jadavix
This early Argento has the director's usual trademarks: a young man witnesses (or in this case, accidentally takes part in) a killing and finds himself next on a hit list, all the while being plagued by the same bizarre flash back. There are lots of P.O.V. shots through the killer's eyes, and of course, there's a flamboyant gay man, the giallo genre's version of the "black guy who dies first" in American horror movies.Gialli always end with revelation after revelation as we find out whodunit, and why. Oftentimes this feels rushed after all the build up of red herrings and far fetched murders and suspects disposed of. In that final moment of exposition, if you haven't been paying close attention, you won't be sufficiently surprised when the killer joins the dots."Four Flies on Grey Velvet" is the first giallo I've seen with the opposite problem. The ending feels staggered, and starts to drag on. The final killer's reasoning for doing what they did seems a bit too far fetched, even for a thriller, and the flashback sequence - shown without creepy lullaby music this time - is never explained.It is a top notch thriller up until this point, though. I liked Italian comedian Bud Spencer as a beatnik friend of the hero, and the final piece of evidence that links the killer to the crime, and explains the name of the movie, is well done.
Bezenby
Is this film the lost classic that people have been harping on about? Well, that's all subjective I guess. I do like my gialli cheesy and groovy, and this film certainly has that – although it does feel slightly lacking in the 'investigative' side of things. Never mind though, as Argento goes for crazy imagery and comes up trumps in that respect. A drummer for a prog-rock band finds himself being followed by a mysterious figure for an entire day. Losing his rag, he turns pursuer and ends up chasing the guy into a disused theatre, where he ends up stabbing the guy in a brief struggle. That's bad enough, but the person wearing the creepy mask and taking photos during the struggle is going to cause our guy all sorts of problems, as pictures start turning up in our hero's home, and someone is stalking around his house at night. Who did our man kill? How does the cleaner know who the blackmailer is? And who keeps having flashbacks to an abusive father? A private investigator steps in to help, but I'm saying nothing more, except to say the bodies start piling up before our drummer can discover who's really behind the killings, and nothing is as it seems. Like Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat O' Nine Tails, this early Argento giallo has a healthy dose of humour thrown to the proceedings, what with legend Bud Spencer playing God(frey), a tramp who helps out our drummer guy, a postman who keeps being berated and beaten, and the ultra-camp performance of the PI (a recurring theme in Argento's early films). The crazy visuals are brilliant throughout, and although I wouldn't say it's an outright classic (like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a lot of messing around), it's still a really good giallo. Also like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a fairly dodgy scientific explanation for things that some people may find a bit hard to swallow, and instead of the killer being discovered through an earlier clue, they're kind of stumbled upon instead (and quite easy to guess). However, you've got to check it out.
gavin6942
A musician (Michael Brandon) is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidental killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be? The film opens with a great shot of drums from overhead and a beating heart, knowing that Argento is in the middle of his most stylistic period. Even the man with white gloves and disturbingly childish mask taking photographs is classic Argento.I liked the concept of the images burned on to the retina, and I enjoyed the humor of having a character named "God" and the "Hallelujah" chorus. This being the last Ennio Morricone score in an Argento film was not lost on me, as the musical style shifted greatly after this one. (Not necessarily in a bad way -- Goblin and Simonetti are incredible.) I was surprised to see homosexuality being so openly discussed in a film from this year. Maybe in Italy it was more acceptable than in America? Either way, an interesting addition.
Lechuguilla
A twenty-something rock musician named Roberto (Michael Brandon) finds himself being stalked by an old man. The two end up on-stage in an empty and very creepy theater at night. "What are you after man, what's your trip", asks Roberto. But unknown to Roberto, someone wearing a strange mask watches the drama from the balcony.And so begins another Dario Argento Italian whodunit, the plot of which includes a blackmailer, a cat, a gay private detective, and a slow-motion car crash. The film certainly looks good visually but suffers from a somewhat murky, hard to grasp story.The script's premise is weak, and the muddled plot structure helps not at all, possibly the result of poor editing. Some characters are really not needed. And the film's ending is disappointingly weak. In addition, the lab experiment using four flies is tenuous at best, but included I suppose in an effort to mesh the story with an animal metaphor.On the other hand, this film veritably oozes mystery and suspense. Many scenes foreshadow some ominous event, making the plot very scary, en route to the climax where the killer is identified.The non-script elements really rev-up the terror. Creepy sound effects in the dark, low light levels in interior scenes, close-up camera shots, and a haunting score combine in many sequences to create a stylistically frightening atmosphere.As with other Argento giallos, the story trends a little weak, but that is offset by terrific visuals, sound effects, and music. Overall however, "Four Flies On Grey Velvet", while good, fares mediocre relative to Argento's cinematic works of true genius.
AD
