Deep Red (1976)

I love this movie so much

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Fantastic!

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

If you have any urge to delve into the Giallo genre you might as well start here. Deep Red includes a lot of the trademarks you'd expect, with a black-gloved killer, many suspects, violent murders and an out-of-town hero who just can't quite remember a key detail to solving the case. Plot-wise it doesn't deviate too far from the Giallo template either, but the big difference is that it's directed by Dario Argento, and that with this film Argento is entering his most creative phase of films.There's also a very slight supernatural angle and plenty of subtle surrealism throuought the film, like reality itself is nearly unravelling. We open at a para-psychology conference where guest speaker Helga is 'reading' the audience. She goes through the usual routine until getting a very disturbing vibe from someone in the sixth row that sends her into a rant about 'the child's song...we must forget...' and her accusing that person of murder. Not the best idea as later own, in her apartment, Helga is hacked to death with an axe before the killer makes off with Helga's notes on the incident. Of course, Helga 'feels' the killers vibe through the front door.Witnessing this is English pianist Mark (Hemmings), who was hanging about outside the apartment drinking with his musician friend Carlo before Helga's head comes crashing through the window of her apartment. Mark rushes into the apartment (which is decorated with strange disturbing pictures and Hebrew symbols) and drags Helga's body from the window, spotting a black-clad figure running away. What you may or may notice through this scene is that Argento has deliberately revealed the killer's face in a split second shot.Mark of course now encounters the crap, ignorant police he has to deal with, plus cocky journalist Daria Nicolodi, who, after revealing Mark was a witness on the cover of her paper, then hooks up with him to solve the case. Now Mark has the killer on his tail, mind you, as well as the killer being one step ahead in getting rid of clues and those who hold those clues...On the visual side, Argento gives us extreme close-ups of objects like tape recorders running and a stylus running across a record, plus the collection of weird toys the killer has. He also goes in the other direction with ultra-wide shots in dialogue scenes. The camera itself acts as a character, stalking about scenes and focusing on things happening that the characters haven't noticed, unless of course it is playing the POV part of the killer, which it does often, sometimes without letting on to the audience that it's supposed to be the killer! Clever stuff.There's also the avalanche of quirkiness throughout the film. No one acts quite normal, from Nicoletta Elmi's sadistic child to Daria Nicolodi's weird cigar twirling trick that has nothing to do with the plot, plus her car that barely functions. Unrelated incidents drop into the film between scenes; dogs fighting, a man (that guy from the Beast In Heat) shouting in a market, the cops discussing their boss's temper. The killer leaves hanged dolls for their victims to find and at one point distracts a guy by have a creepy mechanical toy rush him. This all gives the film a nervous edge that isn't helped by the gruesome murders. Argento wanted the murders to include injuries people could suffer in real life, so people are severely scalded or have their teeth bashed against solid objects and in that oh-so-common every day injury, get dragged along the street behind a bin truck before smashing their heads on a lamppost. There's are two version of this film - the English version and the Italian version, and I'd recommend the English version to be honest, especially if you're starting out with the genre. The Italian version is about twenty minutes longer but most of that is dialogue between Hemmings and Nicolodi, a kind of battle of the sexes/romantic subplot that just bogs things down a bit. The film also got into trouble for the depiction of a lizard genuinely impaled on a spike - never a good thing to see in a film that no doubt brought it to the attention of the BBFC here in the UK. Strangely, that shot is missing from the Italian version!

I've not always been a huge fan Dario Argento, nor am I always a massive lover of Giallo's, but damnit if this ain't a great little piece of a Italian suspense cinema! The story is somewhat middling, as is most Argento plots (and let's be fair, most giallo plots), but it moves at a good enough clip, and I was never disinterested in it. The eye for artrsy that Argento would late use to unrestrained efforts with "Suspiria" can be seen to in great effect here! The lingering, beautiful shots of dolls, and disturbing array of other objects the killer keeps around are, are not only very pretty to look at, but also add a further feeling of unease from our mysterious killer. Is there any special meaning, or significance in shooting these objects the way he does? Nope! And honestly, it's an Argento picture, so who cares?! Goblin, in their first collaboration with the director, really hit it out of the park with this one. They are mostly considered with the fantastic score they delivered in Argento's follow up (the aforementioned "Suspiria") but their work here is really worth a mention as well. Pounding, electrifying, and giving great exuberance to the already colorful world Argento paints. It almost feels like it makes the colors even more bright, stunning you with what's on screen--really fantastic stuff. Absolutely check this film out if you're a fan of giallos, or Italian cinema as a whole. It moves with a better clip, and the mystery is easier to follow than a lot of the giallo fair, and on top of that, it's one of the more accessible Argento pictures. Watch it!

The Best thing about this film is David Hemmings who has obviously kept himself in good trim following his rise to stardom in Blowup - the rest of what's going on here is a massive pile of fame hungry people happy to create a pile of manure to theoretically appease/please/and or stimulate what they imagine to be a brain dead audience in the need for something that's obviously derived from Freddie Francis' 1966 The Psychopath - but can't come close. The cameraman and sound man both deserve a day off on full pay because they did well here - but the director - oh my dear - what on earth does he imagine passes for either suspense or horror - reading previous reviews I understand his forte is comedy - and that does come across best here - if Benny Hill had gone into giallo (whatever that is) then this bloke would be a natural.

Deep Red (1975) *** 1/2 (out of 4) -126 minute cut*** (out of 4) -105 minute English version Dario Argento's giallo about a musician (David Hemmings) in Italy who witnesses a woman get brutally murdered so he teams up with a journalist (Daria Nicolodi) to try and find out who the maniac is. DEEP RED, or PROFONDO ROSSO if you prefer, is certainly one of the most popular giallo films ever made but I think the quality of it is going to depend on which version you watch. Obviously the original American cut under THE HATCHET MURDERS title should be avoided since it loses nearly thirty-minutes worth of footage plus the majority of the gore. The 126-minute directors cut is actually the best version but for this review I watched the recently released "uncut English version," which clocks in at 105-minutes and features all the gore. I thought I'd enjoy this version the most but I must admit that the back-and-forth between Hemmings and Nicolodi was actually fun and with it missing here there's just a certain charm that the film is missing. The majority of the footage missing in this version is the back-and-forth flirting between the two and some character development. I know several people prefer this version but I think I'll go with the longer version on future viewings. As for the film, there's no question that it's a work of art as Argento's style is certainly at the top of his game and especially the magnificent cinematography. I especially love all the close-up scans of the floor where we see various items including the now somewhat legendary doll. There's also the masterful score from Goblin, which is just downright perfect and really sets the mood and atmosphere for the entire picture. Then there's the violence, which is certainly shocking at times but this is just Argento all the way. Both Hemmings and Nicolodi actually turn in good performances and they help carry the picture even when the story isn't the strongest. DEEP RED certainly deserves its reputation as one of the better giallo films out there but pick your version carefully.