Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

Better than your average giallo with an affable, chain-smoking lead (Pani) and a feisty female companion (Tedesco) uniting to out pace a serial killer whose daring pharmacy murder was witnessed by Tedesco and whose now become the prime target.Despite the apparent age inappropriateness of the Pani-Tedesco duo, they make a dynamic pairing, plenty of chemistry in spite of their physical mismatch and the succession of admirers chasing her tail (alas, she only has eyes for lucky Pani). Franco Citti who appeared in "The Godfather" has a supporting role, but it's not as significant as one might expect of someone with his profile, though it does lead to one of the more memorable scenes atop a raging waterfall.The climax is probably marginally better than I'd initially anticipated, and there's solid investigative work done by the leads to reach the conclusion (a bit like finding your way out of a maze). Overall, I found the leads very likable, the music jazzy and upbeat (kudos to Trans Europa Express) and consequently, the film was better than expected though I do think the title "Watch Me When I Kill" remains something of a misnomer with little if any relevance to the mystery. And be sure not to miss the scene when the nosy neighbour sticks her head in the oven to check the beef ragout - buon appetito.

Nightclub dancer Mara (a solid and appealing performance by the fetching Paola Tedesco) finds herself being stalked by a killer after she witnesses a murder. It's up to Mara's sleazy, but overall decent boyfriend Lukas (a fine and likable portrayal by Corrado Pani) to figure out who the killer is before he claims Mara as his next victim. Director/co-writer Antonio Bido does a bang-up job with this nifty entry in the popular Italian giallo thriller genre: The tight and tricky plot unfolds at a swift pace, Bido creates and sustains a substantial amount of tension, the killer's true identity is a real surprise, and the brutal murder set pieces deliver the savagely satisfying goods (a vicious bathtub strangulation rates as a definite exciting highlight). Moreover, this film further benefits from sturdy acting by the able cast: Tedesco and Pani do praiseworthy work in the leads, with sound support from Fernando Cerulli as the scared and secretive Giovanni Bozzi, Franco Citti as angry convicted killer Pasquale Ferrante, and Bianca Toccafondi as the paranoid Esmeralda Messori. Mario Vulpiani's polished and dynamic cinematography makes inspired use of a smoothly gliding camera and gives the picture a neat stylish look. The lively and throbbing jazzy prog-rock score by Trans Europa Express does the pulse-pounding trick. Recommended viewing for giallo fans.

Those familiar with Antonio Bido anyway, the director of WHO SAW HER DIE? & THE BLOOD STAINED SHADOW, understand that his giallo thrillers are always leisurely paced(..to say the least)with LOTS of plot. And, there's always a sense of real sadness behind the plot, real tragedy often motivates the story with characters uncovering horrible truths. And, WATCH ME WHEN I KILL is no different, it is insanely convoluted yielding such a melancholy conclusion when our detective hero finally figures out the painful reasons behind a series of murders in(..and outside of) Rome. Three characters share a secret involving the Nazis and a family they betray and this fuels the killer who hunts each down, waiting for the right time, when they are most vulnerable, slaying them from behind. The first is a pharmacist stabbed in the back, the killer slicing his throat. The second, a female character named Esmeralda(Bianca Toccafaondi), who is friends with Giovanni Bozzi(Fernando Cerulli), a businessman with corrupt lending practices, she has a history with. Bozzi seeks aid from neighbor, Lukas(Corrado Pani) regarding disturbing phone calls featuring a collage of loud, random sounds which mean little to him, yet are enough to cause concern. Lukas is also assigned to protect his actress girlfriend, Mara(Paola Tedesco)who came across a crime in progress(..the pharmacy as the killer escaped quickly)and has been targeted for possibly seeing too much. Lukas begins his own investigation into the murders, and soon realizes that his girlfriend's pursuer and the killer behind the others are related. Soon, a judge(Giuseppe Addobbati), a wrongfully accused escaped con(Franco Citti), and a screenplay writer(Paolo Malco)all have their own part within the convoluted story.I will admit that I labored through WATCH ME WHEN I KILL, even though I respect director Bido for the ambitious story and it's chilling finale when we get all the facts after a lot exposition. I thought the score, supplied to us by Trans Europa Express was fabulous, good mixture of styles which often provide the film with a texture complimenting the shifts in tone(..while also making the long haul a little more bearable). I wasn't as critical of the acting and think the important characters were handled reasonably well. I agree with others that the dubbing and dialogue effects the impact of the film because characters are often saddled with cringe-worthy words that were perhaps more articulate in the Italian language. I for one liked Pani as the lead detective..he had the look down, and the cigar was a nice touch, and he never, to me anyway, ever committed a dopey characterization which would make him unsympathetic or unworthy of interest.The trademark giallo POV shot for the killer is often relied upon, and there's really nothing particularly stylish or fresh..that could be looked at as perhaps a positive for Bido, his conscious decision to bare more emphasis on the story, not dependent upon certain camera angles or imaginative methods at keeping our attention. The murders themselves are vicious affairs(..especially the final strangulation using a shower head's extension cord)which correspond with what their past mistake resulted in..the savagery with which the killer conducts his work(..such as the grisly sequence where Esmeralda's face is buried in a beef stew she was preparing on a skillet)correlates with how certain family members fell to the Nazis. Also important is a family photo with faces cut representing lost lives.

The Cat's Victims is reputed to have 'borrowed' all of the elements that have made other Giallos successful. Things such as black gloves, stylish murders, a pumping soundtrack and a gritty look about the film are all present, but unfortunately; so are bad dubbing, terrible acting and a very incoherent plot. Basically, The Cat's Victims is successful for the same reasons that many other Giallos down the years have been successful; but it falls down on things that it could have avoided, given that writer-director Antonio Bido has obviously seen a lot of Giallos prior to writing this one. There's two types of Giallo; namely, urban and rural; and this one belongs to the urban side of the equation. The rural often gives way to more beautiful settings, but the cityscape makes for a better set-up for a mystery. The plot here is muddled, and it follows a young woman who, after witnessing the murderer leave the scene of the crime, finds herself as his next target. Her boyfriend is taking none of this lying down, however, and makes it his business to get to the bottom of the mystery.One of the most important things about Giallo for me has to be the murder scenes. The ones featured here are very brutal and serve the film well. We get treated to scenes including someone having their face scolded on a hot oven plate, a man being strangled in the bath and a great car park scene. The death scenes are said to take influence from Argento's films, and while none of them are actually the same; the brutality is definitely there. The music for this film is a little over the top and doesn't always fit the scene, but all the same; I quite enjoyed it. It's much heavier than the usual music found in this sort of film, and it actually serves it quite well as the pumping sounds get the heart going, which is generally what you want from a thriller. As for the acting...nobody goes into a film like this expecting greatness on that front, and it's a good job because the acting here is quite rubbish. Of course, the bad dubbing doesn't help matters and it can sometimes be hard to tell which is to blame. Still, if you're a fan of Giallo; this is definitely worth seeing. I'd recommend catching the more highly rated ones first, though.