Eyeball 4K 1975

The title of the movie is more conveniently perceived in the original Italian version, translated as “Red Cats in a Glass Maze”, in order to clearly define its direction - jallo. The exemplary multi-genre director Umberto Lenzi clearly demonstrates his talent as a diligent director of another poignant story, which is not entitled to become a masterpiece, but is capable of occupying the “middle” niche, pleasantly brightening up the evening with its commendable quality. The author with undeniable professionalism observes all the necessary nuances of the “yellow” detective, putting a lot of characteristic attributes in their places. There will be everything necessary for genre specificity, including the spelling of the storyline, characters and connecting them artistic techniques.

A group of tourists arrive in Barcelona, where a series of brutal murders begins to take place, committed by an unknown man in red gloves, wielding a dagger. He has a vivid handwriting of cutting out the left eye of the victims, making one expect a crazed maniac in his secret persona. Such an unpretentious beginning, typical for jallo, is perceived as undisguisedly secondary, but on the other hand conscientious attitude to the decoration of the fabula gives a really fascinating rebus. A very small number of actors try on the obligatory role of an independent detective, simultaneously suspecting each other, relentlessly trying to pick up some small detail from a neighbor, which would be a key clue in the case, which is conducted by two police detectives - one experienced old, dreaming of a well-deserved retirement, the other will be young and zealous, who still need to learn a lot in practice. The suspects, of course, are partly recruited from beautiful women, in order to work out the piquancy of the production, often undressing or complying with the fashion trends of European cinema of their years with a lesbian trail, not forgetting to figure in an inseparable symbiosis of fading beauty and insane violence, because any jallo obliges girls to take the role of shapely victims under the sharp blade.

“Frightening” scenes are generous with the butaphoric brightly colored blood, increasing the effect of tension, complementing the sharpness of the cunning mystery, capable of confusing the viewer with several false moves right up to the finale. All this framed by the music of the talented composer Bruno Nicolai and the picturesque background of Spain produces a purely positive effect of perception of the picture, where there is a place for detective puzzles, deceptive assumptions, fascinating tourist investigation, dangerous situations and unexpected finale. Signor Lenzi with this tape, alas, did not squeeze out his more distinguished colleagues in the profession, but he contributed a worthy sample to the general piggy bank of Italian jallo at the time of its prosperity.