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Sunday, April 24, 2016

WHO KILLED THE PROSECUTOR AND WHY?

TERZA IPOTESI SU UN CASO DI PERFETTA STRATEGIA CRIMINALE
WHO KILLED THE PROSECUTOR AND WHY?
Director: Joseph Warren (Giuseppe Vari). Sc: Thomas Lang.
Music: Mario Bertolazzi. Cast: Lou Castel, Beba
Loncar, Adolfo Celi, Massimo Serrato.


               
A local prosecuting attorney is killed and the murderous act is witnessed and even more importantly, photographed by Carlo and his girlfriend, Olga. They take the photos to Marco Cecarelli, alias Ivan Smirnov, alias Uncle "Fifi". Marco is confined to a wheelchair and makes his living filming nude models for magazines. He advises them to contact local Mafia Capo Don Salvatore (one of his minions was arrested as a suspect) to see if he would pay for the pix. When they are snubbed by the Godfather they decide to go to the local tabloid for a quick sale. From here on, everyone Carlo comes in contact with, including "Fifi" and Olga are killed by a mysterious assassin, out to get the negatives. In the finale, we learn who the killer was and why he was involved in a drug ring that the prosecuting attorney had uncovered.


The obvious failing of this film, besides Vari's utter lack of talent, is the uneven mixture of genres. Just when you think it's about to become a full-fledged thriller, the Mafia subplot intrudes, and vice versa. Giuseppe Vari has proven himself, with this and many other films of his I've seen, to be the Andy Warhol of the Italian film industry. He takes the simplest action, and drags it out ad infinitum. For example, do we really need to see a man, getting in his car, roll down his window, look around to see if there is any oncoming traffic, put the car into reverse and slowly back his car down the driveway. I think not. Vari at times seems obsessed with minutia. If he ever starts filming endless parades of walking feet, WATCH OUT DORIS WISHMAN!! Oh yeah, the score belongs in a Ron Ormond opus.