Directed by: Dario Argento
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia
As far as Giallo films go, I don't really have a lot of experience. I've watched maybe three or four. And as far as Dario Argento movies go I'm even more inexperienced, having only watched Susperia. So when this movie was suggested to me I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Deep Red, (or Profondo Rosso in Italian) is hailed as Dario Argento's masterpiece, and after watching it, it's easy to see why. It's been only 16 hours since I watched it and I already consider it to be one of the finest horror films I've seen.
Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) is a pianist who witness the brutal murder of a famous psychic through the window of a motel. After venturing into the room he subconsciously notices a vital clue, but the exact nature of the clue eludes him for much of the film. He teams up with reporter Gianna Brezzi (played by Argento's partner at the time Daria Nicolodi) and before long they find themselves on the hunt for a serial killer.
That's the general story, but there is so much more to it than that. The movie is full of suspense, mystery, gore, humor, style, twists and turns. The technical aspect is also amazing, from the vivid colors to the great tracking shots. I don't really like it when people start speaking of movies as art, but with this particular film it's hard not to. And the soundtrack performed by Italian progressive rock band Goblin, is perfect. From the bass driven opening theme to the funk rock atmospherics, it perfectly matches the film.
If there is one criticism I have it is with the dialogue constantly switching between English and Italian. At one moment two characters will be conversing in (what sounds to me like) fluent Italian, and then all of a sudden they break into perfect English. It was a little distracting, but definitely not enough to stop me enjoying the film. A brilliant blend of horror and mystery, Deep Red is a movie all horror fans need to see.
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