radiobirdma
If you're into Italian cars of the seventies, this might just be the right flick for you. Apart from that, it's not too bad, including a great opening sequence, a simple but gorgeous score by Stelvio Cipriani, a couple of decent chase scenes (for a real good one, see Fernando di Leo's "La Mala Ordina" or Michele Lupo's "Un Uomo di Rispettare"), plus a leather-clad killer with a butcher's cleaver. Much more poliziotto than giallo, "La polizia chiede aiuto" tries to mask its sensationalism as a "serious topic" which works better than you might think: It's gritty, slow-moving in a good way, pretty tame in terms of sleaze, well-cut and competently directed by former Leone cinematographer Dallamano, who's also responsible for the autumnal flow of the movie. Regrettably, the script works against the director, as in so many poliziotti and giallos of the time, spoiling the movie with a lame, mediocre and flawed ending. The British "Shameless" DVD edition might be uncut, but comes with an awful drone that might haunt you in your sleep. The movie won't.
Schwenkstar
From Massimo Dallamano, the director of the iconic giallo "What Have You Done to Solange?", comes a pseudo-sequel of sorts, but essentially only in theme. "What Have They Done To Our Daughters?" was actually the second film in a planned trilogy of three "School Girls in Peril" gialli, but unfortunately Dallamano died before he could complete the last one (and was subsequently completed by another filmmaker).Anyways, returning to the film in question, I actually prefer this installment to the much more praised "Solange". The main reason being that the first felt much more exploitative in nature, and thus was not as effective in my mind."Daughters" seems to take a more realistic approach, not focusing on the shocks found in nudity and gore as the first one seemed to revel in, but rather focusing upon the actual investigation of the crimes and how the events cause traumatic and emotional infliction upon the characters involved. Indeed, this film is much more socially minded, conveying how society often tries to exploit innocence for its own gain, and how the emotional disconnection and distance that is between the parents and their children often is what leads to their children becoming seduced by the society's malice.In addition, the direction is solid with well executed sequences of suspense. The musical score also is terrific, giving it even more emotional dissonance.However, despite the subtext it gives and the visual aura is possesses, the film lacks in having a strong narrative. The story adapts a police procedural formula, thus making it rather clear and focused, but unfortunately it isn't really focused on all that much. It doesn't lead to much of anywhere as we are given all the detail up front, thus causing it to feel rather dragged out. The ending is also anti-climatic.Despite this, it's a solid entry into the giallo canon, thanks mainly to its social commentary, strong direction, and solid musical score, but the story itself is very thin and dragged out... if only it had more plot to it this could have been one of the better gialli.
The_Void
Massimo Dallamano's first feature, What Have They Done to Solange, is one of the real heavyweights of the Giallo sub-genre. By combining a sleazy atmosphere with an intricate and exciting plot; Dallamano managed to create something really special with that film. With this follow up, the director has managed to capture that same atmosphere; but the story this time round isn't nearly as engaging, and that has a massive effect on the film on the whole. Don't get me wrong, this certainly isn't a bad movie; we've got a lot of the genre's staples, including a great score, some brutal killings and lots of style, so Giallo fans will no doubt find something to like; but if you're going into this film expecting something on par with Solange, you will come out of it disappointed. The plot is very Giallo-friendly, and it follows a policeman as he probes into the murder of a girl that the police force found dead, apparently a suicide. However, after digging deeper into the murders; it becomes apparent that this was more than just an isolated case of a troubled teen.The murders in the film aren't as grand as some of the ones orchestrated by the masters of the genre, such as the great Dario Argento, but there's some good gory stuff on display, including a severed head rolling out of a bag, someone being butchered with a butcher's knife, among other highlights. Because the story handles 'innocent' teenage girls, it's always going to be sleazy; but Dallamano has seen fit to make sure that he capitalises on this atmosphere as much as possible, as he also throws in pregnancies, loss of innocence and some very sick men into the equation. The film's main problem where the plot is concerned is that it moves too slowly; and there's far too much talking when there should be more time spent on building tension and gory murder sequences. The Italian thriller style is rampant throughout the movie, and the director has very much succeeded in capturing the style of the book that this movie is based on. On the whole, while this isn't as great as it's predecessor; it still represents a worthwhile viewing for the Giallo fan.
Wheatpenny
Second in Dallamano's schoolgirls-getting-killed trilogy, it's not as good as Who's Next? (Solange) but not bad in its own right. The killer is someone who rides a motorino (hey, it is Italy!) and never takes off his/her riding helmet, ala Magnum Force, the 2nd Dirty Harry film. This one's more exciting than scary, as the police hunt down this maniac. He's one of the cooler villains in film history though, because unlike the traditional drag-ass killer, this guy never speaks and just RUNS at you with a machete. He really SPRINTS at top speed, which is actually very scary, especially to a jaded horror buff used to the Michael Myers/Jason/zombie method of ambling on over to their victims, who usually have to trip in order to be caught. And there's one scene involving a light switch that will make you jump out of your undies. Stelvio Cipriani's score is again top-notch (he later reused part of it for Tentacles), the dubbing tolerable.
AD
