The Fifth Cord (1971)

Charismatic international star Franco Nero makes all the difference in this well plotted Giallo co-written by director Luigi Bazzoni, based on a novel by David McDonald Devine. As fans of this genre come to expect, it's a good looking film made with some style by Bazzoni. There's no shortage of red herrings, and the story does keep you guessing - and on your toes. It's got some standout sequences, such as a paraplegic murder victim trying to get to a phone without the aid of a wheelchair, the stalking of an innocent child, and the final chase / fight scene between protagonist and killer. This last bit is very atmospheric. Overall the film does move somewhat slowly, and the script is talky, but it resolves itself in a neat enough way.Nero is well cast as an alcoholic reporter named Andrea Bild. After a young man named Lubbock (Maurizio Bonuglia) is assaulted, this serves as a sign of further violence: a murderer will soon target specific people, and all of them are people whom Andrea knows. Naturally, the police, led by an inspector played by Wolfgang Preiss, are suspicious of Andrea and *he* suspects that they're tailing him. In order to clear his name, he plays detective on his own.That aspect of the story is certainly very familiar, but in general "The Fifth Cord" is enjoyable if not the most exciting film of its kind. The cast is good: also appearing are Silvia Monti, Ira von Furstenberg, Edmund Purdom (always nice to see this guy in anything), Rossella Falk, Renato Romano, and Luciano Bartoli. Luscious blonde American actress Pamela Tiffin shows off the goods in one scene. Talented and prolific legendary composer Ennio Morricone does typically solid work in terms of the score.If the viewer is an aficionado of the Giallo, they should find this to their liking.Seven out of 10.

The Fifth Cord is a giallo from director Luigi Bazzoni, who was also responsible for another entry in the genre, the excellent Footprints on the Moon. This film is a lot more conventional than Footprints. In it, an alcoholic journalist becomes entangled in a series of murders that seem to be connected somehow. This plot-line is pretty unremarkable and typical. But three things make this one stand out. Firstly it has the charismatic Franco Nero in the central role, secondly it's got another impressive Ennio Morricone soundtrack and thirdly, and most importantly, it has exquisite photography from the great Vittorio Storaro who previously shot The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and later did Apocalypse Now. The cinematography really is fantastic here. Geometric spaces are shot with consummate skill and every frame seems to have been considered in detail. Aesthetically, The Fifth Cord is an unarguable triumph.It's not particularly violent for a giallo. The murders are not very graphic at all. Although it does have some impressive suspenseful moments such as the sequence where a disabled woman - played by the always interesting Rossella Falk – is terrorised in the dark by an unseen assailant. Otherwise it does have the usual combination of crazy components that are typical to the genre, such as sex parties, astrology and blackmail. Although I guess the story holds together more solidly than most other gialli. Bazzoni hasn't made a classic of the genre to be fair but he has directed a very stylish one. It comes from the slightly more restrained side of the genre but it should definitely interest seasoned fans of this type of thing.

An exceptional thriller boasting some of the classiest production values of any Giallo. Franco Nero plays a drunken news reporter who finds himself in a lot of trouble with his bosses and the police when people around him start to get killed off. Is he the killer or is he the next victim? Director Luigi Bazzoni (who also had a hand in the script) keeps us guessing until the very end. Bazzoni's direction is dynamite, aided a lot by Vittorio Storaro's stunning photography. There are very few wasted shots in this film. Ennio Morricone's creepy score is another asset. All the performers, beginning with Nero, are great. Nero is best at playing these types of weary (in this case perpetually hungover) outsiders. The strong supporting cast includes Wolfgang Preiss as a wily cop, Renato Romano as a less than ethical doctor and Pamela Tiffin as Nero's free-spirited girlfriend.

"The Fifth Cord" (1971) is a rock-solid if meaninglessly titled giallo ("The Fifth Finger" might have made more sense) that, despite the low-cc count bloodwise, should manage to satisfy most viewers. In it, Franco Nero plays a very handsome but hard-drinking reporter (so hard-drinking that he swills J&B from the bottle while driving!) who investigates after a serial killer begins to slay his quickly diminishing circle of friends. Though fans of these gialli should recognize any number of Euro stars in this film, the real stars of the show, in this case, are surely behind the camera. Luigi Bazzoni's direction is stylish and fluid as can be, maestro Ennio Morricone's score is by turns atmospheric and unsettling, and, most importantly, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's lensing here is truly a work of art. Indeed, this is one of the best-looking gialli that I have ever seen. As far as the plot goes, yes, it does hold together, the murderer does not appear out of far left field at the end, and there are several quite suspenseful sequences. I especially appreciated two near the end, with the killer stalking a young boy, and with Nero chasing and duking it out with the crazed wacko in a deserted building. Despite the presence of seemingly unavoidable red herrings, I was able to look back at this film's story afterward and realize that it did indeed cohere logically. And how nice to see American actress Pamela Tiffin, after her '60s ingenue roles, playing such a sultry sexpot here. Meow! Actually, the only thing that bothered me about "The Fifth Cord" was its time frame. The picture seems to transpire over the course of a mere week or two, and yet by the stated dates of the homicides at the film's end, one realizes that over 4 1/2 months have elapsed! I guess time truly does fly when the viewer is having fun....