What a beautiful movie!
... View MoreOk... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
... View MoreJust intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
... View MoreThis film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
... View MoreIn 1972, American producer Dick Randall, never one to let a bandwagon go by without jumping on it, turned his attention to the then extremely popular Italian 'giallo' genre, giving fans of sleazy murder thrillers French Sex Murders, a tawdry tale of sex, violence and bad 70s fashion.The film, which is directed without panache by Ferdinando Merighi, features a great cast (many of whom will be familiar to fans of cult 'Euro-trash' cinema) who struggle with the so-so plot, which sees a detective (who inexplicably resembles Humphrey Bogart) trying to solve the mystery of who is bumping off the girls at a Parisian brothel.But whilst it might never be considered a 'classic' of the genre, French Sex Murders does feature several factors which ensure that a fun time is still had from start to finish: plenty of welcome nudity from its gorgeous actresses (Evelyne Kraft and Barbara Bouchet are stunning); a few decent death scenes (including a couple of decapitations) with effects courtesy of Carlo 'E.T.' Rambaldi; eyeball mutilation; a groovy soundtrack; trippy editing (scenes are shown in negative and often repeated in several different colours) from Bruno Mattei; and memorable performances (not necessarily good, but certainly memorable) from creepy Franco regular Howard Vernon, bizarre Bogart-a-like Robert Sacchi, and the incredibly OTT Pietro Martellanza.So if you've seen all of the greats of the genre, but are still hankering after a bit more giallo action, then you could do (much) worse than to give French Sex Murders a viewing.6.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 7 for IMDb).
... View MoreNot expecting too much from this probably helped me actually enjoy it quite a lot. The poor dubbing does little to help along what was probably already crap dialogue but this has a great cast and a lot of spirit. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, not least Howard Vernon and the ridiculous but endearing Bogart look alike. The girls of course are lovely, particularly, Rosalba Neri, the Bruno Nicoli music fun and if the killings are a little lacking in style at least we get them all repeated in about six different colours! A Dick Randall production, this keeps moving and is full of incident and character. Fun.
... View MoreI had planned to write something explaining what I didn't like about this movie, but this is going to be more difficult than I thought. Honestly, I can't remember much about it. I watched it just three days ago and it's made almost no impression on me. That's usually the sign of a real stinker. About the only thing I remember was being incredibly bored by most of it. The novelty of having a Humphrey Bogart look-a-like as the detective wore off real quick. It would be different if he could act, but he's a one-note entertainer. The kill scenes were amateurishly handled and there was no suspense leading up to them. If you can't spot the killer five minutes into the movie, you need to see more Euro horror. The casting is a dead giveaway to the killer's identity.
... View MoreHere's an interesting film to watch on those late nights when you can't find anything else, and you're in the mood for that old misogynistic sleaze that used to mark Italian films of the early 70's. The plot is a bit convoluted, but here goes.When Francine (Bouchet), a prostitute, is knocked off, the main suspect, a guy named Gavalles, is sought by the police. He was one of the regular clients of the whorehouse where Francine worked, but he seeks refuge from the law, as he claims he didn't commit the crime. However, during a chase, he is decapited as his motor-bike collides into the back of a tractor-trailer.The police think that's the end of the murderer, but soon another prostitute is killed. Inspector Fontaine is put on the case, and as he begins probing around, he finds several suspicious individuals who knew the deceased women. One of these suspects is a journalist; another is a famous doctor named Waldemar; another is a criminal magistrate who was intent on convicting Gavalles for the first murder. And finally, there is Madame Colette (Anita Ekberg), the proprietor of aforesaid whorehouse. Now comes the task of figuring out the identity of the killer. And as Fontaine gets deeper into the case, the killer strikes again and again.Here's a modest giallo outing, obviously made to "cash in" on the then prolific market of horror thrillers. The general mood is seedy and low-key, and the cheap sets decorated with phony Rennaisance art are a lame attempt at adding sophistication to a hastily made film. Howard Vernon here steals the show as Waldemar, who investigates the eyeballs taken from Gavalles' corpse, mashing them to a pulp with his scalpel, as if he were to looking for peals. Nevertheless, it's good fun.Professional Humphrey Bogart look-alike Robert Sacchi plays the detective. He gives a decent performance, but doesn't live up to his mentor's standards. Actually, the film gives him very little opportunity to act, as the number of characters and constant plot twists keep him at a deadpan level. We never even get a close shot of his face. The murders are violent, but there is little bloodshed. The sound effects are rather odd; when one of the girls is murdered, it sounds as if someone is clashing cymbals. The main show here comes at the end, when we think the killer's identity has at last been discovered. However, we're in for a few surprises; and that's what makes this film worth watching, apart from seeing Barbara Bouchet and Anita Ekberg.Director Merighi was none too prolific, and he remains a minor figure in the pantheon of Italian cult cinema. He made his debut in 1957 with the melodramatic crime film "The Sun Will Return" (Il Sole Tornera'), which starred future director Roberto Mauri. He is also known for directing the 1972 spaghetti western, "They Called Him Trinity."
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