Disappointing! Completely Overrated! 1 star to balance this overrating.
Best part of the movie was the cinematography. It was good. Not great, but we get to see some early London. The music was OK. Nothing memorable.
Now the story. I know most giallo do not make sense and plot holes are all over the place. But this one must take the cake. We don't get to see or hear about the famous Solange until 25 minutes to the end of the movie. And we have to try to figure out what the hell is going on. The acting was OK, but boring. Fabio Testi is no actor, maybe a model of clothing lines. Joachim Fuchsberger was much better as the inspector, still not great, but who the hell wants to hear a bunch of talking in a murder mystery? Cristina Galbó was better, but again the script is garbage. She was much much better in the Killer will Kill Again, a superior movie, not great, but a hell of lot more fun than this garbage.
We have Fabio, Italian with a stupid accent, having an affair with an underage girl, then lying to the police. They should have locked this guy up, not as the criminal, but just for being a dirtbag and being a crappy actor. He manhandles a photographer for answers for dramatic effect. There the filmmakers should be locked up for being dirtbags. He treats his wife like crap. So, real lovely guy.
We get Cristina Galbó another liar Fabio is having an affair with. Her bathtub drowning scene was OK, not great.
We get lots of scenes with nude girls showering and a peeping Tom, Red Herring.
We get the fat bearded guy losing it at a priest lineup and the inspector manhandling him. Attempted humor? Failure! Here's a pretty sad point in the film. The inspector tells the wife that Cristina Galbó was still a virgin at the time of her death, so Fabio didn't enter, the wife smiles. Forget about the fact that girls are being killed, there's a manic running loose. The wife is smiling, because Fabio didn't enter. So, our next delight of film shows Fabio and the wife rekindling their marriage. How freaking sweet. I guess Fabio figured he might as well get some from the wife until he can pick another live underage girl to take to his hideaway apartment.
Our great reveal is in the last 5 minutes, when we find out that some of the murdered girls took this famous Solange to a woman for a kitchen table abortion that didn't go so well and mentally scarred Solange, so the father took it upon himself for revenge. OK! How about some clues early on, maybe a scene or some talking about Solange or some tidbits about that big reveal at the end, so we humans can put something together. No, we just get this abstract nonsense.
I have skimmed through the IMDb user reviews, most of them give 10 star, some 8, a few 7, and very few give 4 or 3. A very few no stars, and indicate 1.
As a stand alone movie, it has decent cinematography and there's some entertainment to be found. And the rating would probably be a passing D, or 3 stars. But given all the freaking garbage 10 stars, I will have to balance things out with a 1.
I will also mention that I am no fan of Argento. I am the president of the I hate Suspiria fan club. Suspiria is a pile of amateur garbage. I hate Plumage, and Four Flies. I am also not a fan of Bava. Planet of Vampires is trash, Bay of Blood is trash, Much better giallos are Spasmo, Death Walks at Midnight, The Case of the Bloody Iris, Blade of the Ripper, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, All the Colors of the Dark, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail, The Fifth Cord, The Weapon, the Hour, & the Motive, Killer Will Kill Again. These are not great films, but they are entertaining. And much superior to this Solange nonsense.
Here are some films I will recommend: Don't Torture A Duckling, Manhattan Baby, Messiah of Evil, White Zombie, Footprints on the Moon, Scream Bloody Murder.
Update: I've finished reviewing the Critic reviews. Only 2 did not like this film: Bill's Movie Emporium, and DVD Talk.
Another Critic breaks down all the scenes of this boring and convoluted mess: Terror Trap. They're assessment is that Solange is a great movie, a clean poignant giallo, with drama and mystery with well-drawn characters and thoughtful plotting, Wonderful thriller, beautifully realized. Fine performance from Fabio and Karin. And praise for Camille for her portrayal of Solange, and that we will never forget the sad look in her eyes when she sees her dead father.
Nonsense. 1) boring and convoluted movie. 2) not clean and clear. 3) Drama – Cheating dirtbag husband rekindles his romance with his wife, after the death of his lover, because she was a virgin, Crap! 4) Mystery - no clue what the hell is going on. It is a mystery how many people love this crap. 5) Well Drawn Characters? NOT, we have no idea who these people are, nothing beyond where they work, at most we have a couple with a cheating husband. These are not likable characters at all. 6) Wonderful thriller – NOT. 7) Beautifully realized – NOT. 8) Fine performances by Fabio and Karin – NOT. These people are not actors. They are clothing models at best. 9) Praise for the actress playing Solange – first we see her toward the end of the movie, she has a freaking blank look on her face, what is that, ohh she lost her mind, great. Seriously, you think this is good acting?
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