Deep Red
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Movie Reviews of Deep Red
Movie Review: The king of Giallo and his finest hour.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of Horror movies for pretty much my entire life. I can remember staying up late nights with my Brother and our friends when I was younger, watching Horror VHS after Horror VHS. We would watch all types of Horror movies indiscriminately because it didn't matter to us. We weren't "Horror Snobs" like most of these fans turn out to be, we just love Horror because we're true fans. The real fans. Back in the day we could jump from one movie like KILLER CLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, all the way to the other end of the spectrum and end the night with THE EXORCIST. It didn't matter to us, we just wanted the Horror.
Now that I look back on all the Horror movies I've seen through the years, I would have to admit that the Italian "Giallo" ones were the most memorable. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of CHILD'S PLAY and FRIDAY THE 13TH but those movies don't "go for the jugular" if you catch my drift. Those type of Horror movies have their place too, it's just that directors like Dario Argento go about it in a different way. A more visceral and vicious kind of way. Where the sense of dread is the central focus rather than mindless gore (although Argento does load his movies with the red stuff), big hair, 80's Heavy Metal sound track and a wise cracking serial killer. No offense to the Lord and savior, Freddy Krueger. I do worship thee. Giallo just does it differently.
DEEP RED is no exception either. This is the fifth movie directed by the amazing Dario Argento and thankfully, not his last. At least for now anyways. After watching most of Argento's body of work, I would like to think that I have a pretty good grasp on what he's trying to convey (artistically) to the wide world of Horror. Argento tends to use a lot of bright colors, interesting camera angles and always a brooding sound track. The band GOBLINS usually supply's the the creepy score to boot.
The actual movie DEEP RED is essentially a Horror / Mystery film. It has elements of Slasher mixed with Giallo Horror. Basically it's about this Jazz musician who witnesses a horrible murder one night while him and his friend are walking home from the local Pub. From the city streets below, the main character (played by the enjoyable David Hemmings) see's a young woman being killed in hear apartment window. It's a terribly brutal scene, ending with her bloody face being smashed through the glass window. The rest of the movie plays out like the typical "who done it", with Argento's visual flair to liven up an otherwise basic murder mystery. Also, a bit of humor is added in for good measure. It never ruins the movie (like some Horror comedies turn out to be), not once. All of this makes for an enjoyable little Horror film. A Horror film that I happen to think is Dario Argento's best effort.
When all is said and done, what you've got here is a classic Horror movie. One that is popular with the true Horror fans, yet it's some what unknown to the rest of our movie watching community. DEEP RED is the perfect scary movie for a rainy night, Halloween party or any other get together for that matter. It's the kind of movie that will please almost any type of Horror movie fan. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that dislikes this movie. It's just too enjoyable. A perfect addition to anyone's Horror collection.
I say, Gore Hounds, check it out! Horror fans in general, check it out! Fans of good cinema, check it out! If you're new to the world of Argento, this is as good of place as any to start. It's an enjoyable, well crafted, Horror film that doesn't disappoint. Truly a classic by any standards.
Movie Review: 4.5-A classic example of 70's Giallo from Italian horror maestro (drums roll)...... Dario Argento
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one unique movie. I'm slowly becoming a fan Argento and this is so far my favorite of his films, though it should be noted that I have not yet seen all his films. There's so much visual style one can't help but be swept along. The story is also quite good which is not the case for some of his films. There are several gory scenes which are masterfully well done and the film's atmosphere is eerie and solid throughout. Argento is aided heavily by Goblin's music which is really good particularly in "Suspira".
In here we have David Hemmings plays a jazz musician who witnesses a murder and starts investigating the crime himself. A little bit of Hitchcock here but Argento creates a unique style that's all his. Basically that's a murder mystery with a touch of gore in it. I would not call this movie a horror film, it's more like a thriller. Argento has fun with the audience, involving them in the same dilemma that's facing the film's main character. The answer to the riddle may be locked in your head, you may already have seen the solution but yet you don't know the answer.
It is a very clever movie, especially the part where Hemmings discovers who the murderer is. Although there are scenes that some people may find boring, sure there is alot more talk than the killer's violent actions but I found nearly every scene to be interesting for we gradually begin to learn about the killer.
I have read that Argento left this genre for the most part after this film and concentrated on horror, like in Suspiria and Tenebre, which are both good films. However, Deep Red is a masterfully constructed film, full of visual delight, suspense, gore and a good comedy sequences I have yet seen in an Argento film. I would also think that this movie would be a good place to start with if you want to check out the maestros films. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: The first real Dario Argento film....
Summary: 5 Stars
To me, this is where Dario Argento's career really started. He had made 4 films prior to this (the "animal" trilogy, and a barely seen Western, The Five Days of Milan), but I never liked his early films (I saw The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat o' Nine Tails. Bird is decent, but rather boring. Cat is terrible, especially in its dubbed version). The amazing thing about Profondo Rosso (aka Deep Red...the original Italian title sounds so much better) is that even in its mutilated 98 minute version, it was still amazing (though incoherent) filmmaking. Essentially, the American distributor cut out 28 minutes of really important plot detail, but left most of the violence in the film. Now, Anchor Bay has given you the original film, and in the original Italian with English subtitles. The longer version is much more coherent, explaining the plotline and the motivations of the characters, and giving more of a role to Daria Niccolodi, Dario's girlfriend of 10 years. The music of Goblin (their 1st colloboration with Dario) is magnificent. It's just as good as their Suspiria soundtrack, and the fusion of Dario's cinematic sense and Goblin's music sense is one of the most fruitful colloborations in cinema history. The performances here are above average for a Dario film, with David Hemmings playing the usual English speaking artistic type getting caught up in a murder mystery (typical Argento plot). It's nice to see Argento's work restored, as almost EVERY film he did during his heyday was cut and sometimes renamed (for example, Phenomena was cut by 28 minutes and retitled Creepers, and Tenebrae was cut by 9 minutes and retitled Unsane). This was Dario's first masterpiece, and the beginning of a remarkable run for him up through his last great film, Opera. Many of Dario's films are really artistic and strikingly shot, something he's never really given credit for.
Movie Review: Dario Argento at the peak of his career.
Summary: 5 Stars
The plots to most Dario Argento films are almost identical: a serial killer is on the loose in Italy, and our protagonist (usually played by a young American or Briton, in order to appeal to the American market) must solve the mystery and stop him. "Deep Red" fits neatly into this formula, this time with David Hemmings as the detective. Hemmings plays a British Jazz musician who is working in Rome when he witnesses the death of a psychic and decides to solve the mystery. However, never before has Dario Argento done this story so well. As Argento fans would expect, the visuals are stunning, the murders are bloody and the minor characters are weird. Nevertheless, unlike in some other Dario Argento films, this time the script is also pretty good (I watch Dario Argento films for his visuals, not his writing)- it's coherant and it's actually a pretty good mystery/thriller story.
"Deep Red" marks the commencement of what is considered to be the peak period of Dario Argento's career (the period which began with "Deep Red", ended with "Opera", and which also included "Suspiria", "Inferno", "Tenebre", and "Phenomena") and is considered by many to be Argento's masterpiece. After seeing this film, I can see why this is so.
This version is the extended version of the film (a shorter version was released under the title "The Hatchet Murders"). Be aware, however, that this version was created by taking the longer Italian version and combining it with the shorter English language soundtrack. As the Italian version is about 30 minutes longer than the American version, there are many places where no English language soundtrack exists and the film goes into Italian (with English subtitles) at these points. This didn't bother me (I stopped noticing it after a while), but I can imagine it bothering others.
Movie Review: Truly Argento's Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
It's clear from reading the reviews of this movie on Amazon that people either "get" Dario Argento or they do not. It's an either/or type of thing. I'm not sure why that is the case, but I must count myself among the many who "get" him. I don't bother trying to convert the non-believers because, well, they're non-believers!
That's not to say that every movie that Dario Argento has made is great. Far from it - some have been real bombs. But make no mistake - Deep Red is a masterpiece. I've watched this movie many times and I still find it fascinating. I can't say that for a lot of movies, regardless of genre. A very few, yes; most, no. This one, always.
I think one reason why I personally love Deep Red is because I understand that films in general do not exist in a vacuum. They always reflect the times in which they were made - and the really good ones change the way films are made after them. I find so many reviewers here on Amazon approach films as if they were all made in the last year, judge them accordingly, and find the older ones wanting. Deep Red was made in 1975, not 2011, and is not an expensive bit of contemporary CGI schlock. If you have an appreciation of the history of film, you'll see things in Deep Red that radically changed the concept of what a movie is and what a movie can be. The impact of Deep Red on subsequent movie making - and viewing - is beyond the scope of this tidy little Amazon context. Let me just say here that it did. If you can't see that, well too bad for you!
If you "get" Argento, you will love Deep Red. It's really that simple.