Rish Outfield's reviews
Tyranist and I have watched quite a few Dario Argento movies in the last few months, and I'd say they always fall into two categories: 1) Artful, stylish mysteries that thrill and disturb, and 2) Artful, stylish mysteries that confuse and annoy. So far, my opinion has been decidedly split between the two, placing half his films (Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Tenebrae, Creepers, and Trauma) in the former category, and the other half (Inferno, Deep Red, and even everyone's darling, Suspiria) in the latter. Just recently, however, I discovered that most (if not all) of Argento's films have been heavily edited in the American versions, often eliminating long stretches of exposition and necessary plot points. So, it may be that, if seen in their original, unedited cuts, the incoherent, confusing films might not have been so.
With that in mind, I picked up the DVD of Deep Red, noting that it included previously edited footage available only in the original Italian version. In fact, this footage was only available in poorly dubbed Italian, making for an odd viewing experience. Characters would be conversing in English, only to switch to Italian for a moment, then reverting to English at the end of the scene. It was further puzzling, as the characters who naturally (and narratively) spoke Italian were usually still dubbed into English.
The plot: An English pianist (David Hemmings) finds himself involved in a murder mystery in Rome as people all around him are killed in bizarre ways. Joined by an ambitious reporter (Daria Nicolodi) he follows the killer's trail to a old country house, where the shocking (and bewildering) truth is revealed.
This was another Giallo, which like many Argento films, featured music by Goblin (some of it evocative of John Carpenter's Halloween theme and some of it just annoying). It was much slower-moving than others, dull even. Perhaps the American version didn't have that problem, but I don't usually prefer edits. It did have a few nice parts plus the requisite Argento colours and images, but for the most part, it was unpleasant and less inspired than his other works. The plot was convoluted as ever; I thought for sure I knew who the killer was, but I was way off. The truth was much more bland. It wasn't an awful movie, by any means. But I had heard such high praise that I wonder why the movie did so little for me. On the positive side, it featured our first ever Death In The First Five Seconds (!), and there was a death by elevator, which I welcome (always).
I'd Recommend It To: Well, if you've seen one Argento black-gloved killer flick, you've seen ‘em all. But if you like one, you'll probably like ‘em all.