Director: Maurizio Pradeaux
Year: 1977
Country: Italy/Greece
Alternate Titles: Passi di morte perduti nel buio
Genre: Giallo
Plot:
While traveling to Greece on a train, the murder of a passenger in their compartment forces the group into the police's investigation of the incident, and when they zero in on a photographer he and his girlfriend race to clear his name and unmask the real killer continuing his spree.
Review:
This was a serviceable enough giallo effort. What this one manages to do rather nicely is utilize an intriguing old-school feel for the main investigation which is carried out here. The opening onboard the train with the lights going out to allow the killer to strike in the darkness gives this a completely old-school feel, and with the majority of the film playing out with the investigating inspector going around trying to piece together the clues to the crime gives this a stellar murder-mystery setup that plays like traditional gialli did earlier in the genre's history. Utilizing plenty of call-backs to other genre-work throughout here, from the de-rigeur fashion-model setup to the quotations quite liberally placed here from other genre fare here including outright stealing a whole scene from one film in particular, this one carries a select old-school tone that's quite apparent here.
That provides the film ample opportunity for some stellar stalking scenes that get played out here, from the killer striking in an abandoned building while expecting someone else attempting to blackmail them, a stylish sequence of a victim encountering the killer in a darkened apartment where an open window creates a drafty environment replete with billowing curtains or a shocking follow-up where a victim is picked off in a bathroom that plays much like so many other scenes here. With the final taking place in the drawing-room style mysteries of gathering everybody together and exposing the killer through trickery, it has even more old-school flair that has some enjoyment here. As well, the only other piece of enjoyment to be had is the frequent nudity which is nicely supplied throughout.
The cast here is about as enjoyable as the pacing is frantic. Lead Leonard Mann as Luciano Morelli is a bland, utterly dull presence who doesn't really have much to do here. Spending his time far too much on the sidelines for someone supposedly trying to clear his name of murder, this doesn't strike much of an impression of a lead and really signals the quality of the material at hand. His girlfriend, the model Ingrid Stelmosson played by Vera Krouska, fares better with a stereotypical ditzy model routine whose air-headed misunderstandings of every situation possible which provides some nice comic relief in a film loaded with it. She can cross over into the aggravating side with her routine but regardless the part suits her well and it's a fault of the writing not her that makes the character irritating as she's believable as such. The greatest impression here is Robert Webber who plays the investigating inspector as he's the most reletable person here. Featuring a humorous running gag as he battles a bout of indigestion throughout the film requiring him to question everyone he meets how they handle the situation, he plays a reasonable and intelligent figure caught up in the madness which is quite refreshing in this. Beyond them, nobody else really matters or makes an impression beyond being eye-candy or part of the body-count.
Still, even with these fine points there are some issues with the film. The main point holding it back is the rather dull and languid pace that really doesn't do this one much favor by being duller than reasonably necessary. This isn't an interesting group of characters who we're following around waiting for the next strike to occur and it just leaves this one feeling draining as this one goes around with either him in drag trying to clear his name or the airheaded girlfriend getting distracted with everything around her as they put a plan into motion to clear his name. That they're never believable as a couple with the way he seems exasperated with any of her comments regarding how they're supposed to go about matters doesn't do this section much help, and when it goes beyond them to the other passengers this one just feels endless with characters either getting a divorce or going through bland scenes in a nightclub.
That relegates the killer to a few places and not being an important makes it hard to remember the type of genre-piece this really is and really disappoints this one especially once it delves into the final half where very little of interest happens until the reveal. Since none of these really get all that interested in generating the kind of plot setup which drives the final reveal forward all that often, it really serves as quite problematic as for how this all relates back to the story and ends up keeping the killer even further off-screen so their brief strikes are the only real point of interest throughout here. The comedy could also be problematic for some who aren't that interested in the affair since it's way too hit-or-miss to be effective, and overall lower this one significantly.
Overview: **/5
A majorly disappointing giallo overall, this one is a rather dull and curious offering that doesn't really have much going for it unless you're a die-hard fan of the genre. It's still watchable which makes this one strictly for those aficionados that can tolerate the flaws on display while others who aren't as keen on this one should heed caution.
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