I've been a fan of Argento's work since discovering THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE in the early 1970's, back when his films actually played in theaters. It set the standard for works in the genre with great photography and music and a plot that kept the viewer guessing. More than that, it was legitimately a mystery and not a horror movie trying to be legit. They way it played with the viewers perception and preconceived ideas was brilliant.
Since then it's been up and down. GIALLO is, sadly, sort of a down.
The elements are there. The protagonist, Enzo, is a damaged soul. He's become a policeman as a way to handle the trauma of seeing his mother murdered when he was a child. He can track these warped beings because he thinks the way they do. The killer in this instance is known as Giallo because health issues cause his skin to look jaundiced and he's not far from death's door (although I couldn't help noticing that he could run up and down stairs when being pursued by Enzo as if he were in perfect health).
Adrian Brody plays both Enzo and Giallo. Anyone looking for a deep subtext tied to that can just stop right there. This seems to be a stunt to allow Brody to play with characterization.
There are two women primary to the story. Celine, a fashion model, has been kidnapped by Giallo and is held captive throughout the narrative. Her sister, Linda, is obsessed with finding Celine and forms an alliance with Enzo.
The script is what undoes the project. Every other element works: camera work, lighting, atmosphere, costumes, music. But there's no narrative drive to the story. Celine, who spends the bulk of the narrative tied up in a basement, is never developed as a character. Linda spends the bulk of the narrative simply tagging along after Enzo.
The narrative ends in an sadly conventional scene in which Giallo dies before revealing where Celine is. Linda is furious at Enzo, and he walks off with her screaming curses at him. We don't see them together again.
An awkwardly tacked on postlude hints that Celine will be discovered in a parking garage, but we don't have the satisfaction of seeing Celine safe and receiving medical care and Linda realizing just how much Enzo has done for her and her sister.
Someone will now come to the lectern and speak of 21st century audiences and their expectations, film in the post 9/11 world, etc. Bull. This isn't graduate school. Audiences in 2011 want what audiences in 1911 were coming to expect: a sense of completion in a film, a resolution to what has happened and the situations that have affected the characters' lives. The film doesn't end; it stops.
Another three minutes could have shown us Linda and Celine reunited and Lino taking steps toward entering the mainstream of the human race. If you invest $14 million producing a film, don't try to get all artsy fartsy in the resolution of the story, or lack thereof.
Since then it's been up and down. GIALLO is, sadly, sort of a down.
The elements are there. The protagonist, Enzo, is a damaged soul. He's become a policeman as a way to handle the trauma of seeing his mother murdered when he was a child. He can track these warped beings because he thinks the way they do. The killer in this instance is known as Giallo because health issues cause his skin to look jaundiced and he's not far from death's door (although I couldn't help noticing that he could run up and down stairs when being pursued by Enzo as if he were in perfect health).
Adrian Brody plays both Enzo and Giallo. Anyone looking for a deep subtext tied to that can just stop right there. This seems to be a stunt to allow Brody to play with characterization.
There are two women primary to the story. Celine, a fashion model, has been kidnapped by Giallo and is held captive throughout the narrative. Her sister, Linda, is obsessed with finding Celine and forms an alliance with Enzo.
The script is what undoes the project. Every other element works: camera work, lighting, atmosphere, costumes, music. But there's no narrative drive to the story. Celine, who spends the bulk of the narrative tied up in a basement, is never developed as a character. Linda spends the bulk of the narrative simply tagging along after Enzo.
The narrative ends in an sadly conventional scene in which Giallo dies before revealing where Celine is. Linda is furious at Enzo, and he walks off with her screaming curses at him. We don't see them together again.
An awkwardly tacked on postlude hints that Celine will be discovered in a parking garage, but we don't have the satisfaction of seeing Celine safe and receiving medical care and Linda realizing just how much Enzo has done for her and her sister.
Someone will now come to the lectern and speak of 21st century audiences and their expectations, film in the post 9/11 world, etc. Bull. This isn't graduate school. Audiences in 2011 want what audiences in 1911 were coming to expect: a sense of completion in a film, a resolution to what has happened and the situations that have affected the characters' lives. The film doesn't end; it stops.
Another three minutes could have shown us Linda and Celine reunited and Lino taking steps toward entering the mainstream of the human race. If you invest $14 million producing a film, don't try to get all artsy fartsy in the resolution of the story, or lack thereof.