fantastic British actor David Hemmings form a wonderful pair. Especially the scenes taking place in San Francisco, where they rip off stores in imaginative ways to catch the attention of the local mafia, are very entertaining.
"Two Hours to Kill" couldn't possibly have started better or more promising! Whilst showing stills of buildings and rooftops of a seemingly sleepy little town, a stern and dead-serious voiceover explains how the place is named Auvernaux and how since several weeks everyone who lives here is beyond terrified because there's a serial killer at large. Three women have been murdered already, and the killer always takes away of their shoes. The voiceover ends by saying the murders take place in the neighborhood of the small train station, before the action actually also switches to this same station where a handful of people missed their train and must wait two hours until the next one.
Admittedly, the rest of the film doesn't live up to the marvelous opening, but the atmosphere remains moody and unsettling throughout. There's non-stop talking between the stranded people and the railway staff, but you sense that the killer is near and not everyone will survive the night. Because of the black & white and the setting of an isolated station, "Two Hours to Kill" reminded me a lot about one of the creepiest episodes of "The Twilight Zone", namely "Mirror Image". With all the sinister people and the chain smoking, you also expect Rod Serling to walk into the waiting hall at any second. Not a great film, but a decent French film-noir with strong performances and a clever (and unforeseeable) twist-ending.
Admittedly, the rest of the film doesn't live up to the marvelous opening, but the atmosphere remains moody and unsettling throughout. There's non-stop talking between the stranded people and the railway staff, but you sense that the killer is near and not everyone will survive the night. Because of the black & white and the setting of an isolated station, "Two Hours to Kill" reminded me a lot about one of the creepiest episodes of "The Twilight Zone", namely "Mirror Image". With all the sinister people and the chain smoking, you also expect Rod Serling to walk into the waiting hall at any second. Not a great film, but a decent French film-noir with strong performances and a clever (and unforeseeable) twist-ending.
Deceit, blackmail, and vicious murders in a posh fashion house where lots of ravishing female models are employed. Hey, that sounds like the plot synopsis of an Italian Giallo from the 60s or early 70s! But "Mannequin in Red" is Swedish and got released in the 1958 already, so could this possibly be a sort of blueprint/pioneer for my absolute favorite cult sub-genre of all times? The answer is "yes", but nobody in the cast or crew was aware of it at the time. Fact remains that, six year later, the stupendous Mario Bava came with the similar "Blood and Black Lace" and changed euro-horror cinema forever.
"Mannequin in Red" plays out like a mystery thriller centering around a married couple of private detectives named John and Kajsa Hillman. I actually like the concept of a man and wife solving murder puzzles together! This is apparently the second of four Swedish thrillers revolving around the sleuth-couple, and the other three have a color in the title as well. Here, Kajsa Hillman gets hired by the stern and wheelchair-bound fashion guru Thyra Lennberg, supposedly as a model but, in reality, it's to keep eyes and ears open for all the lies & deceit at the La Femme fashion house. Shortly after, the body of a brutally murdered model is discovered - in the shop window, of all places - and several grim and dark secrets of the fashionista family come to the surface.
It's a good film, with a handful of intelligent twists in the script and a stunning photography, but there are also unsurpassable flaws. "Mannequin in Red" is too long and has too many unnecessary supportive characters and sub plots. Particularly all the sequences with the clumsy sidekick Freddy and his girlfriend should have been cut because they are embarrassingly unfunny. The twists/revelations at the end are not too difficult to guess, but bear in mind the release year was 1958, and thus long before all those other titles where you've seen similar endings.
"Mannequin in Red" plays out like a mystery thriller centering around a married couple of private detectives named John and Kajsa Hillman. I actually like the concept of a man and wife solving murder puzzles together! This is apparently the second of four Swedish thrillers revolving around the sleuth-couple, and the other three have a color in the title as well. Here, Kajsa Hillman gets hired by the stern and wheelchair-bound fashion guru Thyra Lennberg, supposedly as a model but, in reality, it's to keep eyes and ears open for all the lies & deceit at the La Femme fashion house. Shortly after, the body of a brutally murdered model is discovered - in the shop window, of all places - and several grim and dark secrets of the fashionista family come to the surface.
It's a good film, with a handful of intelligent twists in the script and a stunning photography, but there are also unsurpassable flaws. "Mannequin in Red" is too long and has too many unnecessary supportive characters and sub plots. Particularly all the sequences with the clumsy sidekick Freddy and his girlfriend should have been cut because they are embarrassingly unfunny. The twists/revelations at the end are not too difficult to guess, but bear in mind the release year was 1958, and thus long before all those other titles where you've seen similar endings.