Gli occhi freddi della paura (1971)

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Leo Anchóriz (screenplay)
Leo Anchóriz (story)

Release Date:

6 April 1971 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Stalker | Female Nudity | Murder | Beautiful Woman | Giallo

Cast

Giovanna Ralli	...	Anna
Frank Wolff	...	Arthur Welt
Fernando Rey	...	Juez Flower
Julián Mateos	...	Quill
Karin Schubert	...	Nightclub Actress
Leonardo Scavino	...	Hawkins the butler (as Leon Lenoir)
Franco Marletta
Gianni Garko	...	Peter Flower

Also Known As:

Cold Eyes of Fear
Desperate Moments (USA) (TV title)
Los fríos ojos del miedo (Spain)

Runtime:

Spain:81 min | USA:91 min | Italy:95 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:15

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cinemar

Movie Connections:

References Wait Until Dark (1967)

less than amazing giallo -- but a great soundtrack!

By no means the best giallo I've seen, this Enzo Castellari tale of ___ drags horribly and maintains little suspense. Set in Swinging London (but filmed primarily in Rome), the movie finds young lawyer Gianni Garko about to seduce prostitute Giovanna Ralli at his swank house. They stumble upon the butler's dead body, undoubtedly a victim of temperate ruffian Julián Mateos, who then terrorizes the couple with his gun and leather suit. Judge Fernando Rey, who keep a cat on his desk, calls nephew Garko to ask for legal assistance and sends constable Frank Wolff over with a missive. The sleazy couple assumes the cop to be a deus ex machine, but he proves to be in on the racket. After sending Rey a secret plea for help (in Latin no less), our hopeful gets haughty and gives the sneering tough guy a good pounding. While Ralli fails to seduce Mateos with a shower, Rey puzzles out the message and sends some genuine although ineffectual police. Some may wonder what will happen to the unlovable couple besieged by this complicated plot; others may not. Castellari fills Cold Eyes with similarly absurd post-nouvelle vague editing, and I suspect this was a strictly commissioned affair for the veteran writer, producer and actor who can claim over 40 films to his credit. His failure as director really displays itself in the overdone, montage-heavy finale. Despite its lack of flesh and gore, Cold Eyes is shockingly exploitative. Wolff murders a policeman in flashback during a gratuitously cruel story diversion, only to illustrate his already obviously violent side. The violence throughout comes off as unnecessarily brutal, as well as distinctly European in flavor. None of the male characters treat the unimpressive prostitute much like a human, her unsurprised response perhaps suggesting they're correct to do so. Easily the best part of the movie is Ennio Morricone's amazing score, would fit better in a well-paced environment. If you want to see a decent film with Rey, who doesn't actually appear in shot with any of the main cast and probably only showed up for a day's worth of filming, check out the same year's French Connection.