The Devil with Seven Faces (1971)

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Blistering performances.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

A giallo/crime thriller hybrid that introduces us to a woman named Julie Harrison (Baker). Julie is being harassed by a couple of mysterious men for reasons unknown and it makes her nervous enough to turn to her friend and lawyer Dave Barton for help. Barton semi-dismisses her and as she is leaving his office becomes the victim of an attempted kidnapping. Barton and his friend Tony save the day, but Julie's problems are just beginning. She explains that she has been receiving troubling phone- calls from her estranged twin sister Mary. As the story progresses we learn that Mary may have been involved in a major diamond heist, screwing over and leaving behind her partners and her husband in the process. Complicating matters further, these no-nonsense criminals believe that Mary is Julie! It's clear that they will stop at nothing to regain their prize and God help anyone who dares to stand in their way! Barton seems to have interests of his own while Tony becomes romantically entangled with Julie putting him in an equal amount of danger. There are, as always, plenty of twists during the running time to keep you enthralled and as the events unfold the violence escalates. Far from perfect (the lighter – the wig – the car chase), though still a solid film with Baker in constant danger while a loungier-than-usual Stelvio Cipriani soundtrack decorates the unfolding events with admirable aplomb!

This is another one of those Italian giallo/poliziotteschi crossover movies that will keep you guessing to the end, and it's full of groovy music, funky clothes, chain smoking and that delightful sexism we've come to expect from Italian films of this era.Carrol Baker is Julie, an identical twin who works for Air India, translating things. Her sister, who is the bad twin, is on the run from some goons but little is revealed about that at first, and I'm not going to spoil things here. After being convinced she's being stalked, Julie goes for help from her lawyer buddy and his friend Tony (George Hilton). They agree to help, which is just as well as Julie is attacked the moment she leaves the lawyer's building!Although not overly violent or action-packed, I thought the mystery angle of the story kept things going, as you have no idea who is after the twins or indeed why anyone is doing what they do. This is a film that initially raises loads of questions, but in a refreshing break from the usual Italian methods, actually answers them (although sometimes that quickly that you'll have to rewind to catch what's being said). There's car chases, shoot-outs, a creepy giallo style scene with Baker in an old house. Baker in fact has a rough time here as various people terrorise her throughout the film. No idea what the title has to do with things though!

Though I viewed a terrible DVD transfer from Eastwest Video, it is hard to believe the most sumptuous "Criterion" edition treatment of this film would raise its ranking to more than 3 or 4 out of 10. Sure, the Eastwest "pan and scan" person probably was asleep when this cropping atrocity was perpetrated, but that doesn't explain the poor dubbing, poor acting, poor plotting, silly exploration of the landlady's attic by first a cigarette lighter and then a struck match (what DID happen to Julie's landlady, and, more importantly, WHY?), cheap sexual teasing (there is NO scene in this movie that resembles the DVD cover used here at IMDb), and silly denouement confirming the movie-watcher's suspicions that the whole heist caper was all a bunch of misguided hooey from the get-go. Dave Barton (Stephen Boyd) must be the dimmest lawyer in the history of the profession, and the bimbo who bamboozles him (Carroll Baker as "Julie") is only a watt or two brighter. Fortunately for them, the other eight bad guys crossing their path have intellectual capacities which do not even register on the IQ scale. If you want to spend 90 minutes to see a few moments of punch-pulled action atop a windmill, go ahead and take a chance on this cheap flick.

It could perhaps be argued that "The Devil With Seven Faces" shouldn't even be categorized as a giallo, but even though the gore is largely missing (most of the killings are simple shootings), many of the other typical characteristics of the genre are here: the colorful title, the convoluted, twisty and often nonsensical plot (one bit with an apparently dead old lady whose body disappears makes no sense at all!), the music, the European locations, the general "feel", and George Hilton as a charming/shady character. Carroll Baker is several cuts above the average giallo heroine (and boy does she have GREAT LEGS), but on the whole this film is merely passable. Still, those who enjoy the genre and have learned to accept its flaws should probably check this one out. (**)